Trimesters and Weight Gains/Losses - Page 7 « Back to Group Discussions

[Knitting Mama]

Originally Posted by ~Demeter~ 

I do not understand care providers who announce that you are 'allowed' to gain a certain amount of weight. It's variable for everybody... I'm petite and always gain between 50 and 60 pounds, I'll be damned if someone 'allows' me to gain that amount of weight... or gives me trouble because it's not the usual. My body NEEDS that amount of weight to carry and sustain a healthy pregnancy with a healthy baby at the end.

Wish I could "like" this post six or seven times!

[ilovetchotchkes]

Originally Posted by Cecilia's Mama 

Wish I could "like" this post six or seven times!

Yeah, the one midwife said 10 lbs but the other told me 20... WHAT GIVES DUDES. I'm going to ask the other one who shares an affinity for Ben and Jerry's with me to break the tie. I'm sure she'll come down on the 20 side. :P 

I'm NOW finally 1lb over my pre pregnancy weight. WHOO HOO! finally. Only took 20 weeks. 

[ithappened]

Demeter YES! My FIL (a doctor, but also a man who is 55yo going on 15yo) told me I shouldn't gain more then 14lbs MY ENTIRE PREGNANCY he also was the one who asked me how much I had gained the day after birth so he could then proceed to tell me how long it would take to lose.. WTF.

My first OB suggested I not gain more then 20lbs.. It was horrible for me. I eat and exercise and refuse to restrict and my body will gain what it wants. When I went over 30lbs she started to tell me I needed a c-section and was going to get GD.. . Seriously?!   I am not going to diet when pregnant, I refuse to diet even when 'normal' and not pregnant..

People here are insane about the weight thing, it really stresses me out..   don't get me started.

[Sol_y_Paz]

As far as doctor comments mine doesn't bring up weight unless asked directly and last time I did I was told I will gain up to 35 pounds or so but every body is different.  Basically acted like it wasn't a big deal at all.  I am pretty sure it would have never been brought up unless asked directly. 

Edited by Sol_y_Paz - 3/16/12 at 10:47am

[Lizbiz]

My first pregnancy in the US - Neither my ob/gyn nor my midwife ever set up any kind of limit on weight - in fact, they just weighed me and never even mentioned it.  Ever.  Actually, I had a nurse just tell me, "You are just looking great!" as she was weighing me in.  It was so reassuring and WONDERFUL.  My midwife also just said, right at the beginning of care, "We are not going to worry about weight gain.  You'll be fine."  And I don't think we ever talked about it again.  Very freeing! 

My second pregnancy in China - mega focus on weight!  Really strange - I had a doc comment when I came in to start care that, he, "couldn't believe I already had a child because I was in such great shape." - But then when I told him I'd already gained 5 pounds at 9 weeks, he changed his tune FAST.  He lectured me about gaining NO MORE than 20 pounds altogether - any more than that would be very difficult to lose.  I told him I had gained 30 the first time I was pregnant and had lost it all without much ado, and he just said I got lucky.  It was annoying.  Then, every time I would come in, he would comment about how BIG I was getting.  "Well, I'm pregnant - I believe this is what's supposed to be happening!" I eventually discontinued care and went to another doc.  But really, docs here are much more focused on weight, so now I just tend to avoid them full stop ;).  

[ithappened]

interesting lizbiz I have only had children in Europe but the doctors here are very much the same- you should gain no more then 15-20lbs or you're doomed.. its really.. outdated.

[FeralFox]

ithappened - Yikes about the 14 pound thing!  That's what they used to advise in the 1950s.  They also said it was ok to smoke and drink while pregnant back then.  Good grief!

I am living proof that "excessive" weight gain (within reason, of course there is a line) is not a big deal.  I'm 5'6" and was about 145 pounds when I got pregnant with my son.  I gained over 40 pounds with him, and lost it all *plus some more* afterwards.  Two years after having him I was wearing a size 2, which I achieved by eating well and exercising.  So anyone who says you can't lose your baby weight if you gain "too much" is full of $h!t.

[Knitting Mama]

Most, while not all, of the women I know who gained more than 30 lbs during pregnancy also found that it was a lot easier to lose that weight than it was to lose weight gained outside of pregnancy, so keep that in mind, too!

