Most women are usually obsessed with their weight and body size, even when they are pregnant. But there is a role for the weight that is put on during pregnancy. It is part of the course of nature in preparing the body to bring on a new life.
Hence, a pregnant woman should not be overly concerned about putting on weight during pregnancy; rather, it should be a concern if the pile on of weight is insufficient, which indicates a serious complication in pregnancy.
How Much Weight Should You Gain During Pregnancy
Preparing For Pregnancy
However, if you are planning to get pregnant, you should consider bringing yourself to an ideal weight before you conceive. This implies putting on of weight if you are underweight or putting off some weight if you are overweight.
There are almost two thirds of American women who are obese and of childbearing age. They should reduce their weight before they plan to become pregnant. A good indicator of your ideal body weight is measurement of the BMI, which is a ratio of your weight to your height at conception time; it indicates the amount of body fat in your body to declare the health of your body.
A score below 18.5 is underweight, while normal stands between 18.5 and 24.9, with a score between 25 and 29.9 as overweight. Finally, a score greater than 30 is considered obese.
For example, a woman standing at 5 feet 6 inches weighing 115lbs to 154 lbs is normal.
Recommended Weight Gains
The guidelines provided by the Medicine Institute (IOM) helps the pregnant mom monitor her weight gain during pregnancy to ensure good health for both, mother and baby.
For a BMI of more than 18.5 but lower than 24.9, the weight gain during pregnancy should be about 25 to 35 pounds. The 1st trimester should see a gain of 3-4 pounds which comprises part water and part materials to assist the growth of the tiny fetus at that point in time. After that, the pregnant woman should only put on 1 pound every week until delivery for a comfortable pregnancy and good baby development.
For a BMI less than 18.5, you can gain more weight from between 28 and 40 pounds, with 5-6 lbs in the 1st trimester and then a little bit over 1 pound every week until delivery.
For a BMI of 25-29.9, a total weight gain between 15 and 25 pounds is ideal, with 2-3 lbs in the 1st trimester and a little more than 1/2 pound every week until delivery.
For a BMI over 30, weight gain should be around 11 to 20 pounds, with an extra pound during the 1st trimester and below half a pound every week until delivery.
For a twin pregnancy, the preferred weight to be gained should fall between 37 and 54 pounds for the healthy start weight, 31-50 pounds for an overweight and a gain of 25-42 pounds for the obese, with just 1.5 pounds per week until delivery.
Nowadays, there is a recommendation that these figures need to push down by 5 pounds, for the mothers to return easily to their weight before pregnancy.
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