Pregnancy Weight Gain

[cat13]

I've been trying to find some information about weight gain and pregnancy, specifically the down-sides of too much gain. Assuming that the woman is otherwise healthy (started pregnancy at a healthy BMI, exercising regularly, eating healthfully, normal BP, no GD, no pre-E, not other health problems, etc), what are the actual concerns about "too much" weight gain? 

Are there worse birth outcomes for mom or baby, or does it lead to bf-ing problems, or prematurity, or SD... etc? Or is it just correllated with things like high BP, GD, pre-E, etc?

The reason I want to know is that almost every OB & MW has a different opinion on what "too much" is, but more importantly, they vary in their concern about it.  I'm just trying to distinguish between the real science and the fear-based info that is passed around.

Any thoughts or info on this? TIA!

[Abraisme]

This is just my opinion and what I've been told by midwives.

My sister's midwives told her that if you gain more than 40lbs that your odds of getting GD, Pre-E, ect go up.

My midwives don't seem to care so long as you're eating healthy and staying active.

I tend to gain 45-50lbs no matter what I do.  I'm decently active while pregnant and eat a very healthy diet.  My body just puts on weight as fast as it can.  I figure that since I start out thin that I need the extra weight to breastfeed pp.  I've always lost the weight quickly and without issue. 

All the diseases that you mentioned are more tied to poor diet or being over-weight in the beginning.  Actually, the only people that I've known that had GD or Pre-E ate at lot of crappy food and didn't work out.

[fertilemyrtle]

I can't look up the science now, but I know there have been studies that correlate excess weight gain (maybe it was considered 50 lbs. or more) to more propensity to obesity and other related diseases for the baby.

Also, many women have a difficult time taking off excess weight, putting *them* at increased risk of those same health problems.  

My personal opinion is that a 25-35 pound recommended weight gain for average weight women works in general, but not always.   I work professionally with pregnant women, and it's so clear that sometimes healthy women gain only 15 pounds, and sometimes they gain 45 (10 pounds below and above the interval recommended).   Much more important than the number, I think practitioners should look at a food log and have much more conversation with patients about what they're eating (protein, vitamins and minerals from fresh foods, minimal processed food, tons of water).   There may be something to looking at the pattern of weight gain too -- as much as I've disliked being weighed every appointment (and I've had extra, because I'm home birthing but also getting some parallel care at the hospital), it's been reassuring to see a steady pattern of weight gain.   Everyone seems to feel that that is healthy for me and the babe.

I'm 39 weeks and have gained about 32 pounds.   I was in the normal weight range BMI wise before getting pregnant.  

[Dov'sMom]

Originally Posted by Abraisme 

This is just my opinion and what I've been told by midwives.

My sister's midwives told her that if you gain more than 40lbs that your odds of getting GD, Pre-E, ect go up.

My midwives don't seem to care so long as you're eating healthy and staying active.

I tend to gain 45-50lbs no matter what I do.  I'm decently active while pregnant and eat a very healthy diet.  My body just puts on weight as fast as it can.  I figure that since I start out thin that I need the extra weight to breastfeed pp.  I've always lost the weight quickly and without issue. 

All the diseases that you mentioned are more tied to poor diet or being over-weight in the beginning.  Actually, the only people that I've known that had GD or Pre-E ate at lot of crappy food and didn't work out.

I started every pregnancy very obese, ate a horrible diet (healthy food too but tons of junk food, sugar, fried things, etc.), gained c. 45 lbs each time, and never had even so much as a high blood pressure reading. My glucose tolerance test numbers would have been normal for fasting blood sugar. (My first test this pregnancy -- they do two for obese women -- the one hour blood sugar number was 79.)

I have one good friend who started out 5'8 and 150 lbs, and ate reasonably well -- her normal diet, which does not include huge amounts of junk the way I did -- and had to have a c-section for wild Pre-E at 36 weeks.

Another good friend started out quite thin and ate a superb diet, 80% organic, all home-made (from CSA ingredients when available), nothing processed except cheese, and she had GD.

I have no problem with the reality that obesity is associated with problems, but the reverse -- that healthy people who eat well are immune -- is patently false. And it leads to blaming the victim of these complications, which is just wrong.

[cat13]

Originally Posted by fertilemyrtle 

I can't look up the science now, but I know there have been studies that correlate excess weight gain (maybe it was considered 50 lbs. or more) to more propensity to obesity and other related diseases for the baby.

Also, many women have a difficult time taking off excess weight, putting *them* at increased risk of those same health problems.  

