52. Weight Gain in Pregnancy, How Much is Normal, and Tips To Manage a Healthy Body

Are you questioning how much weight to gain during pregnancy? Or maybe you know the what the recommended amount of weight gain is in pregnancy, but you’re either under or over that. What does that even mean for you and your baby, for your pregnancy?!

In this episode, we talk about:

• Weight gain recommendations in pregnancy based on BMI, as outlined by ACOG…
• Risks of too little weight gain in pregnancy or going over the weight gain guidelines…
• The significance of personal medical history, lifestyle factors, and other factors in appropriate weight gain…
• Focusing on a balanced lifestyle rather than feeling guilty or ashamed…
• Tips for managing healthy weight gain during pregnancy…
• …and ways to seek more assistance if needed.

I hope you gained valuable insights into how much weight gain is recommended during pregnancy and feel empowered to trust your body's journey while prioritizing nourishment and well-being. Remember, every pregnancy is unique, so listen to your body and seek support as needed!

Resources Mentioned

Liz Riesen, Dietitian and Hormone Health Coach
Instagram @moms.hormone.dietitian
www.lizriesen.com
Foundations of Hormone Balance Program

Promix Collagen Powder

Advice About Eating Fish (PDF Chart)

🌸 Connect with Beth

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👋 WHO AM I?

Welcome, friends! I am Beth, a certified nurse midwife, doula, and childbirth educator. My philosophy is rooted in autonomy, informed decision making, and positive mindset to help expecting parents plan for a beautiful, stress-free hospital birth. I am here to provide value to YOU through tips and practical advice, either to guide you through pregnancy or to help you prepare for childbirth, postpartum and beyond. There’s no fluff here - only info that adds to your positive experience and saves you stress and uncertainty.

Transcript

Hello and welcome back to episode 52 of Your Birth Bestie podcast. Thank you so much for joining me in talking about weight gain in pregnancy, what to expect, and tips on how to manage a healthy body and baby during this time. With my body type and high activity level being an athlete my whole life, my first pregnancy, I was pretty data driven and stuck on the perfect amount of weight to gain for my pre pregnancy weight. That was 25-35 pounds. I didn’t do anything specific to control my weight gain, but as soon as I went over that 35 pounds gained mark in my third trimester, I felt instantly ashamed and unsure what it meant. I feel like as women, a lot of us have that really harsh internal dialogue where we tell ourselves we are doing something wrong and we are going to be the cause of harm to our baby, or something completely untrue. In reality, most women carry healthy babies and gain an appropriate weight for them that reflects what their body needs to support pregnancy.

In my case, I gained 45 pounds in both my pregnancies, but it also turns out that my first born was almost 11 pounds and my second was over 9 pounds. In my first pregnancy, my midwife kept a close eye on my weight and would make comments to be aware of my weight gain, which of course I was, and it caused me a lot of stress. The second time around, because I had such a big baby, I also felt like I was being classified or judged as if a bit over the usual recommended weight gain guidelines was going to be a huge issue. Now with my third, I have followed the same trajectory where I lose about 5 pounds in my first trimester, finally am back to my pre pregnancy weight by 20 weeks ish and now at 24 weeks I have officially gained 5 pounds. And what is probably going to happen is in the next 16 weeks I’m going to gain 40 pounds which seems wild, but I’m guessing I’ll have a large baby most likely, but my body does well with this amount of weight gain. This time around I’ve chosen to trust my body and not stress about the numbers. Focusing on eating a balanced diet as best as I can, with no pressure because eating during pregnancy has been hard this time around I’ve just been really picky, and then listening to my body and getting as much movement as possible which is fairly easy to stay active with two other littles. So for me a 45 pound weight gain put a red flag on my chart when I had my first two girls, but is something I have learned more about and am trusting the process for this third baby. 

But anyways, let’s get into the episode where I will answer several of the most commonly asked questions about weight gain in pregnancy.

One thing I hear all the time from moms is, “how much weight should I gain during my pregnancy?” And there is a guideline that is supported by ACOG, or the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that recommends certain weight gain based on your BMI or body mass index. And that is:

Women who have a BMI less than 18.5 are considered underweight and recommended to gain between 28 and 40 pounds. Women of normal weight with a BMI between 18.5 and 25 are recommended to gain between 25 and 35 pounds. Women who have a BMI between 25 and 30 are considered overweight and recommended to gain between 15 and 25 pounds, and then a BMI of 30 and over is classified as obese and recommended to gain 11 to 20 pounds.

Too little weight gain can increase the risk of certain problems or complications during labor and delivery such as a baby born prematurely, have a low birth weight, or experience developmental concerns. If you gain too much weight, there is also a risk for premature birth, high blood pressure, large birth weight over 8 pounds 13 ounces, heavy bleeding after delivery, and cesarean section. It can also be hard physically on moms who gain additional weight because there is additional stress on your joints as well as an increased risk of developing diabetes.

Just like anything else in pregnancy, these are guidelines and should of course be addressed and you should know your individual risks and make aware of ways to support a healthy pregnancy, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t room for your individual medical history, lifestyle, or other considerations to keep in mind. For example, are women underweight because they have really bad morning sickness, they are a smoker, or maybe have an eating disorder. We can’t always know what is causing “abnormal” weight gain, but there are also other medical conditions that can play a role.

