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Pregnancy Weight Gain
After the excitement of a new pregnancy is over, the next thing that a mother-to-be will think about is the inevitable weight gain to follow. There are lots of questions regarding weight gain and pregnancy. How much weight am I going to put on? How much should I be putting on? How much will I lose when this is all over? How much should I be eating?
Firstly, you need to accept that you are going to put on weight, and secondly and most importantly forget all about that old saying “eating for two”, it just isn’t true. Yes, you are taking in the nutrients for two, but you definitely don’t need all that extra food. Check out this page for a pregnancy weight gain table.
How much should I be eating when pregnant?
During the first trimester you only need to start eating about an extra 150 calories a day, from around the 6th week. When you think about it, 150 extra calories isn’t much; it only equates to a cup of tea and a biscuit or a large banana or glass of low fat milk. Not much more then you are eating now. In some cases you may already be eating more than your dietary requirements and may not need the extra food at all.
However, it is essential that you are eating the right types of foods and that the foods you are eating are highly nutritious. To do this you may need to swap some of your current food choices. Try to keep a calorie diary for a week and see where your calories are coming from, and then making sure that your calories are coming from healthy foods like fruit, veggies, whole-grains and dairy.
If you need help working out how many calories you should be eating, then firstly you need to work out your calorie requirement for your non-pregnant self and then adding 150 to this amount. If you need help working out your daily calorie requirement and working out how many calories are in food then try visiting the Calorie King.
During the second and third trimesters you will need to boost your calorie intake by another 150 calories, up to about an extra 300 calories a day. Again this isn’t really that much, definitely not the ‘eating for two’ diet that many pregnant women adopt. When you consider that there are 240 calories in a 50g mars bar, your 3.30 ‘itis’ of a cup of tea and a chocolate have easily used up your extra calories for the day.
As an average woman can put on 15 kilos during a pregnancy you need to think about everything that goes into your mouth, not only because you are the only source or nutrients for your baby, but because you are going to feel every step and every extra kilo that you are carrying.
Try hard not to let your guard down and let those extra unnecessary kilos creep on, because when it comes time to get your pre-baby body back you will only want to be losing 5 kilos of baby fat, not 15. Now, I am not saying that this is going to be easy with sugar cravings and a ravenous 24/7 appetite, but it is worth keeping at the back of your mind. You will thank me later.
So now that we know how much we should be eating, let’s look at how much weight you should and will be putting on and where it goes.
During the first trimester you only need to start eating about an extra 150 calories a day, from around the 6th week. When you think about it, 150 extra calories isn’t much; it only equates to a cup of tea and a biscuit or a large banana or glass of low fat milk. Not much more then you are eating now. In some cases you may already be eating more than your dietary requirements and may not need the extra food at all.
However, it is essential that you are eating the right types of foods and that the foods you are eating are highly nutritious. To do this you may need to swap some of your current food choices. Try to keep a calorie diary for a week and see where your calories are coming from, and then making sure that your calories are coming from healthy foods like fruit, veggies, whole-
If you need help working out how many calories you should be eating, then firstly you need to work out your calorie requirement for your non-
During the second and third trimesters you will need to boost your calorie intake by another 150 calories, up to about an extra 300 calories a day. Again this isn’t really that much, definitely not the ‘eating for two’ diet that many pregnant women adopt. When you consider that there are 240 calories in a 50g mars bar, your 3.30 ‘itis’ of a cup of tea and a chocolate have easily used up your extra calories for the day.
As an average woman can put on 15 kilos during a pregnancy you need to think about everything that goes into your mouth, not only because you are the only source or nutrients for your baby, but because you are going to feel every step and every extra kilo that you are carrying.
Try hard not to let your guard down and let those extra unnecessary kilos creep on, because when it comes time to get your pre-
So now that we know how much we should be eating, let’s look at how much weight you should and will be putting on and where it goes.
Baby
Body Fluids
Extra Blood
Breast Growth
Uterus
Amniotic Fluid
Placenta
Fat for Breastfeeding
Total
Body Fluids
Extra Blood
Breast Growth
Uterus
Amniotic Fluid
Placenta
Fat for Breastfeeding
Total
2.7 – 4
1.5
1.4 – 1.8
0.5 – 0.9
0.9
0.9
0.7
3.5 – 4.5
12.1 – 15.2
1.5
1.4 – 1.8
0.5 – 0.9
0.9
0.9
0.7
3.5 – 4.5
12.1 – 15.2
kgs
kgs
kgs
kgs
kgs
kgs
kgs
kgs
kgs
kgs
kgs
kgs
kgs
kgs
kgs
kgs
kgs
As you can see, most women will put on around 12 – 15 kilos, but that is only the average. Many women will put on more or less than this, everybody is different, so don’t obsess about it.
