Pregnancy Weight Gain

May 10, 2012 |

Pregnancy should be a time of joy for the mother and those around her. There are however several precautions that should be taken into consideration during this period and one of them is weight gain.

What is pregnancy weight gain?

During pregnancy several changes take place within the body of the mother. As the baby develops within her, she experiences a weight gain. Amother should keep track of her diet. The development of the baby requires a good supply of nutrients which are taken directly from the mother’sbody. Nutrients such as calcium and iron will especially be in high demand. The mother should therefore take in enough nutrients to supply her needs and those of her child.

Mothers usually experience cravings for certain foods at this time to as a result of an inadequate supply of certain nutrients. These cravings if not handled properly could lead to unhealthy weight gain.

How much is the ideal pregnancy weight gain?

Weight gain during pregnancy is normal but too much weight gain should be avoided. There are two major reasons for this:

• Excessive weight gain will put a strain on the vital organs of the mother throughout the pregnancy period.
• Excessive weight gain in the mother could indicate an overweight baby which could cause complications during delivery.

Weight gain in the mother should be gradual. A healthy pregnancy weight gain should not exceed sixteen or eighteen pounds. Mothers should be careful not to exceed this weight. Regular checks at a prenatal clinic will help you keep track of your progress as well as your baby.

A nutritionist can help you devise a diet and draw up a weight chart to help you with healthy pregnancy weight gain. Foods rich in iron such as fresh salads, whole grain foods, proteins, yellow and green leafy vegetables, oils and fats are to be encouraged for healthy pregnancy weight gain. These foods will also help reduce cravings during pregnancy. Foods such as sweets, highly spiced foods, sweetened drinks, carbonated drinks and fatty foods should be avoided. These foods will encourage excessive weight gain.

Pregnancy Weight Gain by Months

It isn’t enough to know that you should not exceed a weight gain of eighteen pounds throughout your pregnancy. You should keep track of yourweight gain by month. This will help you regulate your weight gain properly. Healthy pregnancy weight gain broken down to months is as follows:

• Month 1 – 3: 2 pound increase
• Month 4 – 6: 6 or 7 pound increase
• Month 7 – 9: 8 or 9 pound increase

You should be able to keep track of your weight gain on a proper pregnancy chart. This chart will help you construct a graph showing the progress of your weight gain during the months of pregnancy and ensure your weight gain is healthy.

Pregnancy Weight Loss

Many mothers are concerned about losing the weight gained during pregnancy after birth. If you had a healthy pregnancy weight gain you should not have anything to worry about. With proper exercise and diet you will be back to your old weight in no time.

Birth Control Pills and Weight Gain

Weight gain after hysterectomy

Weight gain during Pregnancy

Healthy Weight Gain during Pregnancy

Recommended Weight Gain During Pregnancy

Weight Gain in Early Pregnancy

Pregnancy Weight Gain Chart

Weight gain after hysterectomy

Birth Control Pills and Weight Gain

Birth Control Pills and Weight Gain

December 15, 2010 | syed

Birth control pills are the medicine taken to prevent unwanted pregnancy, especially when no protection is used during an intercourse. Birth control pills are also known as oral contraceptive pills and prevents pregnancy by following the female hormonal birth control method.

There has been a notion among majority of people that birth control pills lead to weight gain but there has been no scientific proof for the same. The weight gain through birth control pills entirely depends upon the type of pills taken and its effect in an individual body.

Reason for weight gain: Birth control pills retain the fluids in the body and also increase the appetite. Retention of body fluid and increase in appetite leads to the woman eating often resulting in increase in body weight. Birth pills contain estrogen that causes fluid retention. If the content of estrogen in a birth control pill is more, the tendency to gain weight increases. Retaining water in body also makes a woman look bloated and increase in weight due to the excess water.

How to control weight gain: If you are taking birth control pills always take pills with lower estrogen level. As a result there will be less fluid retention in body and less increase in body weight. Do exercise at least four to five times a week which include jogging, swimming, running, brisk walking and aerobics. Keep a control over diet and maintain a well balanced diet. Drink plenty of water as water helps to flush out our system and that prevents weight gain.

