How Does Weight Affect Pregnancy

The most important thing is to be healthy. That said, it is possible to keep your weight down. Midwives believe that a special diet should be followed by all pregnant women. By "diet" I mean "way of eating". It is not in the least bit restrictive, but instead relies on you getting plenty of protein,dairy, fruits and veggies. Once you eat all you're supposed to eat, there is little appetite left for sweets! Midwives and natural birthing advocates feel that a good balanced diet goes a long way for a healthy pregnancy, especially when it comes to things like pregnancy induced hypertension (high blood pressure) and gestational diabetes.

My midwife gave me a recommended diet, but later I found that it was basically the Brewer pregnancy diet, which is also the diet recommended by Dr. Bradley and the Bradley method of pregnancy and natural child birth. http://www.bradleybirth.com/PD.aspx The point of it is not to restrict, but instead give you all that you need to have: protein, dairy, healthy fats, veggies, fruit, and salt. Yes, salt. A little salt is healthy for you.

I gained 20 lbs over all with my third pregnancy and it was off by my 2 week check up. Unfortunately I am still carrying weight from my first two pregnancies....but I didn't follow the Brewer plan with my first two either.

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I was also a little "juicy" when I got pregnant. The good news is that I only weighed 1/2 pound more on the day I went into labor than the day I took my pregnancy test--my first trimester was brutal. I lost and then gained 14-17 pounds.

That being said, I was also lucky to not have major cravings for anything that wouldn't be considered part of a healthy diet--though there were a couple of weeks when I only ate PB&J and drank milk. I also did low-impact Jazzercise and walked until 2.5 weeks before I had my daughter.

You're still a few years from "advanced maternal age", but in light of the extra pounds, you should probably be diligent about some things sooner rather than later. Take a good vitamin, drink plenty of fluids, moderate salt intake, plenty of lean protein, build your iron stores naturally (dried apricots can be a pregnant woman's best friend), and rest when you can.

Good luck...you'll be fine.

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I was considered overweight when I got pregnant. My doctor said that I shouldn't gain a lot of weight because my body would already have some of what it needed for the baby. I ate very healthy the entire pregnancy and tried to walk at least every other day. I ended up only gaining 17 lbs. This pregnancy, started out the same weight as last time, but I have lost 10 lbs during my first 5 months. I am guessing that I will eventually put on around the same 12-17 lbs I did last time. Unlike many pregnant women, I don't crave things. I have major food aversion issues. Pretty much everything grosses me out. Especially meat and chocolate. Just be sure to eat a well balanced diet, even though it is extremely difficult if you have food aversion, like I do. You can control how much weight you put on during pregnancy with your doctor's help.

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Congrats!
I too was about the same number of pounds you are "overweight" when I got pregnant. I was told the same thing to gain only 15-20 pounds. I was also told that I should follow a healthy eating plan throughout my pregnancy of lean protein, fruits vegetables and whole grains but to stay away from refined sugar and simple carbs....which is how I should normally be eating to loose the weight anyway : ) I did that mostly but gave in to cravings sometime. I did stay within the 15-20lb range until the end of my pregnancy when I began to retain water and get really bloated. I had Gestational Hypertension (High Blood Pressure only during pregnancy)that can also lead to Preclampsia which is even more serious. It got pretty bad and I had to deliver at 37 weeks. The baby was fine but my blood pressure was really high. Weight can be a contributing factor but anyone can get it, just like Gestational Diabetes. Not to scare you or anything but those are the main conditions/complications that you have to watch out for when you are overweight and that was my personal experience. I would watch your sugar/refined carbs and sodium intake and just keep moving. Try to walk everyday. I am sure you'll have a great pregnancy. Best wishes to you and congrats again.

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I have 3 kids and with each of them weighed more than I should by at least 30#s at most 50#s.

I managed to gain at max 21 (17,19&21) and was back to prepreggo weight after birth, I mean within hours on one occasion.

What I did:
eat healthy
eat frequently (EVERY 2-3 hours)
eat small meals or snacks
I drank boost or another nutrient rich meal shake
lots of water

It's pretty typical of what you are supposed to do on a healthy diet, I found the meal shakes to be the biggest key (I started morning sickness at 6 wks with all 3) to keeping something on my stomach which helps in fighting morning .

It is possible and you CAN do it. Don't beat yourself up if you fall off the plan, just get back to it asap. Best wishes and many of God's blessings!

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Hi!
I was also about 40+lbs overweight before my last pregnancy, I was already a plus size. And I did end up gaining 33 pounds and have lost it all. I watched everything I ate and ate as healthy as possible. I think it's just genetics. My mom said she gained about 35-40 pounds with all her children and there are 6 of us.

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I had that concern. My Dr put me on 2000 calorie/day. It is not very hard to limit yourself to 2000 a day. That's a lot of food. And it kept me where I wanted to be as long as I had the will. I kind of lost it toward the end when all the water weight popped up anyway, of course. But I still came out of it weighing less in the end.

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Woo hoo! Congrats! :)

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I gained 60 lbs with my first! I was still overweight when we found out we were pregnant with our 2nd. Here's what I did:
1. exercised. I walked a lot. I also took a water aerobic class at the local rec center 2x each week. This helped a bunch.
2. My OBGYN referred me to the nutritionist in our medical group. The nutritionist gave me some great guidelines that helped me stay within a healthy calorie range and still get the recommended amounts of dairy, protiens, etc. It was actually a great lesson for me - I learned a lot of what I though was "healthy" food wasn't really all that healthy and there were better ways to spend the calories.

At the end of my second pregnancy, I only gained 10 lbs - but what I also wanted to mention was that the weight from BOTH pregancies came off much faster after the second. I do contribute this to the exercise and eating routines!

Good luck mama! Take care of yourself! :)

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I actually lost weight during my second pregnancy. I had put on nearly 30 pounds with my first, and I was careful about what I ate and was active with my second. You must take extreme care about what you eat and make every calorie count and take your vitamins, but you can definitely do it. Good luck.

I actually lost weight with my first 2. I was about 60# over wt. With my last I was at ideal body wt and I gained alot.

Everyone is different. Just keep a healthy diet and continue to exercise and what eve you weigh, it will be fine. Remember the old addage of eating for 2 is not a good thing!

Good Luck and Congrats!