Any Advice on How Not to Gain Too Much (And Have a Huge Baby) During Pregnancy ?

I was overweight with all 3 of my daughters (like, 80lbs overweight >:() and they were 5lbs 15oz @ 36weeks, 7lbs 6oz @38 weeks and 8lbs 4oz @ 42 weeks.....just to give you a little perspective.

Just eat healthily and do some low-impact, safe excersises: walking and swimming are great.

Good luck and congrats!

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Definitely talk to your OBGN about this. It's great to not gain to much weight, but it's a fine line...because, you still need to gain some. He/she will be able to help figure out a number for you, and how to avoid going over it. 10 weeks is very early on, and you have most of your pregnancy left. It's a perfect time to start!! The main concern of starting a pregnancy overweight, is the risk of gestational diabetes. (which so often causes big babies.) Try not to eat anything white. White sugars, white bread, white pasta, things made with white flour. Eat only whole wheat and avoid all sugars, sodas, and junk food. That's a great rule, for any pregnancy. At your next appointment talk with your OB about this, and they will come up with a good plan for you. Good luck, and congrats!!!

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I have nothing specific to contribute to your question, but having been through 3 pregnancies, I would say to make sure you give your body permission to do what it needs to.

I exercised pretty hard and ate normal (not "for two") during my first pregnancy and I gained 50lbs! I was devastated and struggled to loose any of that weight. I dropped only 20 before we became pregnant again. The second time, I only gained 20 pounds and ended at the same number as my first. Our third was unplanned and I had only dropped 25 pounds. Again, I gained exactly what I lost and ended at the same number.

While every mom is different, it seems that my body has an ideal weight number that I need to reach with my kids and that is that - no more, no less.

Here's to a healthy and happy pregnancy!!
Cheers.
~C.

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Your baby will (genetically determined) be approx the same size/weight that YOUR MOM was at birth. Weird but true.

Some women that gain a LOT have tiny babies and some who gain little have 10 pounders!

Why is this bothering you? It should be the least of your concerns.

Congratulations and enjoy your pregnancy!

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I was 215 when I was pregnant with #1 and went up to 242. For the last 5 years I was between 240-245lbs. I was at 240lbs when I found out I was pregnant with #2. I am 8 months and only at 247-250lbs.

Both I and my Midwife are very proud at my accomplishment, because I told her in the beginning I did NOT want to gain the normal 25-30lbs this pregnancy. She said as long as I ate enough calories and kept up my labwork in average levels, she would support that choice.

I ate A LOT of fresh fruits and veggies/salads. I cut back on breads (ate only rye), cut back on fast food and ate mostly chicken. I allowed myself indulgences in frozen yogurts, candy (not too much) and diet sodas. I've been drinking tons of crystal light too.

Baby is estimated to be at 6lbs now... so not only did I LOOSE weight but kept healthy (it was a moderate amount, nothing big) and all the gains have been due to baby growing, uterus getting larger, amniotic fluid, etc. I'm sure working full time as a nurse for 4 months (from months 4-8) helped, because I didn't exercise.

If you work hard at eating the base amount of calories you need with 97% of healthy foods, not be a couch potato and KNOW you can do it - you will :o)

Congrats and good luck!

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Personally, Im not sure if gaining a ton of wieght is realted to having a huge baby. I was 40lbs overwieght when I was pregnant with my second son. I only gained a total of 10lbs throughout my pregnancy, and he wieghed 9lb 8oz at birth!

Walk, eat well, drink water, water, water!!

Congratulations, and good luck :)

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I don't think over eating causes "a big baby"...

Just eat smart and you and baby should be good. By eating smart that means snacking on veggies and fruit and other nutrious things.

Good luck and Congrats

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I'm not sure it's always in your control. I was 100 pounds when I got pregnant with my first and was 180 (yes, one hundred eighy pounds, lol) when I delivered. I was active and fanatic about eating perfect and worked until 2 weeks before delivery and exercised. The pounds just piled on no matter what. My son ended up being 8 pounds 10 ounces, which was big for me (had to have "emergency" c-section due to his huge head). Big baby, yes, but not big enough to warrant gaining 80 pounds, lol!

