Weight gain! « Back to Group Discussions

[AnnaBarr]

How is everyone doing on the weight gain?  I noticed a few mamas mentioning having some trouble gaining, and thought maybe we could talk more about that.  I haven't been gaining much, although my Midwives aren't worried just keeping an eye on it.  However, too much and not enough weight gain has been linked to preterm labor, which I've been having issue with (I'm on bed rest), so I want to be careful about gaining enough that I'm not irritating the situation!  I gained over 60lbs with each of my other two pregnancies (11 and 8.5 years ago), so it seems so odd that I'm the opposite this time.  Hopefully it'll pick up.

I'm 24w1d and have gained 11lbs!  Which is great because when I was in last time at 21w (ish) I had only gained 5 lbs!  So I'm real glad it's picking up, and I'm finally feeling that pregnancy hunger, which is especially exciting as I struggled with severe nausea for the first 16 weeks, it's great to WANT to eat now!  (Why can't this pregnancy be simple?)

I really believe that if you listen to your body and make good, whole food choices you will gain what you need to, but I've gotten to a place where I'm wavering in that opinion, and maybe that opinion of my body in general.  It's just not working right this time.  :(

How about everyone else?  Gaining like you want to?

[josie423]

I'm 25+5 and have gained around 5 lbs. I started this pregnancy 20 lbs above my normal weight and then at 13 weeks cut grains out of my diet and added in a lot more whole foods. I think that's why I've hardly gained. My m/w is not worried either. I gained 45-55 lbs in all my other pregnancies, so this is new to me! 

[odinsmama]

Yes, finally!

this is also the first pregnancy I've struggled with gaining (first 2 I gained NO problem!).  Also wasn't having that awesome pregnancy appetite like I did with the first 2.

However I had cut out all wheat for 6 weeks (for other health issues) and was just totally stuck at 101 lbs (a 9 lb gain from pre-preg) up until 24 (???) weeks, I think.  Started eating wheat again and now I'm 27w2d and 109lbs.  woohoo!  Eating wheat again has also increased my appetite, so I'm happy about that.

Fortunately eating wheat again has not had any negative effects on my other health issues, so I'll keep it up and will probably consider cutting it out again some time in the future (everyone in our house just had more energy and the kids seemed less crazy with their energy).

I also try to listen to what my body is craving, within reason.  Haven't had any super strong cravings, really, but will find myself eating potatoes for several days straight or (safe) fish for several days.  

[loveandgarbage]

I struggled to gain at first, but have now caught up. I started at 112, went down to about 105 with MS (yuck!), then finally gained during the 4th and 5th month. At my last weigh-in I was 135 at 27 weeks. If I keep gaining in this pattern (10 lbs a month) I'll have gained 55 lbs which is sort of surprising given my slow start.

[Chloe'sMama]

I have gained 15 as of this morning at 27+1.  I think that is fine for me.  I started out this pregnancy about 10 lbs heavier than my 'ideal' weight.  I want to gain right around 30 this pregnancy, which is just about what i will weigh if I gain 1 lb a week from here out.

[LadyCatherine185]

I'm 27+3 and I have gained around 12 pounds. I didn't gain anything the first 20ish weeks, due to morning sickness, so that is why I haven't gained much. Started out at 122, and now up to about 134.. I was worried I would gain a lot of weight this pregnancy, considering just in the last year I lost 30 lbs. I started DS2's pregnancy out at 150 lbs, got back to 150 in about 2 weeks after his birth, and then last summer started losing weight. It took me about 7 months and I lost 30 lbs.. from diet changes and walking/being more active. I have not been able to keep up with exercising (first due to morning sickness, then sciatica, and now having round ligament (?) issues where my belly feels so HEAVY and I feel like I have strained a muscle if I am too active) and I haven't been eating great, so I thought for sure I would be gaining a ton of weight.... I would be happy with a 30ish pound weight gain, that is what I gained with my first two and it came off easily (of course I started out weighing a lot more then, so it may not come off as easy this time!).... My body does not seem to do well with a lot of weight on it, so I am hoping to keep the weight gain to a minimum. I am eating to hunger, though, and very thankful I haven't seen the numbers go where I would expect by what I am eating!

[MaybeJ]

I'm 26 w 3 d and I've gained 20 lbs.  I don't remember how much I had gained at this point last pregnancy but I gained between 35 - 40 lbs total last time.

[etsdtm99]

i am 26.5 weeks and have gained.... 28lbs!!  not terribly happy about this, but i don't feel like there is anything i can do either..  this is only a little above normal for me and i started below my normal pre-pg weight by a little bit..  so i'm at the same weight i would normally be at.. its just not a good feeling when i look at the scale.. i also gained pretty much all of this from 12 wks til now.. i didn't really gain anything in the first trimester..  ugh
 

[Teles]

As of my last appointment (at 24 weeks), I had gained a total of 17.5lbs. I guess that's normal, but 10lbs of it came between 22 and 26 weeks, so it was really shocking.

