How closely related is mother's weight gain and baby's weight at birth? - Page 4

[momomom]

Well, here's some bad news. I haven't seen other research or carefully examined the study design, though:

http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20081...-babies-linked

This study is the opposite of what the Brewer Diet says. The Brewer diet is designed to grow big babies! Also, FWIW, ds was 8 lb 11 oz- I gained 40 lb- and is a big-boned 5 yo boy who is in the 90% and dd started out 9 lb 6 oz- i gained 45 lb- and by 1 year was only in the 15%, but totally healthy. She remains a tall, thin 2 yo. I had a lot of protein both times and good food, but ate more sugar with dd. ALSO, my sister had twins tonight at 38 weeks and 1 weighed 7lb 7oz and the other was 7lb 14oz!!! She ate a lot of protein, worked out a ton, and gained 51 lbs.

The nutritional sources I believe all say worry about what goes into your mouth and not how much you gain! This third pregnancy I am eating almost no sugar or white flour and can't have ANY dairy. Baby is already a tiny bit big for dates but I've only gained 8 lb at 17 weeks and last two times I had gained at least 14-15lbs. I am eating whole grains, fruits, veggies, meat, tofu, and that's it. No crap. No way I can gain 50 lb without eating junk food. As long as the food is good, I won't worry about the scale. In fact, my midwife agreed to not weigh me this time as I find it so stressful.

[amydidit]

Well let's see...

DD1 - gained 3lbs - baby weighed 5lbs 10oz
DD2 - gained 50lbs - baby weighed 6lbs 12 oz
DD3 - LOST 16lbs - baby weighed 8lbs 1oz

[claddaghmom]

Originally Posted by Limabean1975

Statistically, I have no idea. Anecdotally, I have known several women who gained 50-60lbs and had 6-8lb babies.

Me, I gained 19 lbs ( yes nineteen) and had a 9 lb 14 oz baby (that's right nearly ten). Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!

LMAO limabean...my mom was the same way. One was a 11.6 baby and she gained 26lbs. I think all of her pregnancies were similar (well fortunately only one other 11lber lol).

Anyways, you can imagine her horror towards the end of my pregnancy when I had gained 41lbs. She would tell me everyday my kid was going to be enormous.

She was 11.4. So I guess *yes* big but not what my mom was fearing hahaha.

[MamaMonica]

I gained 50 lbs with my first and had a 6 lb 14 oz baby. I gained more with the second and he was 7 lbs.

[veganmama18]

i agree with mags - i think birth weight can also depend on race/ethnicity and also the size of mom and dad (irrespective of heritage). both DH and i are relatively small (i am 5'1" and was 118 pre-pregnancy; DH is 5'7" and 120-ish). i gained 14 pounds with my first and he was 6 lbs. 4 oz. at birth.

a very recent cross-sectional study indicates that women who gained more weight than was recommended during pregnancy had a 20% greater chance of having babies >= 4000 grams (or about 8 lbs 13 oz). this was true for women irrespective of their pre-pregnancy BMI (underweight, normal, overweight, obese, morbidly obese). cross-sectional studies aren't the optimal study design, but they can suggest further research areas using stronger designs.

i also agree with the sentiment that what we eat matters too. i find that friends who have done the bradley method tend to have larger babies (perhaps b/c of the high protein intake). we should also consider that nowadays the animals consumed are pumped full of growth hormones, which inevitably end up in the bodies of those who consume them. although i'm not aware of comprehensive studies done in this area, i would imagine that such hormones can and do affect the birth weight of our babies.

here's the abstract:
The effect of gestational weight gain by body mass index on maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Crane JM, White J, Murphy P, Burrage L, Hutchens D.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Eastern Health, Memorial University, St. John's NL.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of gestational weight gain on maternal and neonatal outcomes in different body mass index (BMI) classes. METHODS: We compared maternal and neonatal outcomes based on gestational weight gain in underweight, normal weight, overweight, obese, and morbidly obese (BMI>or=40.00) women. The study group was a population-based cohort of women with singleton gestations who delivered between April 1, 2001, and March 31, 2007, drawn from the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Perinatal Program Database. Univariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression analyses (controlling for maternal age, parity, smoking status, partnered status, and gestational age) were performed and odds ratios (ORs) were calculated. RESULTS: Only 30.6% of women gained the recommended amount of weight during pregnancy; 52.3% of women gained more than recommended, and 17.1% gained less than recommended. In women with normal pre-pregnancy BMI, excess weight gain was associated with increased rates of gestational hypertension (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.08-1.49), augmentation of labour (OR 1.09; 95% CI 1.01-1.18), and birth weight>or=4000 g (OR 1.21; 95% CI 1.10-1.34). In overweight women, excess weight gain was associated with increased rates of gestational hypertension (OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.10-1.55) and birth weight>or=4000 g (OR 1.30; 95% CI 1.15-1.47). In women who were obese or morbidly obese, excess weight gain was associated with increased rates of birth weight>or=4000 g (OR 1.20; 95% CI 1.07-1.34) and neonatal metabolic abnormality (OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.00-1.70). In morbidly obese women, poor weight gain was associated with less use of epidural analgesia (OR 0.34; 95% CI 0.12-0.95). In women who were of normal weight, overweight, or obese, the rate of adverse outcome (Caesarean section, gestational hypertension, birth weight<2500 g or birth weight>or=4000 g) was lower in women with recommended weight gain than in those with excess weight gain. Adverse outcomes were reduced in nulliparous morbidly obese women who had poor weight gain (OR 0.18; 95% CI 0.04-0.83). CONCLUSION: The effects of gestational weight gain on pregnancy outcome depend on the woman's pre-pregnancy BMI. Pregnancy weight gains of 6.7-11.2 kg (15-25 lb) in overweight and obese women, and less than 6.7 kg (15 lb) in morbidly obese women are associated with a reduction in the risk of adverse outcome.

[scrapadoozer]

Gained 20 lbs with dd and she weighed 8lb8oz @ 43 weeks.
With this one I've gained 8 lbs so far (I'm 39w5d) and am very interested to see what he or she weighs. I'm thinking at least 9lbs.

[NaturalMindedMomma]

I gained 80 lbs and had a 7 lb 13 ounce baby. I did lose 35 lbs in the first 2 weeks post partum. It was a lot of fluid.

With this baby, I am almost 23 weeks and have only gained 8 lbs. I am interested to see how large this baby is. My ex Fiance was a preemie, all his kids came early, and were smaller. Not sure how thats going to work out for me.