Trimesters and Weight Gains/Losses « Back to Group Discussions

[Sol_y_Paz]

I am not sure what is normal, especially since weight is a touchy subject.  I heard lots of people lose during the 1T or I have also heard you aren't suppose to gain.  I have gained about 5 pounds as of my 13 week appointment.  I have been eating lots of stuff I normally don't eat lots of (more grains in the form of whole wheat pasta, crackers, cereals, and breads) due to MS and haven't been able to exercise like normal. 

Edited by Sol_y_Paz - 3/13/12 at 1:32pm

[Knitting Mama]

"Normal" is a very subjective term. Within reason, basically whatever you gain is what is normal for you. There are, of course, some extenuating circumstances (extreme gain or loss does happen to some women for a variety of reasons), but I think so many times women are made to feel badly about their weight gain during pregnancy when there is no reason for it.

[LilyTiger]

I've been worried about this recently too.  I had gained three pounds until last week, and then I just gained three pounds very quickly.  I don't know where the weight came from.  My eating hasn't been crazy, though it hasn't been wonderful either.  I guess the loss of m/s probably caused me to eat more than I realized.  I'm only at 12 weeks, so 6 or 7 pounds is too much for me.  I'm only 5'3".  Not gaining too much weight is really important to me because I've struggled with weight for a while and my body holds on to weight, making it really difficult to lose later.  I'm aiming for 25 to 30 pounds total, but I also know a lot of that is out of my control.  I'll just do what I can.

I think CM's right about the "normal" label, but for me at least, I'm going to try to slow the weight loss a little over the next two or three weeks.  I know I probably won't have as much control over it after that, since much of it will be actual baby weight at that point.  I also need to get my workouts back on track.  I've only been managing three workouts a week, which just isn't enough to counter excess calories.  At any rate, I think women should assess their individual values and goals, look at their body types and what they're comfortable with, and go from there.  There isn't a one-size fits all solution as far as I'm concerned.  My goal is a healthy pregnancy and a healthy body after.

[Knitting Mama]

Also, in my experience, baby weight is a LOT easier to lose postpartum than regular weight. I think I was down 20 lbs within 6 weeks of Cecilia's birth, and I had only gained 12 with her total (but that is just what is normal for me and the women in my family, NOT what most women experience). Interestingly, my mother and sister also gained only a little during all of their pregnancies, so it makes me think there is definitely a genetic component to how much a woman gains during pregnancy.

Basically, the bottom line in my opinion is that it's fine to watch what you eat and exercise while pregnant, but please try not to stress super hard over weight gain. It is an important part of pregnancy.

[joy2grow]

I seem to remember 5lbs to be the average/recommended gain in the first trimester.  At almost 11 wks I've gained 3.5 -- considering how much I'm eating, I find that very surprising! 

In the 6 months prior to conceiving I lost 35lbs that I'd been holding on to since my first baby's birth in 2006.  It is such a relief to finally make progress on that front so it does feel a bit touchy to turn around and put weight back on, but I know it is for the best reason in the world.  I finally lost the extra weight by following a Paleo/Primal eating plan, which is basically no grains, no sugars, limited fruit, unlimited meat & fat & veg, some dairy if tolerated.  I lost quickly enough to stay motivated and, most importantly, never felt deprived or hungry.  Once baby comes I will get back on the plan.  For now I am eating more grains & a ton of dairy, but still focused on lots of fat (butter, coconut oil, tallow) for satiation and for growing my little beans healthy brain. 

I also remember a significant of weight melting off very quickly with nursing.

[Thebyr]

I remember my midwife saying gain 3-5 lbs the first trimester. So - I had gained 5 bu like week 9. I weighed myself at week 11 - I had lost 3 of those lbs and this week I'm back down to my starting weight. I won't worry about it since I had a bladder infection this week and that sparked my full time nausea again.