You will probably not put on too much weight during the first trimester, but will start putting on an average of around ½ kilo a week from around Week 14. Your biggest growth spurt will happen between weeks 24 and 32 so expect the scales to move every few days during these months. After that you will continue to put on a small amount each week up until around week 37, where your weight gain may slow down or may even stop. If your weight gain stops altogether, or you begin to loose weight at any time during your pregnancy please see your doctor as soon as possible to ensure that your baby is OK. Remember that even if you don’t put on weight your baby should be.
Make sure you don’t use celebrity weight gain as a guide either. Just because Kate Hudson put on 26 kilos during her pregnancy doesn’t mean that it is OK and healthy for you to do the same. Remember that most celebrities are probably 10 or 15 kilos lighter than the average woman due to the pressures of keeping thin in Hollywood. So once they let their guard down they put on the average pregnancy weight plus the ten kilos they have been keeping at a bay through daily exercise and diet. Hence weight gains of 26 kilos plus.
What is important is that you eat healthy food, take your vitamins, and that your doctor is happy with your weight gain and the growth of the baby.
No matter how many times we are told that everyone is different and that there is no average, most women are like me, and do like to have a basic guide to follow. As such I have listed below a table for an average pregnancy weight gain of 14.8 kilos.
You will probably not put on too much weight during the first trimester, but will start putting on an average of around ½ kilo a week from around Week 14. Your biggest growth spurt will happen between weeks 24 and 32 so expect the scales to move every few days during these months. After that you will continue to put on a small amount each week up until around week 37, where your weight gain may slow down or may even stop. If your weight gain stops altogether, or you begin to loose weight at any time during your pregnancy please see your doctor as soon as possible to ensure that your baby is OK. Remember that even if you don’t put on weight your baby should be.
Make sure you don’t use celebrity weight gain as a guide either. Just because Kate Hudson put on 26 kilos during her pregnancy doesn’t mean that it is OK and healthy for you to do the same. Remember that most celebrities are probably 10 or 15 kilos lighter than the average woman due to the pressures of keeping thin in Hollywood. So once they let their guard down they put on the average pregnancy weight plus the ten kilos they have been keeping at a bay through daily exercise and diet. Hence weight gains of 26 kilos plus.
What is important is that you eat healthy food, take your vitamins, and that your doctor is happy with your weight gain and the growth of the baby.
No matter how many times we are told that everyone is different and that there is no average, most women are like me, and do like to have a basic guide to follow. As such I have listed below a table for an average pregnancy weight gain of 14.8 kilos.
1
2
3
4
5
6
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.200
0.100
0.100
0.150
0.150
0.200
0.200
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.400
0.400
0.600
0.600
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.200
0.100
0.100
0.150
0.150
0.200
0.200
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.400
0.400
0.600
0.600
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
Total
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
Total
0.600
0.600
0.550
0.550
0.600
0.600
0.550
0.550
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.400
0.400
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
—----
14.8 kgs
0.600
0.550
0.550
0.600
0.600
0.550
0.550
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.400
0.400
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
—-
Pregnancy weight gain table: Your baby weight will be made up of:
Week Gain per Kilo Week Gain Per Kilo
And what about all that baby weight coming back off? Losing the baby weight...
Well depending on how heavy your baby is, you could easily loose 5 – 6 kilos during the birth, (baby, placenta and amniotic fluid) and at least another 2 kilos should drop off in the first week, as your body begins to purge the extra fluids, and begins to thin your blood supply. (Be aware though, that you will still look five months pregnant for a while after you give birth, and that your skin will feel like jelly).
After about 4 – 6 weeks, your body should be returning to normal. Your heart, liver and uterus will shrink back to their normal size, and your body will continue to purge fluids and shrink your blood supply back to normal. This process should see you loosing another 2- 3 kilos.
By about week 7, you should have lost a total of around 9 – 11 kilos, and the only extra weight you will be carrying will be the fat stores for breastfeeding. So basically what you weigh at week 7, will tell you how much fat stores you have accumulated during the pregnancy and how much baby weight you need to lose.
If you are lucky enough to be able to breastfeed then you should see the weight start to drop off over the next 3 to 4 months, as the body uses around 500 – 600 calories a day to produce milk. If you can, use Mother’s Nature fat burning miracle as long as you can. If you have trouble breastfeeding and need to bottle feed your baby, you will need to make sure that you follow a healthy and nutritious diet so that your body naturally begins to burn up the fat. But please do not diet before week 7 – 8, as your body is in repair mode and can not handle the burden of dieting.