My personal opinion is that a 25-35 pound recommended weight gain for average weight women works in general, but not always.   I work professionally with pregnant women, and it's so clear that sometimes healthy women gain only 15 pounds, and sometimes they gain 45 (10 pounds below and above the interval recommended).   Much more important than the number, I think practitioners should look at a food log and have much more conversation with patients about what they're eating (protein, vitamins and minerals from fresh foods, minimal processed food, tons of water).   There may be something to looking at the pattern of weight gain too -- as much as I've disliked being weighed every appointment (and I've had extra, because I'm home birthing but also getting some parallel care at the hospital), it's been reassuring to see a steady pattern of weight gain.   Everyone seems to feel that that is healthy for me and the babe.

I'm 39 weeks and have gained about 32 pounds.   I was in the normal weight range BMI wise before getting pregnant.  

Thanks for the response. If you do come across this study sometime, I'd love to see it. Although to be honest, at 39 weeks pregnant, I imagine you have more important priorities these days.   Sending you good birthy-vibes!
 

[cat13]

Originally Posted by Dov'sMom 

I started every pregnancy very obese, ate a horrible diet (healthy food too but tons of junk food, sugar, fried things, etc.), gained c. 45 lbs each time, and never had even so much as a high blood pressure reading. My glucose tolerance test numbers would have been normal for fasting blood sugar. (My first test this pregnancy -- they do two for obese women -- the one hour blood sugar number was 79.)

I have one good friend who started out 5'8 and 150 lbs, and ate reasonably well -- her normal diet, which does not include huge amounts of junk the way I did -- and had to have a c-section for wild Pre-E at 36 weeks.

Another good friend started out quite thin and ate a superb diet, 80% organic, all home-made (from CSA ingredients when available), nothing processed except cheese, and she had GD.

I have no problem with the reality that obesity is associated with problems, but the reverse -- that healthy people who eat well are immune -- is patently false. And it leads to blaming the victim of these complications, which is just wrong.

I agree, from my experience of the people I know with GD, pre-e and premature labor, it really just depends on the individual woman and not necessarily her diet & weight, although those are correlating factors.
 

[Sol HEAth 1]

There's no one-size-fits-all approach to pregnancy weight gain. How much weight you need to gain depends on various factors, including your pre-pregnancy weight and body mass index (BMI). Your health and your baby's health also play a role.  It is not necessary to "eat for two" during pregnancy. It's true that you need extra calories from nutrient-rich foods to help your baby grow, but you generally need to consume only 100 to 300 more calories than you did before you became pregnant to meet the needs of your growing baby. Ask your health care provider how much weight you should gain during pregnancy. A woman of average weight before pregnancy should gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy. Underweight women should gain 28-40 pounds during pregnancy. Overweight women may need to gain only 15-25 pounds during pregnancy. You may need to gain more or less weight, depending on what your health care provider recommends.

[cat13]

Originally Posted by Sol HEAth 1 

There's no one-size-fits-all approach to pregnancy weight gain. How much weight you need to gain depends on various factors, including your pre-pregnancy weight and body mass index (BMI). Your health and your baby's health also play a role.  It is not necessary to "eat for two" during pregnancy. It's true that you need extra calories from nutrient-rich foods to help your baby grow, but you generally need to consume only 100 to 300 more calories than you did before you became pregnant to meet the needs of your growing baby. Ask your health care provider how much weight you should gain during pregnancy. A woman of average weight before pregnancy should gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy. Underweight women should gain 28-40 pounds during pregnancy. Overweight women may need to gain only 15-25 pounds during pregnancy. You may need to gain more or less weight, depending on what your health care provider recommends.

I agree with you that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, but I'm trying to overcome the very large discrepancy between healthcare providers' opinions on weight gain. The same woman could get 10 different opinions by asking 5 different health care providers, kwim?
 

[Chloe'sMama]

For me, it was better when I gained a bit more.  DD1 I gained 40+ lbs and she was born 10-5 and grew very quickly.  I lost all the weight within 2-3 months.

DD2, I gained 23 lbs and she was born 9-12 and it took me 7 months to lose the weight.  She gained slower in the beginning and is now much smaller than her sister was (DD2 is 18 lbs and DD1 was 21 at this point).  I think it had to do with extra fat I accumulated during pregnancy that went straight into her.  I had a better supply with DD1 as well.  

I don't know if any of that is accurate, but it is my feeling.

Also, I was a healthy weight beginning with each pregnancy and was active through each of them.