Weight Gain in 2Nd Pregnancy

Updated on April 02, 2011
L.P. asks from Sewickley, PA
11 answers

HI, I am JUST 2 months pregnant with my 2nd child. I am 40 years old. I just returned from my OB/GYN, where I learned that I had gained 15 shocking pounds! Please tell me this is normal given my age and the fact that it's a second pregnancy. The doctor said, "I'm not worried, " but, I am! I gained the average 40lbs for my first pregnancy (at 36). 15 lbs in the first trimester seems unbelievable! Thank you!

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A.A.

answers from Nashville on

I know with my daughter i gained 30lbs thats almost 3 years ago and i never lost the weight and im 22. So im pregnant again and im 4 months and i have gained 5lbs thankfully. Im trying really hard not to gain that much because it will be hard to loose. Are you having a lot of cravings? because that can cause you to gain a lot. Also with my first trimester i was nauseas all the time and getting sick so that plays a part as well.

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J.L.

answers from Chicago on

Yikes!!! I hear ya but your situation happened my first pregnancy my 2nd and third pregnancy were kinder to my body :) Just start tracking what you are eating and drinking. Make a conscious effort to watch your portions and how you are feeding any of your cravings...It adds up quickly. Congrats on baby #2.

Y.C.

answers from New York on

It does sound a little high but I am not a doctor so I will listen to your doctor.
With my fist I actually was a stick, but it was a sad pregnancy and I also was young. With my second one I barely gain any weight at the begining but the last 3 months were BUMP all there, actually all over no just the baby bump, lol.
Enjoy your pregnancy, eat healthy (but enjoy your cravings) and do some light exercise during your pregnancy (as much as your doctor recommend) like walking for example.
Congrats for your baby!

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M.S.

answers from San Francisco on

It seems high to me as well, but I'm not sure. With my first pregnancy I gained about 40 lbs, but with my second I lost 10lbs in the first trimester and gained about 15 overall.

Trust you doctor, I guess. If it continues it may be a problem, but for now I wouldn't worry about it.

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K.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

It's not unusual for any pregnancy, for any age, for any time of the pregnancy. Each pregnancy is different. You may gain more weight early on rather than spread out. Who knows. Don't panic. You need to eat more but make sure it's healthy. Avoid any junk. You may have though subconsciously "I can eat, I'm pregnant!" Just be more aware your eating habits. Eat more but more healthy and take more walks. It's good for both you and baby.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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E.N.

answers from Philadelphia on

Your body needs the extra energy but not so much the extra calories. Pace yourself. Your metabolism may be slowing down because of your age. I had my third at 39.
If I were you, I would probably eat a lot more soy products, soy drinks, etc. Soy is loaded with phytoestrogens for more energy. Chocolate Silk tastes really good.
Eat lots of salad, too. With my first, I only gained 10 lbs....it was because I was so busy at work that I would be eating the minimum and kept working. Maybe staying focused on work will help you, too.
Hopefully, you will be on track like the first, unless you are having twins. Enjoy your pregnancy!

A.F.

answers from Chicago on

Yep- that is high unless you were underweight at the time. I gained 8 my first prego in the first 14 weeks, 5 with my 2nd and 3rd. I ended up gaining 35, 32 and currently on the course for 30 total with baby #3. I would just watch what you eat, eat healthy but don't cut calories (just don't overeat). If you ARE underweight, that gain might be OK....but for any average person that would be high. You are supposed to healthily gain 25-35 total and the baby gains the most the last trimester (not before). At 33 weeks, the baby is only estimated to be 4 lbs (but of course you have the amniotic fluid, placenta, increased blood flow, and fat stores and bloating in addition)...so that should give you some idea. I think the baby and all those things together for an average size baby at birth are 12-15 lbs according to What to Expect -- so know that you haven't even really begun to put those things on yet. If you are nauseous, that might be a cause (constantly grazing to ease the nausea) -- hope you can just relax and keep an eye on your intake. I didn't realize HOW MANY calories I was eating until I logged it for a few days -- when I saw 2600 and 3000, I started scaling myself down to a reasonable amount (after having gained 7 lbs in month six!). Woops! Best wishes on your new baby belly!

A.G.

answers from Pocatello on

well yes that is kinda a lot but if you eat healthy you can do better through out the rest of your pregnancy. I have found that I gain less with each pregnancy, probably cause I hate having to worry about losing it afterwords. I am on my 3rd baby and have 2 more weeks to go and have only gained 22 pounds total. I am not a heavy/big girl so I am very proud of myself. With that said I had a few months where I kinda packed on more weight then I thought I should but then the next month I would gain nothing so it all evened out. So you might maintain those 15 for a while and then you could still end up only gaining around 30 to 40 for the whole pregnancy. So don't worry too much.

J.X.

answers from Los Angeles on

I gained 40 with my first and 29 with my second. Everyone is different.

S.G.

answers from Dallas on

Yes normal, as long as you are eating healthy and being active that's all that counts. With my 1st pregnancy i went from 135 to 250, then lost all my weight in 6 months. Of course I was 20 when we had our first and she is now 17. Our youngest is 2yrs old and I went from 145 to 289 and it took a while to lose the weight this time. I did not have high blood pressure or gest.diabeties...that surprised my doctor, I told him I get hungry and people can gain weight eating good foods because all I ate was: fish, large cesaer salads with chicken, lots of stirfry, steak & salads with balsamic vinegar, raw fruits & veggies, huge bowls of oatmeal w/raisins and cinnamon, eggs with tomatoes & turkey bacon and once a month a cesaer burger. The only real bad thing I ate was homemade belgin waffles with apple butter but I walked every day. So we are planning to have a 3rd child in 2012. So no worries, just keep active and you'll be fine. Congratulations on #2

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D.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

I was 38 when I had my son. I would be careful and watch what you eat. I would also make sure you are doing some mild exercise like walking. I had gestational diabetes and had to watch everything that I ate. I would up with a good pregnancy but a lot of work having to do blood sugars four times a day and going to have a stress test every week for the last four months of my pregnancy. No icecream,candy,chips,chocolate.Watch the carbs like the breads and the pastas. Limit what you eat that is made with white flour. Fresh fruits are good but not too much because of the sugar. Fresh veggies are good like carrotts. Take care and good luck.

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