[Ninetales]

I'm pretty seriously overweight.  Actually I think before I got pregnant I was borderline obese.  With my first pregnancy I gained about 60 lbs, 30 fell off right after the birth, and maybe another ten really slowly over the next year and a half, so I was still twenty pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight when I got pregnant again.  All that with having a severely macrosomic baby and a horrible birth makes me want to not gain so much this time to hopefully avoid some of those problems.  I'm not putting a total cap on it, although "they" say that someone of my size should gain between 15 and 25 lbs. 

Between my 4 week and 12 week appointment I gained about 3 lbs, which is encouraging because that was over the holidays, which is usually a bad gaining time for me while not pregnant.  Plus with it being the first trimester and generally being drawn to junk would have made it harder.  So I'm pleased.  The closer I get to the birth, the more fresh yummy fruits and veggies will be available and I'll actually eat them because I hate eating winter produce.

[LittleBirdy]

I gained 9 pounds in the first 9 weeks.  Yup, 9 pounds.  Granted, I found out I was pregnant the weekend before Thanksgiving so those 9 weeks spanned Thanksgiving and Christmas - I gain weight at that time of year anyway!  At my 13 week appointment I was up another 2 pounds, making my total first trimester weight gain 11 pounds.

I gained more than 40 pounds with my first pregnancy, and had lost it all by DS's first birthday.

[~Demeter~]

I've gained 3 pounds so far....

(i had more written up but accidentally hit backspace and friggin' lost it all)

[~Demeter~]

My typical weight gain is 50-60 while pregnant. I am petite and small framed, I do not go overboard with food (nor do I diet), I just try to eat what I have a taste for, lol. Anyway... With my first 3 the weight fell completely off (and then some with my first) by 6months postpartum. With my 4th, not so much... I dropped an initial 35 pounds and stalled out until I had my 5th and then by 9months postpartum I was lighter than I had been in 4 years...

[rebecca10]

I've also heard about 5 pounds for the first trimester is "normal."

I've always stuggled with weight/eating issues, and I was really worried about how I was going to handle gaining weight with my first pregancy.  At my doctor's suggestion, I found a strategy that worked really well for me-- I never found out how much I weighed.  Not once, the entire pregancy. I did let my doctor weigh me, and I knew that if I was wildly under or over where I should be she'd let me know, but she never did.   I'm planning on doing the same this time around,  since this approach really decreased the stress I felt around the issue, and I found I was eventually able to just stop worrying about the weight gain.    I'm sure it wouldn't work for everyone, but I thought I'd throw it out there as one possible approach for those of you for whom this is a difficult issue. 

I'm also coming to this pregnancy for a new appreciation of the importance of gaining weight during pregnancy and building up those fat stores.  Immediately post-partum I got very sick with c. diff. last time around.  Pretty much everything was coming straight through me and I fell below my (already low) pre-pregancy weight in less than two weeks. (Not the post-partum weight loss strategy I recommed!)  I really saw how that extra weight is like an insurance policy, making sure there is something there to sustain the baby whatever happens, and I felt so grateful that my milk didn't dry up through this ordeal.     

[IntuitiveJamie]

I don't weight myself. I don't feel it's a good indicator of if I'm healthy or not. Except maybe toward the end, if you're gaining 3 or more lbs a week instead of 1 that could indicate some issues. But there are other signs to look out for too.

I certainly don't believe in the guidelines. I choose to eat healthy and stay active instead. I listen to cues from my body, not a scale. Just offering a diff. perspective. 

[Knitting Mama]

Yup, there is a reason you need to gain at least a little weight during pregnancy! And that's not even counting what the placenta, fluids, maternal blood, breast tissue growth, uterus growth and baby itself weigh!!

[Ninetales]

I have deep seated psychological issues regarding food.  I know I can't just let go and trust my body because I make bad choices if I do that.  For me, trusting my body means doing whatever I want, and it doesn't work well for me in everyday life or in pregnancy.  I wish I could do it that way.  With Elsa I somehow thought I'd magically start eating healthfully and doing right by my body.  I rarely weighed myself and I think it was the wrong approach for me.  Having an idea what rate I'm gaining will give me a good indication if I'm on the right track or if I need to make changes in my habits.  Seeing the number will keep me accountable for my actions.  I really don't want the experience I had with Elsa.