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You can have a huge baby and gain very little weight or have a little peanut after gaining 60 lbs! Ask your doctor the recommended weight gain for your size. It's not always the same depending on how overweight ypu are for your height. Eat healthy, lean proteins, and lots of fruits and veggies. Get your carbs from true whole grain sources and stay away from processed "white" foods and sweets. Really watch your sodium intake! Swim a lot, walk a lot and do prenatal yoga. Look into your local gyms and YMCAs for exercise classes and pregnancy exercise classes.

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Congratulations! Yes, start tomorrow definitely. Walk at least 30 minutes per day, drinks lots of water and skim milk, no sodas or things with artificial sweeteners, and eat good whole foods: lean eat, veggies 2x per day at least, 1 fruit per day and whole grains one or 2 times per day. If you need dessert: a little non-fat frozen yogurt or italian ice mixed with frozen berries and a dab of chocolate sauce.

Eating the whole foods give the vitamins and minerals you need and sends most of it to baby. Even if you overeat those good foods, it is much better than eating junk or loading up on sweets. Good luck!

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Congrats!

Number 1: Don't eat any more than before!
Number 2: Drink more fluids and walk a lot. Walking is completely safe and it will keep you healthy and not gaining any weight on you... The baby will get whatever it needs first, and don't forget your prenatal vitamins! Best wishes and God bless!

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The amount you gain won't correspond to the size of the baby that you have (I gained 50 lbs with the first and she was only 6 1/2 lbs). I am in the same position you are in right now. I am trying to watch what I eat and make sure it is relatively healthy. I don't drink regular soda (a contributer to at least 20 of those 50 lbs with number 1). My gym has a pregnancy water exercise class that you can take once you are 14 weeks along and I have found that that has helped me a lot. Some exercise but not too much if it isn't your norm. Good luck and congrats.

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Your weight gain is NOT an indicator of how big the baby will be. Just eat a healthful diet and avoid junk food as much as possible and things will be fine. Take walks, drink a lot of water (a gallon a day) and live as healthfully as possible. Indulge in treats occasionally and don't worry about your belly size or the baby's size. What will be will be. It's never too late to start eating healthfully.

Your best advice, though, will be from your OB and if you really need help then ask for a referral to a nutritionist. But I've got to say... 175 lbs is not overweight. It's normal.

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I'm probably going to repeat what everyone else has already said - but wanted to state it too: the amount of weight you gain is not related to how big your baby will be. The baby will take nutrients from your body before you get any, so whether you gain 15 pounds or 50, you could still have a small baby, or a big one - it's genetic how big your baby will be and you can't change it. The only thing you need to be careful about that could cause an abnormally large baby is gestational diabetes. You'll be tested for it during your pregnancy - and the best way to avoid it is to eat healthy. Good luck!

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The baby's size is mostly determined by genetics and there is nothing you can, let alone "should" do about that if you want a safe pregnancy.

However, the most likely cause of a large baby that is non-genetic is gestational diabetes, and that should be tested for, and closely monitored by your OB. If you are overweight, your OB should be watching for this (as weight is a major factor in gestational diabetes) and other related medical concerns AND they will provide you the proper diet and exercise recommendations to ensure a healthy baby and safe delivery.

With the exception of a medical concern such as diabetes for instance, pregnancy is no time to be dieting. Poor nutrition during pregnancy can result in very serious repercussions for the baby. Wait until you deliver. You wouldn't want to jeopardize your child's health trying to stay small or to lose weight.

Don't try to do a diet without the guidance of your OB.

http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/MaternalInfantHealt...