[~Demeter~]

I gained 50 with my first, 50 with my second, 60 with my third, 60 with my fourth, and 45 with my fifth.... The only one I had ANY trouble losing weight from was #4 but my hormonal balance was definitely off after her birth. By 6 mos pp with my first 3 I was back down to 83 pounds (what I naturally weighed... did NOT diet) and in a size 0. At 6 mos pp with #5 I was just going through a big weight jump (as my cycles returned) and shed 20 pounds quite rapidly... then another month or two later I dropped another 10 pounds and leveled out after that around 110-115 before conceiving this baby. I'm assuming that this time around will be quite similar... I'm guessing I'll gain anywhere between 40 and 60 this time around and I'm okay with that. I can not believe there are still doctors out there recommending little weight gain.

[moremadder]

Like FeralFox I had major weight gain and lost it all plus some with my first. I started at 160, gained 60 (I don't even want to think about what that adds up to) and was down to 150 six months postpartum. My OB never said a word about it. I didn't have GD or other complications. And I know my weight gain was all healthy, I still have a spreadsheet of everything I ate to prove it. I was INSANE about my nutrition. Just not about counting calories, LOL. This time around I am more concerned, since I'm 33 and this is my second kid. Might be harder to lose the weight. But I try not to begrudge the baby the food I put in my mouth. Just avoid empty calories as much as I can and hope for the best.

[Veritas Vitae]

Originally Posted by lakeruby 

Wow-- after reading through this I am worried I'm putting on too much weight! My midwife hasn't said anything to me, but I am at 16 weeks and I've gained 12 lbs!! Yikes.  It's just that I'm hungry ALL THE TIME.  I really don't want to end up gaining more than 30 lbs (I am about 5'5" and weighed 135 before pregnancy)-- I don't carry extra weight well.  Not sure what to do about it, though, since I can't see myself eating less. I guess I need to exercise more!  

I wouldn't worry, lakeruby, I'm up 10lbs at 16weeks, but I figure I needed to gain that weight, I worked out 5-6 times a week prior to being pregnant and through the first month, and ate very well (and still mostly eat well), so I figured I was running on the low side and needed to gain the weight to nourish the baby. I'm 5'8" with a medium frame, and started at around 140lbs.  Had I been in training mood (more swimming/running compared to more hybrid sports training), I would've been around 135lbs, and this is very thin on my frame. As long as you're eating well and getting the nutrients you and the baby need, I wouldn't worry about it.

Originally Posted by ~Demeter~ 

I do not understand care providers who announce that you are 'allowed' to gain a certain amount of weight. It's variable for everybody... I'm petite and always gain between 50 and 60 pounds, I'll be damned if someone 'allows' me to gain that amount of weight... or gives me trouble because it's not the usual. My body NEEDS that amount of weight to carry and sustain a healthy pregnancy with a healthy baby at the end.

Originally Posted by ithappened 

Demeter YES! My FIL (a doctor, but also a man who is 55yo going on 15yo) told me I shouldn't gain more then 14lbs MY ENTIRE PREGNANCY he also was the one who asked me how much I had gained the day after birth so he could then proceed to tell me how long it would take to lose.. WTF.

My first OB suggested I not gain more then 20lbs.. It was horrible for me. I eat and exercise and refuse to restrict and my body will gain what it wants. When I went over 30lbs she started to tell me I needed a c-section and was going to get GD.. . Seriously?!   I am not going to diet when pregnant, I refuse to diet even when 'normal' and not pregnant..

People here are insane about the weight thing, it really stresses me out..   don't get me started.

That is crazy to me, especially when speaking to someone who is so naturally thin.

Originally Posted by FeralFox 

ithappened - Yikes about the 14 pound thing!  That's what they used to advise in the 1950s.  They also said it was ok to smoke and drink while pregnant back then.  Good grief!

I am living proof that "excessive" weight gain (within reason, of course there is a line) is not a big deal.  I'm 5'6" and was about 145 pounds when I got pregnant with my son.  I gained over 40 pounds with him, and lost it all *plus some more* afterwards.  Two years after having him I was wearing a size 2, which I achieved by eating well and exercising.  So anyone who says you can't lose your baby weight if you gain "too much" is full of $h!t.

Good to know.

