Changes in your weight during pregnancy
Excessive weight is one amongst the modern woman’s greatest worries, and though the increase in weight caused by pregnancy is expected, it is not necessarily welcome.
Rapid weight gain in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy should be viewed with caution. Gaining more than 3 kg per month during the first 20 weeks requires medical evaluation. The pregnant mother may be retaining fluid in the body or developing obesity. This means that she is likely to develop high blood pressure in pregnancy, which in turn may put her at risk of developing certain complications.
While the fetus is growing the mother’s body saves fat, which supplies energy to both the mother and the baby during pregnancy and after delivery, during breast feeding. In addition, the placenta is growing inside and amniotic fluid is being formed, all of which are essential for the baby’s growth in the uterus. These combined factors contribute to weight gain during pregnancy.
Knowing your weight before pregnancy
How much you weigh is not the only factor used to determine whether you are under or overweight; your height is also considered. A formula called body mass index (BMI) determines whether you are of normal weight or not. BMI is calculated as follows: your weight in kilograms divided by (your height in meters multiplied by your height in meters). If your BMI is below 20. you are underweight; between 20 and 25, you are of normal weight; between 26 and 30, you are overweight and above 30, you are obese. Before you conceive, weigh yourself and ensure that you are within the normal weight range.
Once you are pregnant, it is more important to track the pattern of your weight gain than to note the total amount of weight you gain during the entire pregnancy. How much weight you gain during each of the trimesters is crucial as it influences the infant’s weight during that specific period.
What exactly is the ideal weight?
During the entire pregnancy a woman should on average gain from 10 to 14 kg. The approximate weight distribution in different parts of the body is as follows:
Percentage of weight gained
| Part of body | Weight gain (kg) | |
| Breasts | 0.4 | 3 |
| Fat deposits | 3.5 | 28 |
| Placenta | 0.6 | 5 |
| Fetus | 3.4 | 27 |
| Amniotic fluid | 0.6 | 5 |
| Uterus | 1.0 | 8 |
| Increased blood volume | 1.5 | 12 |
| Extracellular fluid | 1.5 | 12 |
| Total weight gain | 12.5 | 100 |
From the fourth to the ninth month women within normal weight range should gain an average of 0.4 kg per week, underweight women 0.5 kg and overweight women 0.3 kg per week. In the first trimester, the body deposits about 2 to 4 kg of fat to be used by the fetus during the second and third trimesters. The third trimester (from the seventh to the ninth month) is characterized mainly by fetal growth. During this time, a weight gain of less than 1 kg for the entire trimester is of concern.
Every pregnant woman needs to personally monitor her weight to ensure that she is healthy throughout pregnancy. Adolescents and women less than 150 cm tall (5 feet) should aspire to gain the upper weight limit (about 14 kg). Women who were underweight before pregnancy are expected to gain from 13 to 16.5 kg. Women who were overweight before pregnancy are expected to gain from 7.5 kg to 11 kg during the entire pregnancy. If you have a twin pregnancy and are of normal weight, you are expected to gain from 16 to 20.5 kg.
END: PG 1/15