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I was about 175 at 5'6" with my first baby, walked a lot and ate well, gained about 30 pounds and had him full-term at 8 lbs 13 oz. My doctor got a little upset when I hinted that I thought I was overweight at the time I became pregnant, so I decided to just focus on the walking and healthy eating and such. It is never too late to start that, but you shouldn't otherwise start any kind of exercise you're not already doing (don't start running or taking kickboxing or something).

I started my second pregnancy at least ten pounds lighter than my first, and my third probably fifteen pounds lighter than the second. Ironically, it was with my third pregnancy when I was at my healthiest since high school and lowest adult weight (and jogging in my early pregnancy) that I actually had a 10 pound baby. Just focus on being happy and doing gentle aerobic exercise. Your weight gain pattern might vary, so don't stress too much and just watch that the increase is never too much too fast.

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All you need is an extra 300 calories a day for the baby and just about everyone gets that extra 300 cals everyday anyways.

I am on my third pregnancy right now and due in a few weeks and have gained about 25 pounds. I gained 30 w/ my 1st and 25 w/ my 2nd. I never really changed my eating habits. I don't understand how some women gain 60-80 lbs during their pregnancies. What do they do, just scarf food all day long?

I think you will be fine as long as you don't make up excuses for eating a bunch like I'm eating for two. That way of thinking, is what gets you into trouble! Happy pregnancy!!! :)

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First off, congratulations!

Second, my ob recommends not eating for two... just eat healthy for one. Lots of protein, fruits and veggies. I gained 17 pounds with my first (6lb, 9 oz girl delivered at 38.5 weeks), and am now 9 weeks pregnant with my 2nd. I'm also 5 years older and 10 pounds heavier, so I plan to try to eat as healthy as I can, and hopefully keep the weight down again.

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Try not to worry about your weight gain just eat healthy. My second pregnancy the doctors kept telling me I was putting on too much weight. I kept telling them I was not over eating. I was doing the same with the second as I did with the first. First one I put on 23 lbs. The second one I ended up putting on 45lbs and my baby was 10lbs. I am glad I did not listen to the doctors and cut back on eating. My family tends to have bigger babies. My mother had 5 chidren and they ranged from 9lbs 6oz up to 12lbs!! To tell you the truth my first daughter was 7lbs and the labor was much harder then the 10lb baby. Just eat healthy and you will be fine. I had about 10lbs to lose after both my babies. Now if I could only lose the 20lbs I have gained from stress eating while raising those 2 babies! :)

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Congrats on your pregnancy. Blessings to you as you go through this wonderful time! :)

I was overweight when I became pregnant. With my first I weighed the same as you and didn't gain any pregnancy weight. I was very high risk and spent my entire pregnancy in bed. The only time I was allowed up was for short showers and doctor appts. You CAN do this!

I was not able to exercise. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and followed a diabetic diet. I didn't have to take insulin, was able to control it with diet only. My diet consisted of 5 fruit a day, 10-12oz of protein, lots of veggies. I didn't eat any sweets (except on my birthday) and my doctor told me I had to drink 72oz of water a day. My doctor (specialist) required I eat 1 pear and 1 apple per day the rest of the fruit was my choice. He also required I eat 1 egg per day. I hated pears (and still do) but I ate one per day with both pregnancies. I had 5 miscarriages and waited 10+ years to have my family. I had given up on ever becoming pregnant.

When I delivered I weighed 16lbs less than when I found out I was pregnant. It was GREAT! My baby was 6lbs 14oz and was about 3 weeks premature.

I did the same thing with my son 4 years later. My net gain was 2 pounds and I weighed 15 lbs less after delivery. He was 8 lbs. Both kids were very healthy.

God bless you!

L.

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Portion control. Dont snack inbetween meals unless it's something healthy.. Walk a mile EVERY day. Don't eat after 6pm.

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walk walk walk ... get some great tennis shoes (Saucony are extremely comfy and very affordable) and walk as much as possible ... Include lots of fruits and veggies on your plate and drink lots of water. Good luck! Ask your doc about it too ...

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What you eat/do has no bearing on baby size. I lost weight during both of my pregnancies because of nausea, and I had sizeable babies, both over eight pounds!

