Need Advice on Weight Gain in My 2Nd Pregnancy

My son was 9 lb 3 oz when born. He was and is healthy. So am I. And, we had the added benefit of his being big enough to sleep through the night at six weeks. This was really good because I was in school when he was born and he started sleeping through the night just in time for finals. My experience with having a big baby was really positive. I would not worry too much. I am not a doctor, though.

Sounds like you are doing great when it comes to eating. Your first delivery went great!, I was the same with a 9lb baby for my first. I gained 35#s with the first, 30 with my 2nd and 28 with my third (I think I was excercising more), and my last one was 9#6oz. I truly believe that in 99% of cases women grow just the right size of baby for their bodies. I had a friend that gained 60 with each of her 3 and they were all just about 7lbs.... it could just be that you are like her... and if you are losing the weight fine after I would say DO NOT WORRY about it if everything else is clear. good luck. A.
PS. personally, those 9lb babies are cuter...they have a little more meat on them and seem to eat and sleep better at the get go

Look at website www.slimbodycoach.com. It's free and it works -- basically eating 5 mini meals a day (each having a protein, carb, and color carb). 120 oz. of water is really good too, especially when you are pregnant. Also, if it bugs you too much, switch doctors. Being pregnant is hard enough without someone saying we're doing it wrong. Do at least 20 minutes of resistance exercises because that helps burn fat, and you are able to still do that when you are 8 months pregnant.

You don't sound unhealthy to me, but I'm sure your doctor is worried about GD and Pregnancy induced hypertension. If you gain a bunch of weight, it only stands to reason that it will increase your blood sugar(big babies) and blood pressure thus putting more pressure on the placenta. I had PIH with all four of mine but only had excess weight gain with one pregnancy, but was doomed after that because I didn't get the weight off before I got pregnant again. If I were you, I would watch my weight and stay active, and try not to gain 50 this time but sometimes thats what the body does, if you lost all the weight last time, it shouldn't be an issue this time either... Just keep an eye on your blood pressure if your weight does start to jump up quickly, it could be a sign of PIH. I gained 80lbs with my first, put on strict bedrest at 18 weeks, but then only gained 20-30lbs with each of my subsequent pregnancies. I had gained 30 lbs by the time I was 4 months pregnant with my first baby and was then diagnosed with PIH and put on meds and bedrest. Doctors do have reasons for telling us not to gain to much weight but moms also do have some good intuition about our own bodies, so I think we need to find a balance somewhere in the middle. It sounds to me like you know your own body pretty well, just make sure you know the risks and take them seriously.

S.

I feel that you will gain what you are going to gain. I put on about 60 lbs with my first and only 30 lbs with my second - both were big babies (9lb 13oz and 9lb 3oz). I really did not do much different with either pregnancy, I got a little more exercise with the second, only because I did not require bed rest. My advice is the same - talk to your doctor and explain how you feel or get a new doctor who will listen to you.

Hi A.!
I honestly don't think that weight gain has anything to do with the size of the baby. I weigh 105 and I am 5' 2". I gained 35 pounds with my first pregnancy and my son was a big baby at 9 lbs 6 oz ( I was lucky like you and only had 2 stitches). With my second I gained the same amount of weight and my daughter was only 7 lbs 10 oz. I have had friends that start out heavier than me and gain over 50 pounds during pregnancy and still have 5 or 6 pound babies! My mom had big babies and so did my mother-in-law so I really think that it is genetic and just depends on the baby. As long as you are active and eating healthy foods you should gain what you need. Good luck! The second one is so much easier!

If you're 5'6" & 120, doesn't that make you a bit on the skinny side? I would try to aim for the weight the doc gave you, but if you eat healthy normally & your first son was healthy & neither of you had any complications I wouldn't worry too much. iF the doctor has you feeling less than great about things, either tell him/her that you're worried or switch doctors.
Congratulatoins!