Well depending on how heavy your baby is, you could easily loose 5 – 6 kilos during the birth, (baby, placenta and amniotic fluid) and at least another 2 kilos should drop off in the first week, as your body begins to purge the extra fluids, and begins to thin your blood supply. (Be aware though, that you will still look five months pregnant for a while after you give birth, and that your skin will feel like jelly).
After about 4 – 6 weeks, your body should be returning to normal. Your heart, liver and uterus will shrink back to their normal size, and your body will continue to purge fluids and shrink your blood supply back to normal. This process should see you loosing another 2-
By about week 7, you should have lost a total of around 9 – 11 kilos, and the only extra weight you will be carrying will be the fat stores for breastfeeding. So basically what you weigh at week 7, will tell you how much fat stores you have accumulated during the pregnancy and how much baby weight you need to lose.
If you are lucky enough to be able to breastfeed then you should see the weight start to drop off over the next 3 to 4 months, as the body uses around 500 – 600 calories a day to produce milk. If you can, use Mother’s Nature fat burning miracle as long as you can. If you have trouble breastfeeding and need to bottle feed your baby, you will need to make sure that you follow a healthy and nutritious diet so that your body naturally begins to burn up the fat. But please do not diet before week 7 – 8, as your body is in repair mode and can not handle the burden of dieting.
Getting your pre-baby body back
Loosing baby weight does become a daily battle for many women but it is important not to stress about it. Spend the first six to twelve months eating healthy, resting when you can and concentrating on you and your baby. There will be plenty of time for diet and exercise once you have mastered motherhood. If you want to do something, then take your baby for a long walk in the pram every morning, not only will the sunshine make you feel better, but you might just get that little one off to sleep.
Never use the latest copy of “WHO” magazine as a guide as to how long it takes to get your pre-baby body back. Celebrities looking like they haven’t been pregnant just 6 weeks after giving birth is not only un-natural, but is completely unachievable for the average women. Instead look at other mothers around town or in your mother’s group to see what real women look like once they have had a baby.
Don’t beat yourself up; you have just had a baby after all! Just sit back and enjoy your baby, and when the time comes, you can slowly and steadily work towards getting the old you back. And anyway you might be one of the lucky ones that end up two kilos lighter than they started; thanks simply to the energy used running around after a toddler, and lugging ten bags every where you go....
Loosing baby weight does become a daily battle for many women but it is important not to stress about it. Spend the first six to twelve months eating healthy, resting when you can and concentrating on you and your baby. There will be plenty of time for diet and exercise once you have mastered motherhood. If you want to do something, then take your baby for a long walk in the pram every morning, not only will the sunshine make you feel better, but you might just get that little one off to sleep.
Never use the latest copy of “WHO” magazine as a guide as to how long it takes to get your pre-
Don’t beat yourself up; you have just had a baby after all! Just sit back and enjoy your baby, and when the time comes, you can slowly and steadily work towards getting the old you back. And anyway you might be one of the lucky ones that end up two kilos lighter than they started; thanks simply to the energy used running around after a toddler, and lugging ten bags every where you go....
My pregnancy weight gain and baby weight loss journey....
For me – I like most women have spent most of my life, worrying about my weight (even though I am a healthy and completely average size 12-14), and obsessing about everything I have or haven’t put in my mouth that day. So it was little wonder, that like most women, when I fell pregnant, I panicked!!!! I knew I was going to be one of those women that would put on 30 kilos. I could just feel it. I mean I could put on weight just watching some one else eat, so what chance did I have now.
I was so stressed about putting on too much weight and struggling with post-partum weight that I was determined to behave myself and not use pregnancy as an excuse to ‘pig out’. I tried to eat healthy and walk everyday, but there were the days that the sugar cravings were just too much and I indulged in a 3.30pm chocolate, or let myself indulge in that extra slice of garlic bread. But overall I just tried to keep focused and thought about how hard it is to loose 5 kilos let alone 20, and I got through it week by week.
I must admit that this philosophy was not easy. The sugar cravings I experienced during pregnancy were out of this world, and I had an enormous appetitive all the time, even when I had constant morning sickness. I really had to make a constant effort not to indulge every time I felt hungry. I tried to snack on sultanas, fruit or low fat yoghurt and filled up on green tea or water.
It was hard not to just ‘treat’ myself when I was feeling fat, lonely, depressed or bored. Pregnancy is not an easy time and we know that we all love to treat ourselves with food, especially the wrong kind. But I just kept thinking “a moment on the lips a life time on the hips”, and had a green tea instead.