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I was 217 when I got pregnant with my last son. I made me a wreck because I had preeclampsia with my first. I ate lots of greens, veggies and grilled chicken. I also drank pretty much nothing but water but when I wanted a treat I would have a small glass of milk. I walked everyday and let me tell it was a struggle towards the end. I ended up gaining 29 pounds and within a month lost all of it plus some. GoOd luck. You are in much better shape than I was.

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It is not to late for you to start being healthy. You can start walking now. You can even add short intervals of fast walking to help get your heart rate up. As far as eating goes you need to determine what your daily caloric needs is for your body to maintain your weight. Typically you only need to add an additional 300 cals of the baby, but if you are already overweight you may not need to add that much...ask your Dr. about that. The best thing you can do is eat 5 small meals a day which will help you stay feeling fuller and will keep your metabolize up through out the day. Try and eliminate processed food and eat more fruits, vegetables, lean protein and whole grains. You will be amazed how much you can eat when it is good whole food. If you need any help figuring out your caloric need message me.

Congratulations!

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I wouldn't start any intense exercise programs if you weren't regularly exercising before you got pregnant. But you can never go wrong with walking! And just eat normal and healthy. As for pregnancy weight gain, don't worry about it. In my 3 pregnancies I gained about 30 lbs (baby weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz.), over 50 lbs. (baby weight 7 1/2 lbs.) and about 40 lbs (baby weight 6 lbs. 10 oz.). Never once did my doctors comment on my weight gain. What is more important is that your vitals remain steady -- blood pressure, sugar levels, etc. And as long as you eat right and walk you should be fine.

Congrats and good luck!

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As far as I know what you do and eat won't effect babies size. I also don't know how much there is you can control about your weight gain.

With my first I gained about 25lbs total, and I was sooooo sick the entire pregnancy. At first I lost about 10 pounds from getting sick constantly. I drank mostly water and could only eat spaghetti and ice cream (not together haha) I lost it all in about 2-3 months after birth, but then gained a ton when I stopped breast feeding (I was excited about finally being able to eat again!!!) She was three weeks early and weighed 7lbs. 20 1/4 inches long

With my second I had lost about 45 lbs from after 1st daughter and I gained about 40. I was eating healthier (just the occasional treat) and working out at least 4 times a week. I was in the best shape of my life, and honestly hardly looked preggo from the front or back, sideways you could see my little basketball. My delivery was so easy and quick (I attribute that you the exercising) and she was 7.2 lbs and 19 3/4 inches. She was born at 41 weeks. She is 10 weeks old and I have lost 42lbs since her delivery. It all just melted off. I am eating all the time and so is she. :) But I am trying to make good choices and I went back to exercising when she was 5.5 weeks (with dr. approval). My girls were born 5 weeks apart (pregnancy wise, like at 37 weeks and at 41 weeks) and almost exactly the same size.

Ask your doctor for a meal plan and an exercise plan.

My

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Walk, walk, walk, and then walk some more. From about 17 weeks until delivery at 36 weeks I walked every evening for 30 minutes. I was slow, I waddled, it was stinking hot, but I did it. It helped with leg cramps at night and it helped keep the swelling in my feet down.

Even with all the walking, I still gained over 45 pounds BUT I lost 30 of those pounds in less than 10 days after birth. I didn't eat more than usual, I just didn't fit into the "only gain 20-30 pound" category. My baby was 8 pounds at 36 weeks. She was a big girl and she needed a lot of space to move around.

If you're eating healthy and using portion control like Grandma T said, then don't stress about the weight gain. My DD is 10 months old and I am back in all of my pre-pregnancy clothes-- however, I worked at it. I started walking again within a few days of birth and after my six week check up I bought a jogging stroller and started lifting weights to get back in shape. You do have to work at it, but it can be done.

Congratulations on your miracle!!

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Congratulations!