Doctor's always go by what is "standard", but I think we all know that some of us don't fit in that mold. It sounds like you know your body, so just do what you think is right. My mother-in-law's first two babies were really small, and so she measured small. She had to change doctors with her 3rd. She felt HUGE, but she was measuring "normal". She told the doctor she felt too big, but the doctor wouldn't listen. The baby was almost 2 weeks late by the time the doctor finally induced labor. He was over 9 pounds and my MIL tore from one end to the other. 45 stitches. The baby had lots of complications because he was too big. The doctor told her he wished he'd listened to her, and told her if she'd had the baby 50 years ago, she and the baby probably would have died. Just shows you that every pregnancy is different, and doesn't necessarily fit that standard mold!

Switch doctors!! This doctor sounds like he/she is already afraid of your large baby and not really understanding that women grow the perfect size babies for themselves the vast majority of the time.

Your care provider should be more concerned with your nutrition than your weight gain, and it sounds like this one is not very knowledgeable. (yes they leave medical school with almost zero education on nutrition).

I say it all the time, try a nurse-midwife, there are some fantastic ones around!

I have a really thin friend with 4 kids and each pregnancy she gained about 80 lbs. she said she couldn't help it her body just did it and then lost it afterward. I completely believe that your body knows what it is doing, and you should embrace what is natural (and healthy) for your individual body. Honestly isn't 120 for your height, a little on the underweight side anyway? It seems like your body knows where it wants to be when it is pregnant.

Obviously I'm not a professional :) I'm currently pregnant w/ #2 (24 weeks) and with both babies I didn't gain in the first trimester, and started gaining a lot each week during the 2nd, but it really slowed to like 4 lbs gain in the last trimester with my first. So I don't know how my body decided to just gain in the middle, but I can't really do anything about it!

I think you should ask yourself if you really believe you are are healthy, and go with you gut instinct.

A., Trust yourself. If you are eating in a healthy way then your weight gain will be just what you and your baby needs to be heathy. I have had five children and with each of them have had a weight gain of 50 to 80 pounds. I did not eat junk food very often and ate healthy and appropriate portions. My kids all ranged from 6 pounds 2 ounces to 10 pounds nine ounces. Also try exercise it helps with the delivery and losing after. Good luck and just trust on yourself.

My SIL is a rail. She's so thin! And with each of ther three pregnancies, she's gained too much, 40-50 lbs. It's just what her body does. She's stopped worrying about it. She eats pretty healthy, does her best to provide good nutrition for her growing baby, and ignores the doctors on that point.

As far as I know, big babies aren't a product of over-eating. It's just how they grow. The reason they ask you if you've had a baby over 9 lbs is because of gestational diabetes. If you have GD, your blood is full of sugar, which goes to your baby. The baby puts on lots of fat. A GD baby can really fat, to the point of the eyes being just puffy slits.

I had a 9 lb baby at 41 wks who was skinny as a bean pole. They took my second one by c-section at 39 weeks and he was almost 9 lbs (they thought from a late u/s that he'd be 10 lbs by his due date, so they said sorry, you can't try a VBAC) With both of them, I gained exactly the right amount of weight. My second is still just huge at age 3, over 97th percentile for height. My first is 75th percentile for height (they're both lower in weight percentiles--they're not fat!)

My friend also gained the right amount of weight. She'd had 4 average-sized babies, but her 5th weight 10 lbs! It just depends on the baby.

I'd say don't worry about it.

I gained 60 pounds with my first and like you had a 9lb 15oz healthy baby boy, no complications. My Dr. was concerned not for the pregnancy, but for how I would feel when it did not come off. I am a I'll show you type of gal so the weight came right off. My next pregnancy I tried so hard not to gain the weight, eating healthier, smaller meals, ect. I still gained 60 pounds. I think your body just does what it is supposed to, but it was harder for me to get the weight off the 2nd time around.

Totally agree with the others - I too gained a lot with both pregnancies and had big, healthy babies. As long as you're staying away from the 'bad' foods as you are, you're body does what it needs to for the baby. Since you're still early in your pregnancy, perhaps you can see if you can switch OBs to one that you're more comfortable with? Just an idea, but either way - do what's best for you. Good luck and congrats! :)

Hi A.!