There were a few times, when my weight gain seemed to jump dramatically over night and I thought I would end up enormous, but overall I ended up putting on exactly 15.1 kilos, which is completely normal. But felt like a lot at the time.
I was lucky in that within a week of giving birth I had lost 7 kilos and by the end of the sixth week I had lost a total of 10. It felt so nice to be lighter even though my body looked and felt like a bowl of jelly. Realistically, I wasn’t that concerned, as I was too tired and too busy to really care about my weight. I just plodded through each day, just trying to eat as healthy as I could whilst dealing with the life changing experience of having a baby.
Six months after the birth, I can happily report, that all the stress was for nothing. Thanks to breastfeeding, all those days of ‘behaving’ myself and the hectic lifestyle of new motherhood, I have ended up one kilo less than when I started! What a surprise! Getting that pre-baby stomach and thighs back, well that is another story all together. But hey, at least I have great looking shoulders now…….
To give you an idea about how my weight gain panned out, I have listed my weekly weight gain chart below. As you can see sometimes I put on more than the average, and sometimes less than the average. Some weeks I stayed the same, and one week I even lost weight. But overall I put on a steady amount and entered week 39 and at a very average weight.
For me – I like most women have spent most of my life, worrying about my weight (even though I am a healthy and completely average size 12-
I was so stressed about putting on too much weight and struggling with post-
I must admit that this philosophy was not easy. The sugar cravings I experienced during pregnancy were out of this world, and I had an enormous appetitive all the time, even when I had constant morning sickness. I really had to make a constant effort not to indulge every time I felt hungry. I tried to snack on sultanas, fruit or low fat yoghurt and filled up on green tea or water.
It was hard not to just ‘treat’ myself when I was feeling fat, lonely, depressed or bored. Pregnancy is not an easy time and we know that we all love to treat ourselves with food, especially the wrong kind. But I just kept thinking “a moment on the lips a life time on the hips”, and had a green tea instead.
There were a few times, when my weight gain seemed to jump dramatically over night and I thought I would end up enormous, but overall I ended up putting on exactly 15.1 kilos, which is completely normal. But felt like a lot at the time.
I was lucky in that within a week of giving birth I had lost 7 kilos and by the end of the sixth week I had lost a total of 10. It felt so nice to be lighter even though my body looked and felt like a bowl of jelly. Realistically, I wasn’t that concerned, as I was too tired and too busy to really care about my weight. I just plodded through each day, just trying to eat as healthy as I could whilst dealing with the life changing experience of having a baby.
Six months after the birth, I can happily report, that all the stress was for nothing. Thanks to breastfeeding, all those days of ‘behaving’ myself and the hectic lifestyle of new motherhood, I have ended up one kilo less than when I started! What a surprise! Getting that pre-
To give you an idea about how my weight gain panned out, I have listed my weekly weight gain chart below. As you can see sometimes I put on more than the average, and sometimes less than the average. Some weeks I stayed the same, and one week I even lost weight. But overall I put on a steady amount and entered week 39 and at a very average weight.
Week Gain per Kilo My Actual Gain Week Gain Per Kilo My Actual Gain
1
2
3
4
5
6
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.100
0.100
0.100
0.100
0.000
0.200
0.400 (loss)
0.00
0.200
0.200
0.200
0.600
0.600
0.200
0.800
0.400
0.800
0.00
0.00
0.100
0.100
0.100
0.100
0.000
0.200
0.400 (loss)
0.00
0.200
0.200
0.200
0.600
0.600
0.200
0.800
0.400
0.800
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.200
0.100
0.100
0.150
0.150
0.200
0.200
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.400
0.400
0.600
0.600
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.200
0.100
0.100
0.150
0.150
0.200
0.200
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.400
0.400
0.600
0.600
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
Total
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
Total
0.600
0.600
0.550
0.550
0.600
0.600
0.550
0.550
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.400
0.400
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
—----
14.8 kgs
0.600
0.550
0.550
0.600
0.600
0.550
0.550
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.400
0.400
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
0.450
—-
0.00
0.800
0.800
0.800
0.600
0.200
1.200
0.600
0.600
0.00
1.00
0.200
0.800
0.800
0.600
0.600
0.600
0.300
0.00
0.00
—----
15.1 kgs
0.800
0.800
0.800
0.600
0.200
1.200
0.600
0.600
0.00
1.00
0.200
0.800
0.800
0.600
0.600
0.600
0.300
0.00
0.00
—-
Share your weight gain or weight loss pregnancy and post-partum stories with us….
Average Pregnancy Weight Gain Chart / Table
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