I haven't read the other responses, but my midwife told me (when I was pregnant with my second child) was that the last month of pregnancy, everything pretty much goes to the baby. Which, would have been helpful if I had known that with my first baby (had a doctor and he didn't tell me, which is probably why I gave birth to a 9 lb 4 oz baby). With my first born I was going through 2 gallons of milk (whole) and half a gallon of ice cream a week that last month, hence the big baby :-)

I would recommend a LOT of walking and squatting. Lots of fruits and veggies are a must, a good prenatal vitamin (I used Garden of Life - Vitamin Code with my last pregnancy), and I would limit your processed foods. If you can make (from scratch, not box) most of your food, I find you savor it more. I would limit how much you eat out because everyone tends to put too much salt in everything. Also, sea salt is better than normal table salt. Congratulations again!

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I would walk 30 minutes or so daily, drink lots of water, and eat as healthy as you can. Just don't use pregnancy as an excuse to eat more and exercise less. But remember, this is the BEST reason to live as healthy of a lifestyle as you can right now!

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Genetics are related to baby size, and also unmanaged gestational diabetes. Eat healthy. A variety of foods, reasonable portions, lots of healthy snacks (nuts, fruits, cheese, protein, etc.). Talk to your OB about your fears and you and your little one will do fine. Ask specifically about the gestational diabetes diet - I had it and managed it with diet. I felt like I was eating ALL the time, but I didn't gain a bunch of weight. It was great.

Good for you for taking care of the both of you :)

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Genetics determines a baby's size, you can't do anything about that. BUT, you can stay a healthy weight while you are pregnant by eating foods that are low on the glycemic index. I did that when I was pregnant with my second, gained 25 pounds and lost it again 2 weeks after baby was born. My OB said that she rarely saw patients that were as healthy as I was. I never counted calories or fat, just the glycemic index. I also ate healthy proteins with any carbs that I consumed and that helped!

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If most of what you eat is HEALTHY, then it will go to the baby (we want this, it is a good thing, it won't make the baby bigger than it should be, it will just nourish all of it's organs and brain) and very little will be left over to make you fat. My biggest baby was my second, and after he was born, I was SHOCKED to be right down to my pre-pregnancy size despite all the pregnancy weight. Meanwhile my two daughters, I ate too much and had a year's worth of work to do after each of them.....

If you eat high fat things and sweets and go nuts, you and the baby will both get big and fat. No way around it.

It's really hard, because you are HUNGRY, but you only need 200 extra calories a day for the baby, so you shouldn't really be eating much more than normal Even though you will be HUNGRY. Cruel hoax.

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Sooo with Denise P on this.

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I started out at 175lbs myself. The day I delivered I was 202lbs. I ate healthy and drank lots of water. I am on my feet usually 75% of the time at work so that helped with the exercise. I would just eat stuff in moderation, no large portions. You don't need to eat for two since the baby only needs I think my doc said 200 or 300 more calories than your usual intake. Water aerobics are fabulous. It is easy on your joints and great workout. The big baby would come into play if you became diabetic during your pregnancy. And once again making healthy choices with food and activity will help with that.

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You sound like me. I gained 35 pounds with my first child, and 11 with my second. I ate a very clean diet, and exercised 4 times a week, right up to delivery.

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You are correct - overweight mothers who gain more weight have larger babies - sorry , it's a statistical fact - it is a complication called macrosomia and is associated with a higher incidence of adverse events. (http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/581153). And you are absolutely right to be concerned. It is not too late to start (continue) eating well and exercising. There is lots of info out there on exercise programs appropriate for pregnancy. Also on nutrition. Talk with your ob - or look up the current recommendations for weight gain during pregnancy. I was overweight when I started my pregnancy, remained the same weight the entire pregnancy (up and down within 5 lbs of water weight), had a 6 lb 14 oz term baby and (yeah) dropped 40 lbs within 6 weeks of giving birth. All I did was change my diet to a healthy one and started walking/cycling a moderate 30-45 minutes/day. Good luck - it is really important for your health and your baby's.

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