What kind of weight gain is expected in pregnancy
Q. What kind of weight gain is expected during pregnancy?
Answer.
ENERGY & WEIGHT
ENERGY
You need extra energy:
- For the growth of the foetus and the placenta
- To add to your fat reserves
- To balance the energy used by a higher basal metabolic rate and the work you do carrying the baby
- It is recommended that you increase your daily food intake by an 1 200 kilojoules
TOO LITTLE WEIGHT GAIN
Too little gain can lead to, or be the result of, complications. It may be associated with an increased risk of developing hypertension or pre-eclampsia, and of delivering a low birthweight baby. Pregnancy is not a time for starting a weight-loss diet as it may lead to ketosis (burning of body fat). The by-product of ketosis can damage the foetus.
TOO MUCH WEIGHT GAIN
Too much weight gain increases the risk of complications during delivery. The overweight baby has a higher rate of complications soon after birth.
INCREASED WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION
Breasts – 0,5 kg
Placenta – 0,7 kg
Uterus – 1,6 kg
Baby – 3,4 kg
Amniotic fluid – 1,0 kg
Extra blood volume and extra fluid – 4,0 kg
Total 12-14 kg
(Please see graph below)
Use this graph to track your weekly weight gain. If your weight varies too much from the average indicated, discuss it with your caregiver.
WEIGHT GAIN OVER TRIMESTERS
A typical weight gain is an increase of between 1 kg and 2 kg by the end of the first trimester, and then about 0,5 kg each week. The recommended weight gain for a healthy woman over 40 weeks of pregnancy is approximately 12 kg to 14 kg.