[LilyTiger]

I really think so much of it depends on your body type prepregnancy (as well as other stuff, of course).  I started out slightly overweight (with a lot of muscle) but with a body type that hangs onto weight.  So I'm watching the weight but not being obsessive about it.  But for naturally thin people, it really doesn't make sense to restrict weight gain that way, since you don't have the same fat stores.  Your body tries to put on fat for both gestation AND nursing after, so it's really dumb to tell a thin woman not to gain weight.  Ultimately, it's an individual thing, so doctors with a one-size-fits-all approach are just not doing their jobs well.

[ithappened]

Its interesting, I actually GAINED weight while BFing and my body clung to whatever was left after I gave birth (which was about 5 lbs or so) and it didn't come off at all until I was done BFing. I was not one of those women who BFed and lost weight.. 

I am still not sure if it was fluids/water/fat etc but within a few weeks of DS finishing BFing the 'extra' weight sort of just went away on its own and I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight/size.... I am curious it see if that happens again for me this time but so far my weight gain as been much less 'jumpy' with the twins and more consistent..

This morning at 21w (I think Im 21w anyway? Ive lost track) I am at a 11lb gain. . . I seem to have lost a little over the weekend (stress probably, thanks FIL!)   I wish I was better with my exercise but lately, or really most of this pregnancy, all I have felt like doing is either light skiing or long walks.. hoping tomorrow the downpour stops and I can go out on my bike for an hour or so..

How is everyone else doing?

[LilyTiger]

I'm up 8 pounds at 20 weeks.  And my belly is freaking gigantic.  I feel like it's weird for it to be so big already, especially since some of the ladies on the boards don't have much of a belly at all yet.  Weird.  But at least I know it's not all fat -- my boobs are huge too (yay!  I'm usually a large A or a small B, so this is awesome) and I'm not gaining weight on other parts of the body yet, so it must still be mostly blood/fluid/baby.

[ithappened]

sounds like me lilytiger my stomach is so big now DH actually laughs when he sees me sometimes

[NewMumJoy]

At last week's doctor appt (@20wks) I weighed in up 15 lbs (I started out at 105 lbs pre-pregnancy).  I'm looking quite huge these days - all belly, and boobs!  My DH also has a chuckle when he sees me, esp. since he travels for a week at a time so he really notices the growth.  I still feel pretty good and can get around despite myself..... although I worry more and more what I'll be like in a few months!!

[sallyrae17]

Originally Posted by LilyTiger 

I'm up 8 pounds at 20 weeks.  And my belly is freaking gigantic.  I feel like it's weird for it to be so big already, especially since some of the ladies on the boards don't have much of a belly at all yet.  Weird.  But at least I know it's not all fat -- my boobs are huge too (yay!  I'm usually a large A or a small B, so this is awesome) and I'm not gaining weight on other parts of the body yet, so it must still be mostly blood/fluid/baby.

Just wait. You think you are big now... I was just looking at photos from my last pregnancy and I can't believe how big my belly was at the end. My god. How in the world did that thing go back to normal again? It was like a gigantic shelf. You are only half way to your full belly size! :)

[Ninetales]

I didn't quite gain 3 lbs last month, so my total so far is a hair under 10 lbs, which I'm more than pleased with.  Baby is measuring at about a pound, though, which is a little big.  As I told the doctor, don't look at me.  Obviously I'm doing something right.

[hippiekangaroo]

I started out pre-pregnant at 100lb which is the weight I have been for half of my life.  I hit that mark in HS when I was crazy active with sports and stuff and in the past 16 years since becoming a lot more sedentary I've maybe fluctuated up 5 pounds so I guess that is just really where my body's setpoint is on weight no matter how much/little I eat and no matter how much/little I exercise.   I was worried how my body would respond to pregnancy and how difficult it would be for me to gain weight and the CNM said she'd be happy if I gained at least 10 pounds.  I was surprised to hear this because that barely covers the weight of baby/placenta/breast tissue/extra maternal blood volume/amniotic fluid.  But hey, she's the expert.

I'm at 20w and I've gained 9 pounds.  And according to my u/s this morning, baby is tracking perfectly in size for this point. 

Now I'm worried just how much I'll gain and if I'll ever lose it!

[ithappened]

How in the world did that thing go back to normal again? It was like a gigantic shelf. You are only half way to your full belly size! :)

HAHAHHA yes. So true for me as well. I was SO big with DS by somewhere in the 20-30w range women asked me if I was having multiples and if my due date was this week.. not kidding.