I have three children. I am 5'6" and weighed about 120 with my first as well. The first was 8 lb 12 oz, number two was 9 lb 7 oz, number three was 10 lb. They were all happy, healthy babies (still are, but now teens). I never watched my weight -- didn't care. It was not wise to stand between me my fridge when I was pregnant. I did watch what I ate (I recommend the book What to Eat While You Are Expecting), but I ate plenty of it! I treated myself to dessert in the evening, but other than that it was all healthy, not overly processed food. With my third, I looked like I had a watermelon taped to my mid-section. I could only wear two of my maternity dresses during the last month or so. If you have no other health indications that your weight is adversely affecting your or your child (excessive swelling, increased sugar levels, etc.) other than the "recommended" weight gain, I say enjoy yourself!

Best wishes & Congrats!
L.

My first instinct is to tell you to get a new OB. I gained 45 the first time, 55 the second time and 70 the third time. One time during my first pregnancy my doctor's partner saw me since he was delivering a baby and the first thing she said is to slow down on the weight gain. I was healthy all the way around, had a huge baby - NOTHING WAS WRONG! Needless to say I have refused to see a different doctor ever again.

Now that being said, there are a lot of possible health risks with gaining too much weight. So it is always a good idea to really pay attention to how you feel and what your doctor tells you. I just have a hard time with one doctor telling me to stay within a range that my regular doctor is just fine with.

In short, having a baby is the most important thing you can do, if you have a doc that sets you up like that, I say you find one that suites your emotional and physical needs better.

Hang in there A.--your doctor clearly keeps to some sort of notion of the right weight. It is not always the case. You either need to put your foot down & tell her to back off or find another OB. My OB knows that I lost the 55 lbs I gained by first pregnancy and some women just gain more--regardless of what you eat. She knows that women in our community live active lives and the weight will come off. Gestational diabetes is a serious issue, but only effects 4% of women. If you are eating well, are living a healthy lifestyle with your son, and are feeling good, ignore this and make your opinions known to your doctor.

I wouldn't worry about your weight gain. I gained 42 my first pregnancy, 52 my second and 60 with my third (3 mos ago). I frequently asked my Dr about my weight gain and she would just smile and say that I was doing great. I did the same thing each pregnancy. Each time I weighed a little less when I got pregnant. The funny thing is that I always ended up at the same end weight. I am a firm believer that your body is going to do what it wants to to some degree. Don't let a new Dr stress you out about it. The last thing you need is to begin starving yourself and the baby for the sake of weight gain. Just keep things in moderation and if you aren't comfortable with your new Dr find a new one. You really need a good relationship with your OB. My third also ended up being a smaller baby (8 lbs 1 oz) than my second even though I gained more weight. Congrats on your second! Good Luck!

I do understand the concern of your doctor, actually. Bigger babies are the ones that tend to have the blood sugar issues at birth that is associated w/ diabetes. Maybe that is her concern with you, also? When my 4 lb son was in the NICU, there were two 9lb+ babies in there that were way sicker than my son. The nurses explained that it's these bigger babies that have the diabetes-type issues and they can't regulate their blood sugar. The smaller babies don't usually have this type of issue. Not to say that the BIG babies are not healthy, just to say that may be where your Doc is coming from.

Your doctor is probably concerned about it because gaining a lot of weight is one of the major signs of Gestational Diabetes. Which has a load of risks and complications on it's own. Woman with gestational diabetes usually have bigger babies to. (I know because it runs in my family and it is not fun). So I would listen to your doctor. It's not just about what your eating but how much you eat. I know some people that eat over 1000 calories in one sitting because they eat a ton and think that it is normal.

If you are eating healthy foods and exercising, don't worry about it! Do what you need to do to have a healthy baby! Enjoy your pregnancy (and maybe think about finding a different OB who better understands you and your body)!!