mummy2beslim
taking one day at a time
thought this was good info
First and foremost, it is important to accept that you are going to put on weight during pregnancy! You are meant to because your body is growing and changing to give your baby the best start in life. Here's where the extra weight comes from:
• At birth, your baby will weigh approximately 3,300g (7.3lb).
• During pregnancy, the muscle layer of your womb (uterus) grows dramatically and weighs an extra 900g (2lb).
• The placenta (afterbirth), which keeps your baby nourished, weighs 600g (1.3lb).
• Your breasts weigh an extra 400g (0.9lb).
• Your blood volume increases and weighs an extra 1,200g (2.6lb)
• You have extra fluid in your body, and amniotic fluid around the baby, weighing 2,600g (5.7lb).
• Plus, you will lay down some fat during your pregnancy to provide you with extra energy for breastfeeding. This comes to about 2,500g (5.5lb).
So, by the end of pregnancy you will weigh about 11,000g (24.2lb) more than you did before you became pregnant. This is an average weight gain but of course, you're not an average woman. And no woman is. Our pregnancy weight gain estimator can give you a more personalised indication of what you might gain. The amount of weight you should gain will depend on how heavy you were before you became pregnant. Or more accurately, on what your body mass index (BMI) was (see Calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI), below).
gain will depend on how heavy you were before you became pregnant. Or more accurately, on what your body mass index (BMI) was (see Calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI), below).
Will I be weighed in pregnancy?
Advertisement
Not so long ago, pregnant women used to be weighed every time they went for an antenatal check. Then doctors realised that this made a lot of women very anxious and in any case, wasn't a particularly good way of assessing how well the pregnancy was going. They also realised that weight gain in pregnancy should be related to a woman's BMI before she became pregnant. For this reason, it's now recommended that your midwife calculates your BMI when you have your booking appointment.
Calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI)
In order to calculate your BMI, your midwife needs to know how tall you are in metres and how heavy you are in kilograms. If you would like to have a go at doing it yourself, here's how it's done:
1. Multiply your height in metres by your height in metres. If you are 5 feet 3 inches, your height in metres is 1.6m. So multiply 1.6 by 1.6 which gives you 2.56.
2. Then divide your weight in kg by this figure. So, if you weigh 60kg, your BMI will be 60 divided by 2.56 = 23.43.
Alternatively, if maths isn't your thing, you can calculate your BMI using our BMI calculator.
Here's how your BMI is classified:
BMI less than 18.5 - Underweight
BMI 18.5-25 - Ideal
BMI 25-30 - Overweight
BMI 30-40 - Obese
BMI greater than 40 - Severely obese
Your BMI and pregnancy weight gain
In the 1990s, the Institute of Medicine in the US recommended that women should aim for a weight gain related to their pre-pregnancy BMI:
• If your BMI was less than 19.8, you should aim for a weight gain of between 12.5 and 18kg (28 to 40lb).
• If your BMI was between 19.8 and 26, you should aim for a weight gain of 11.5 to 16kg (25 to 35lb). • If your BMI was above 26, you should aim for a weight gain of 7 to 11.5kg (15 to 25lb).
The 1 2 3 rule summarises this in a way that is easy to understand:
• If you were overweight before you became pregnant, you should aim for a weight gain of around 1 stone.
• If you were a normal weight, you should aim for a weight gain of around 2 stone.
• If you were underweight, you should aim for a weight gain of around 3 stone.
If you are under 20 years of age, you should aim for a weight gain at the top end of the range for someone with your pre-pregnancy BMI.
First and foremost, it is important to accept that you are going to put on weight during pregnancy! You are meant to because your body is growing and changing to give your baby the best start in life. Here's where the extra weight comes from:
• At birth, your baby will weigh approximately 3,300g (7.3lb).
• During pregnancy, the muscle layer of your womb (uterus) grows dramatically and weighs an extra 900g (2lb).
• The placenta (afterbirth), which keeps your baby nourished, weighs 600g (1.3lb).
• Your breasts weigh an extra 400g (0.9lb).
• Your blood volume increases and weighs an extra 1,200g (2.6lb)
• You have extra fluid in your body, and amniotic fluid around the baby, weighing 2,600g (5.7lb).
• Plus, you will lay down some fat during your pregnancy to provide you with extra energy for breastfeeding. This comes to about 2,500g (5.5lb).
So, by the end of pregnancy you will weigh about 11,000g (24.2lb) more than you did before you became pregnant. This is an average weight gain but of course, you're not an average woman. And no woman is. Our pregnancy weight gain estimator can give you a more personalised indication of what you might gain. The amount of weight you should gain will depend on how heavy you were before you became pregnant. Or more accurately, on what your body mass index (BMI) was (see Calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI), below).
gain will depend on how heavy you were before you became pregnant. Or more accurately, on what your body mass index (BMI) was (see Calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI), below).
Will I be weighed in pregnancy?
Advertisement
Not so long ago, pregnant women used to be weighed every time they went for an antenatal check. Then doctors realised that this made a lot of women very anxious and in any case, wasn't a particularly good way of assessing how well the pregnancy was going. They also realised that weight gain in pregnancy should be related to a woman's BMI before she became pregnant. For this reason, it's now recommended that your midwife calculates your BMI when you have your booking appointment.
Calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI)
In order to calculate your BMI, your midwife needs to know how tall you are in metres and how heavy you are in kilograms. If you would like to have a go at doing it yourself, here's how it's done:
1. Multiply your height in metres by your height in metres. If you are 5 feet 3 inches, your height in metres is 1.6m. So multiply 1.6 by 1.6 which gives you 2.56.
2. Then divide your weight in kg by this figure. So, if you weigh 60kg, your BMI will be 60 divided by 2.56 = 23.43.
Alternatively, if maths isn't your thing, you can calculate your BMI using our BMI calculator.
Here's how your BMI is classified:
BMI less than 18.5 - Underweight
BMI 18.5-25 - Ideal
BMI 25-30 - Overweight
BMI 30-40 - Obese
BMI greater than 40 - Severely obese
Your BMI and pregnancy weight gain
In the 1990s, the Institute of Medicine in the US recommended that women should aim for a weight gain related to their pre-pregnancy BMI:
• If your BMI was less than 19.8, you should aim for a weight gain of between 12.5 and 18kg (28 to 40lb).
• If your BMI was between 19.8 and 26, you should aim for a weight gain of 11.5 to 16kg (25 to 35lb). • If your BMI was above 26, you should aim for a weight gain of 7 to 11.5kg (15 to 25lb).
The 1 2 3 rule summarises this in a way that is easy to understand:
• If you were overweight before you became pregnant, you should aim for a weight gain of around 1 stone.
• If you were a normal weight, you should aim for a weight gain of around 2 stone.
• If you were underweight, you should aim for a weight gain of around 3 stone.
If you are under 20 years of age, you should aim for a weight gain at the top end of the range for someone with your pre-pregnancy BMI.