So, if you find yourself wondering how much weight you should gain during pregnancy, remember that it's not just about a number on a scale. It's about supporting the healthy development of your baby through routine prenatal care and maintaining your own well-being throughout this journey, remembering you have individual needs and values. This is also why weight loss during pregnancy is generally not recommended, unless there are certain circumstances advised by your provider, but again the focus should be on maintaining a healthy lifestyle rather than actively trying to lose weight.

It also is completely normal to lose weight at the beginning of your pregnancy, in the first trimester, or gain very little. Usually, weight gain is slower in the first trimester and then increases in the second and third trimesters. I just want to mention this because weight gain is not a linear process in pregnancy, it fluctuates as your baby grows and your body undergoes changes. I know for me, I was gaining about 2 to 3 pounds per week in my third trimester, and if you look that up online, which of course I did, this was double or triple the recommendation. But it was my body compensating for all the changes, my very large baby made up some of that weight too, and I wasn’t someone to gain much weight in the first or really not as much in the second trimester either, so it’s just my individual body’s response. 

It’s actually really funny because now that I’m pregnant with my third, I was kind of expecting my belly bump to pop sooner, and it really hasn’t. Many people comment how tiny my belly is and it doesn’t bother me, and maybe some people are using it as a complement, which I literally don’t care about, but for others this can cause extreme anxiety and worry about the size of their bump or how much weight they have gained. All mamas want to do what’s best for their growing babies, and when you have someone questioning your size, whether it’s a really small bump or you’re “going to pop” but you still have months to go, can be really hard to deal with.

So I do have some advice for you regarding managing healthy weight gain during pregnancy, but again this is just a guideline as well. You know your body the best, and using your intuition and nourishing and moving your body as it feels right to you is also important to respect.

Important things to focus on are eating a balanced diet, staying active as long as it’s safe to do so in your individual situation, and getting enough rest and hydration each day. Many moms have cravings like junk food or sugary snacks, and eating these in moderation can help, but also if you have a day where you don’t eat great and you don’t move your body, that doesn’t define your pregnancy or who you are as a mom. It is all about balance and some days we nourish our bodies better than others and that’s okay. I know for me, at the beginning of my pregnancy all I wanted was really salty, greasy burgers. I am not one to eat fast food because I really just don’t like it that much, but there were several weeks where 1 or 2 times I just couldn’t eat anything else, and to get my calories for the day in I would eat fast food and it was just the best thing ever. That was new for me this pregnancy and hasn’t happened with either of my other girls, but I just try to eat as healthy as I can when I feel like I can, which definitely isn’t always. I still indulge in unhealthy snacks or treats, but being mindful of moderation is what my goal is, not obsessing over anything though. No need for stress or guilt at this point!

If you’re looking for ideas about meal or snack ideas, some go tos for me are whole grains, leafy greens, fruits, full fat dairy products like greek yogurt, lean proteins like chicken and fish, and then I enjoy making homemade granola bars or balls and trail mix. I mix in unflavored collagen powder for extra protein if I can tolerate the texture change that day, use nut butters for extra protein and calories, and then chia seeds or flaxseed sprinkled on salads or in homemade granola bars or stirred in yogurt for extra fiber, omega 3 fatty acids, and better blood sugar control. 

Whether you are struggling eating anything or your appetite is fully back, remember that you really only need about 300 extra calories in pregnancy, so you’re definitely not eating for two! It’s not a time to restrict calories to try to lose weight or double what you’ve been eating, it’s all about balance, eating when you’re hungry, and trying to get about 300 extra calories to support your growing baby.

Some people really struggle with nutrition and weight gain during pregnancy and it can be very challenging, but there are also people to help. You may have someone local you can work with, otherwise I wanted to share about a dietitian friend I refer clients to. Her name is Liz and she is a dietitian and hormone health coach offering 1:1 services, specializing in helping pregnant moms. She has a program called ‘Foundations of Hormone Balance’ that gives a really good foundation for developing and maintaining a healthy diet postpartum as well as stress and lifestyle changes and hormone balance. These can be really tricky to manage, and having support through pregnancy, into postpartum if this is an area you are interested can be so helpful and I definitely recommend Liz. I will put her information in the show notes, but you can find her on Instagram @moms.hormone.dietitian and check out her resources there.

Thank you so much for tuning in to the podcast today. I hope this episode gave you more insight as to how much weight gain is recommended during pregnancy and why these guidelines are in place. I also hope you feel confident in trusting your body and intuition while providing nourishment and finding ways to be active to maintain a healthy body weight. There are risks to too little weight gain or too much weight gain like we mentioned, but there are also many women that deviate from this in either direction and they have healthy pregnancies and babies. My advice to you, is to do the best you can in staying within these parameters with a healthy lifestyle, but also if your body responds to pregnancy and you gain a different amount, instead of stressing and feeling guilty, please trust the process and above all else, listen to your body. Thank you again for tuning in and I will be back here next Tuesday. Bye everyone.