Weight gain after hysterectomy

December 15, 2010 | syed

Hysterectomy is the surgical procedure of removing the uterus from female’s body. This is one of the surgical methods performed by the gynaecologist for the total and partial removal of the uterus. Uterus cancer, chronic pelvic pain, virginal bleeding and Fibroids are the some of the medical observations for which hysterectomy is recommended.

After hysterectomy, a sudden weight gain can take place in a female body around the waist area and abdomen. A number of physical changes directly push the body to weight gain tendencies. The level of estrogens should be maintained to control the sudden weight gain after hysterectomy.

Weight gain caused after hysterectomy:

Hysterectomy can be done via a surgery or via non surgical treatment as demanded by the patient or by depending upon the current conditions. Following mentioned are the weight gain reasons due to this treatment:

• Hysterectomy causes the low hormonal balance in the female body which is directly responsible for weight gain.
• After such a treatment, a female undergoes mood swing, frequent sweating and menopause which take place immediacy in the body and these are also the major reasons for weight gain.
• This treatment leads to dramatic fall of blood estrogens level, which supports weight gain around the waist.
• If the hysterectomy is performed by the surgical means including the above mentioned causes, a female has to take rest for a fixed period, which can enhance the weight gain problem.

Weight gain control after hysterectomy:

• The patient can consult the doctor if excessive weight gain has occurred due to medicinal combinations.
• Follow a diet plan suggested by the doctor.
• Opt for a normal and light exercise plans if it is a non surgical procedure.
• One can do yoga or aerobics for controlling the weight gain.

Weight gain during Pregnancy

September 2, 2010 | syed

Every skinny woman has a fear during pregnancy that her child is not growing properly. This fear not only frustrates her but also push her to eat unnecessarily extra food that increases the chances of diseases during pregnancy period.

It is advisable that a pregnant woman must take appropriate amount of minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates for her infant. However, it is compulsory to take care of extra diet to avoid obesity that can cause further complication during the birth of the child like high blood pressure and high sugar. These diseases increase complications during delivery.

To avoid imbalanced diet it is good to make a chart of diet and revise it every month according to the advice of your doctor. You must take more and more raw food to make your infant healthy and strong. To gain some weight during pregnancy it will be more suitable to take healthy and rich food of your choice to gain weight.

For protein, you can take eggs, milk, Soya milk, turkey cheese; for the requirement of the carbohydrates, you can take vegetables containing fibres and oats, pasta; vitamin is present in milk, carrots, eggs and cereals. Minerals are also important during pregnancy period as they are responsible for making bones in infant so it is compulsory to take fruits with vegetables to give your child right proportion of nutritional elements.

Skinny pregnant woman can put on weight by adding some good eating habits and take healthy and energetic food rather than heavy and junk food to protect themselves from diseases during gaining weight.

Weight Gain in Early Pregnancy

December 21, 2009 | syed

Quite a significant number of women notice they have gained weight before knowing that they are actually pregnant.  While as most women hate the idea of gaining and having to struggle while shedding it off after giving birth, doctors advise that pregnant women should never try to loose weight for the entire duration of the pregnancy. This is because weight gain by the mother contributes significantly to the well being and general development of the baby. Ideally, the pregnant woman should gain at least 4½ pounds during the first three months of pregnancy. However, in some women, the weight gained during this period can be as high as 10 pounds. Women who experience high weight gain during the first three months need not worry. There are a few explanations why this happens.

• Weight gain during the first pregnancy trimester differs from one woman to the other
• The blood levels in a pregnant woman go up by an approximated 20 percent. This no doubt means that one weighs more.
• The body increases its production of mucous and other bodily fluids.
• Water retention is common in pregnant women, and also means that they weigh more.
• An increase in appetite leads to more food intake, which often leads to an increase in weight.

Loosing weight when one is pregnant, and especially during the first three months before the morning sickness, fatigue and general tiredness kicks in, should warrant a thorough check by a doctor. To ensure that your weight remains within the healthy weight gain range, eat healthy and well-spaced meals.