YOU NEVER UNDERSTAND LIFE UNTIL IT GROWS INSIDE OF YOU.
Gaining an appropriate amount of weight during pregnancy helps your baby grow to a healthy size. But gaining too much or too little weight may lead to serious health problems for you and your baby.
According to experts External link, gaining too much weight during pregnancy raises your chances for developing gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) and high blood pressure during pregnancy. It also increases your risk for type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure later in life. If you’re overweight or have obesity when you get pregnant, your chances for health problems may be even higher. You could also be more likely to have a cesarean section (C-section) NIH external link.
Gaining a healthy amount of weight helps you have an easier pregnancy and delivery. It may also help make it easier for you to get back to a healthy weight after delivery. Research shows that recommended amounts of weight gain during pregnancy can also lower the chances that you or your child will have obesity and weight-related problems later in life.
How much weight you should gain depends on your body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy. BMI is a measure of your weight in relation to your height. You can use a formula to calculate your BMI NIH external link online.
The general weight-gain advice below is for women having only one baby.
It’s important to gain weight very slowly. The old myth that you’re “eating for two” is not true. During the first 3 months, your baby is only the size of a walnut and doesn’t need many extra calories. The following rate of weight gain is advised
1 to 4 pounds total in the first 3 months
2 to 4 pounds each month from 4 months until delivery
Talk to your health care professional about how much weight gain is appropriate for you. Work with him or her to set goals for your weight gain. Take into account your age, weight, and health. Track your weight at home or when you visit your health care professional.
Don’t try to lose weight if you’re pregnant. Your baby needs to be exposed to healthy foods and low-calorie beverages (particularly water) to grow properly. Some women may lose a small amount of weight at the start of pregnancy. Speak to your health care professional if this happens to you.
Consuming healthy foods and low-calorie beverages, particularly water, and the appropriate number of calories may help you and your baby gain the proper amount of weight.
How much food and how many calories you need depends on things such as your weight before pregnancy, your age, and how quickly you gain weight. If you’re at a healthy weight, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) External link says you need no extra calories in your first trimester, about 340 extra calories a day in your second trimester, and about 450 extra calories a day in your third trimester.1 You also may not need extra calories during the final weeks of pregnancy.
Check with your health care professional about your weight gain. If you’re not gaining the weight you need, he or she may advise you to take in more calories. If you’re gaining too much weight, you may need to cut down on calories. Each woman’s needs are different. Your needs also depend on whether you were underweight, overweight, or had obesity before you became pregnant, or if you’re having more than one baby.
Should I be physically active during my pregnancy?
Almost all women can and should be physically active during pregnancy. According to current physical activity guidelines , regular physical activity may
help you and your baby gain the appropriate amounts of weight
reduce backaches, leg cramps, and bloating
reduce your risk for gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy)
reduce your risk for postpartum depression NIH
There's also some evidence that physical activity may reduce the risk of problems during pregnancy such as preeclampsia NIH external link (high blood pressure during pregnancy), reduce the length of labor and postpartum recovery, and reduce the risk of having a cesarean section (or C-section) External link.
If you were physically active before you became pregnant, you may not need to change your exercise habits. Talk with your health care professional about how to change your workouts during pregnancy.
Being physically active can be hard if you don’t have childcare for your other children, haven’t exercised before, or don’t know what to do. Keep reading for tips about how you can work around these hurdles and be physically active.
How can the pregnent women stay healthy after her baby is born?
After you deliver your baby, your health may be better if you try to return to a healthy weight slowly. Not losing your “baby weight” may lead to overweight or obesity later in life. Slowly returning to a healthy weight may lower your chances of diabetes, heart disease, and other weight-related problems.
Healthy eating, regular physical activity, adequate sleep, and other healthy habits after your baby is born may help you return to a healthy weight and give you energy.
After your baby is born
Consume foods and beverages to meet your calorie needs.
Regular physical activity will continue to benefit your overall health. Moderate-intensity physical activity will increase your fitness and can improve your mood.
Also, physical activity does not appear to have bad effects on how much breast milk is produced, what the breast milk contains, or how much the baby grows.
How may breastfeeding help?
Breastfeeding External link may or may not make it easier for you to lose weight because your body uses extra calories to produce milk. Even if breastfeeding does not help you lose weight, it’s linked to many other benefits for mother and child.
For mothers who breastfeed, experts advise External link feeding their babies only breast milk for the first 6 months—no other foods or drinks during this time. Experts suggest that those women continue breastfeeding at least until their baby reaches 12 months.
Calorie needs when you’re breastfeeding depend on how much body fat you have and how active you are. Talk with your health care professional about your calorie needs while you are breastfeeding.
Benefits of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding your baby
likely gives him or her an appropriate mix of vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients in a liquid (breast milk) that is easy to digest
helps boost his or her immune system
helps protect your baby from common problems, like ear infections NIH external link and diarrhea
What else may help the pregnant lady ?
Pregnancy and the time after you deliver your baby can be wonderful, exciting, emotional, stressful, and tiring—all at once. These feelings may cause you to overeat, not get enough calories, or lose your drive and energy. Being good to yourself may help you cope with your feelings and follow healthy lifestyle habits.
Here are some ideas that may help.
Sleep when the baby sleeps.
Ask someone you trust to watch your baby while you nap, bathe, read, go for a walk, or go grocery shopping.
Explore groups that you and your newborn can join, such as “new moms” groups.
Don’t feel like you need to do it all on your own. Seek help from friends, family members, or local support groups.
Summary of Tips for Pregnancy
Talk to your health care professional about how much weight you should gain during your pregnancy, and regularly track your progress.
Consume foods and beverages rich in folate, iron, calcium, and protein. Talk with your health care professional about prenatal supplements (vitamins you may take while pregnant).
Eat breakfast every day.
Eat foods high in fiber, and drink fluids (particularly water) to avoid constipation.
Avoid alcohol, raw or undercooked fish, fish high in mercury, undercooked meat and poultry, and soft cheeses.
Do moderate-intensity aerobic activity at least 150 minutes a week during your pregnancy. If you have health issues, talk to your health care professional before you begin.
After pregnancy, slowly get back to your routine of regular, moderate-intensity physical activity.
Gradually return to a healthy weight.