Every pregnant woman knows that one of the first recommendations her gynecologist will give her is to monitor her weight gain. Sometimes a woman may feel tempted to indulge herself a little, as it can be difficult to fight the common belief that during pregnancy one should “eat for two.” However, excessive weight gain can be harmful both to the mother and the baby. Conversely, women who are underweight should ensure they gain enough, as gaining too little also carries certain risks.
It should be kept in mind that the health of both the mother and the fetus is influenced not only by how much weight is gained (or not gained) during pregnancy but also by the woman’s initial weight—meaning the weight recorded at the time of the positive pregnancy test. In this context, both obesity and chronic underweight are considered critical conditions.
How much weight should you gain during pregnancy?
Naturally, the recommendations provided by specialists at the Boholiuby Medical Center take into account the woman’s pre-pregnancy weight. This means that there is no single ideal amount of weight gain over nine months that applies to everyone. The “correct” amount of weight to gain should be proportional to the initial weight.
Below are recommendations based on the pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index (BMI):
• Recommended weight gain for underweight women: 12.5–18 kg
• Recommended weight gain for women with normal weight: 11.5–16 kg
• Recommended weight gain for overweight women: 7–11.5 kg
• Recommended weight gain for women with obesity: 5–9 kg
What are the risks of excessive weight gain and being overweight in early pregnancy?
There are several reasons why gaining too much weight during pregnancy, as well as entering pregnancy overweight or obese, is not recommended. First, all these conditions increase the risk of various complications, such as:
• gestational diabetes
• preeclampsia
• fetal macrosomia (when the estimated fetal weight exceeds 4.5 kg)
• difficult labor
Second, increasing evidence suggests that changes in nutritional status or metabolic profile during pregnancy in cases of obesity can have long-term effects on the child’s health, such as increasing the risk of obesity. Third, mothers who gain excessive weight during pregnancy are at higher risk of developing diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases.
What are the risks of inadequate weight gain and excessive thinness early in pregnancy?
If “too much” is risky, “too little” is risky as well. Extremes are never beneficial. Although rarely discussed, women in such conditions are also at increased risk, especially of preterm birth with all its short-term and long-term consequences for the child’s health, as well as slowed fetal growth, which can result in a baby being born with low birth weight. In turn, a baby with low birth weight for gestational age may have an increased risk of respiratory complications or insufficient growth, as well as a higher risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases later in life.
What causes excessive weight gain during pregnancy?
These include individual metabolic factors; psychological and behavioral factors—for example, a woman’s physical activity level is very important for limiting weight gain during pregnancy.
Should you worry if you gained more weight than expected? The good news is that most women lose the weight gained during pregnancy quite quickly. Gynecological statistics show that, on average, a woman gains no more than 2 kg above her initial weight. Only 15% gain more than 5 kg of excess weight within a year after giving birth.
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