[IntuitiveJamie]

Originally Posted by Ninetales 

I have deep seated psychological issues regarding food.  I know I can't just let go and trust my body because I make bad choices if I do that.  For me, trusting my body means doing whatever I want, and it doesn't work well for me in everyday life or in pregnancy.  I wish I could do it that way.  With Elsa I somehow thought I'd magically start eating healthfully and doing right by my body.  I rarely weighed myself and I think it was the wrong approach for me.  Having an idea what rate I'm gaining will give me a good indication if I'm on the right track or if I need to make changes in my habits.  Seeing the number will keep me accountable for my actions.  I really don't want the experience I had with Elsa.

I love this! Good for you for knowing yourself and living by what works for you!!

(and just so we're clear, I really mean that. I love people living through an understanding of themselves)

[Ninetales]

Well at this point it's more grudging acceptance, but I get the sentiment. 

[Sol_y_Paz]

Thanks for sharing your experiences.  Rebecca that is interesting your doctor recommended you just stop looking at the scale.  My doctor hasn't mentioned anything at all about weight and the one time I brought it up to the nurse the nurse wasn't concerned at all and said everyone is different and not to worry.  

But I do keep in mind this is only temporary and for the best reason in the world.  

[pandd06]

"Normal" really varies. This PG, I am down 1.5 lbs and am 13w tomorrow. With DS, I think I was up about 7 lbs at this point. I agree with PPs to not fiaxate on it. In the first tri when you are feeling icky, you've just got to get down what you can get down. In 2nd and 3rd, as long as you are eating a reasonably healthy diet and you and baby are otherwise healthy, don't sweat it. I gained 50-55 lbs and no one was concerned. I would only note my weight when I went to the dr. Other than that, it didn't add anything to my life.  I delivered a very healthy baby and that is what really matters.  In terms of post-partum weight loss, I found the adage of "9 months to gain it, 9 months to lose it" to be true. I lost all but 5 lbs of the weight over 9 months with no special effort. Because I was/am still nursing, that 5 lbs might have just been sticking around.

[ithappened]

With DS I gained 12 lbs the first trimester before week 9, then didnt gain much till the third where I gained very fast.... I think in total with DS gained 40-45 lbs and I was VERY active during my pregnancy. By the time I left the hospital I had lost all but 7 which then came off once I was done BFing DS who was born at almost 10 lbs (also- I am not one who loses weight BFing, my body holds onto it until Im done then within 1-3 weeks it sort of just goes away without any effort)..

Right now, I am 13 weeks and I am at my 'normal' weight of about 127 but I had a bad bought of food poisoning in December which really took me down a lot then horrible morning sickness after that and so keeping anything down was a real challenge until a week or so ago. ..

With twins I figure I'll be lucky if I can stay under a 70-90 lb gain. Im actually sort of nervous about it but trying to not think about it. I figure I am active and will try to eat well and hope for the best :).. We will see. I am smallish to begin with (5'8" and 125-130lbs) and got back to my prepreg weight really easily/without trying once I was done BFing.

[sallyrae17]

I think I gained about a pound in the first trimester when I was sick with my son. Overall, I gained 40 pounds. I lost about 20 immediately and all the weight was gone within 5 months. I think I weighed myself for the first time at my birthday after my son was born (he was about 5 months old) and I was back to my normal size. I ended up losing more weight though, due to breastfeeding and was the smallest I've ever been. 

For this pregnancy, I'm down about a pound or so (at 12 weeks). I've had so many food aversions and haven't been eating as much as I should while breastfeeding and pregnant...so I'm not really surprised that I'm down weight.

I don't really worry about weight while pregnant (or even when I'm not pregnant), so I'm probably not the best person to answer this question. :)