I have absolutely no idea how much heavier I will be at my next appointment in a week, but I've honestly stopped trying to guess. I have a scale at home but it's not very accurate so I don't bother with it. I'm assuming at this point that I'm going to have about 30-35lbs gained in this pregnancy.
 

Edited by Teles - 11/10/12 at 6:17am

[buko]

For me, personally, with my eating disorder history, declining to be weighed has been just about the most freeing thing in the world for me-- like a big gift I have given myself. I'm sure most people wouldn't let the numbers make them totally crazy, but they would me!

I can tell that I haven't gained much except baby (belly) weight by the way my pants fit around my hips, etc., and how many ribs I can see (that sounds weird-- I'm not skinny, I just have prominent ribs). Well, and I've gained some in my boobs, too, but only 1-2 cup sizes. By photos, I can't see much difference in my face, either, and that's one of the places you can usually see weight gain on me. It makes a certain amount of sense that I probably haven't gained a ton, as I've been eating the same or a little less (more stable mood = less overeating) during pregnancy and exercising more. (Though I know hormones make that a crapshoot in pregnancy.)

No clue as to the number on the scale, though, and for me, that's a good thing.

ETA: I mentioned this thread to DH and he agreed that I've actually probably lost a tiny bit of fat over the course of the pregnancy, as he can see I'm slimmer in my arms/shoulders/etc. (He's totally in love with my body, so it's not like a weird controlling thing that he notices those kinds of details-- he used to bodybuild and works at a gym now, so he's just observant in that way.)

Bottom line-- even though I'm trying not to obsess, concentrating more on nutrition and exercise, and doing a fairly good job of that... I admit I am glad that I don't seem to gaining a lot of "extra" weight. I mean, I realize that some of THAT is just a genetic/hormonal lottery. But some of it, for me, has always been NOT focusing on my weight/fat percentage/etc.-- the less I worry about it, the healthier (and thinner, FWIW) I always am.
Edited by buko - 11/10/12 at 1:10pm

[Jenny01]

I'm at 35lbs I think at 26 weeks. I'd like to stay under 50 total that's really my only goal at this point lol! Not too concerned either way though since this is my first and I had some really crazy hunger hormones in the first trimester.

[kellybeth]

same here, i have no idea how much i have gained. it makes me feel much better this way. i eat & snack healthy, organic and whole foods, so even if i have gained a lot, i know i'm doing it right.

[Gray's Mommy]

I've gained 20 at 26 weeks and I'm not happy about it. I normally gain 25-30 so, it's really not that bad. I just haven't been taking good care of me this pregnancy. Poor food choices = too much weight gain. I'm curbing back the carbs/sugar and going for more protein this next month.

[HouseofPeace]

30lb at almost 27 weeks- this has been a heavy week.  i haven't been eating more.  i've been walking daily.  and yup, the scale has bumped me up to 160.  i wonder how much my colostrum weighs, cause i've got a lot of that that came in this week and started leaking a bit.  otherwise, the rest is in my butt and thighs- belly isn't that big.  oh well.  i can't exactly stop eating junk food, as i don't eat junk food at all, or go lower carb, as i'm pretty low carb as is, leaving me with, well, eating enough for me and baby!  

yesterday was apple and a small piece of cheese for breakfast, and a chicken salad for lunch, and then butternut squash for dinner.  i wasn't very hungry.  and today was eggs and sausage (homemade) and greens for late breakfast, and then a 2 hour walk.  

thankfully, i wake up feeling pretty good, and my muscles and flexibility are still good, just heavy.  

oh well!    it's lunchtime!

[Teles]

Okay, I'm officially just getting fat now.

I just weighed myself with my home scale and I've gained another 10lbs this month. My normal jeans are getting tight in the legs, I'm starting to notice a little soft layer on the underside of my belly, my arms are noticeably chubbier.

27.5lbs at 27.5 weeks. There's no way that's just baby :(

[AnnaBarr]

Some people just gain a lot though.  With my first pregnancy I gained well over 60 lbs. eating insanely healthy.  It was not just baby, I got chunky in my face, butt, legs and arms.  But I lost it all by 6 months without even trying.  It's just what my body needed.

[HouseofPeace]

Originally Posted by AnnaBarr 

Some people just gain a lot though.  With my first pregnancy I gained well over 60 lbs. eating insanely healthy.  It was not just baby, I got chunky in my face, butt, legs and arms.  But I lost it all by 6 months without even trying.  It's just what my body needed.

it's true- i always drop all the weight really rapidly, no matter how pudgy i get.  i didn't weigh myself except at the very end w/ my last 2 b/c i saw my midwife weekly.  but this pregnancy have weighed myself more b/c i don't have any prenatal care, and want to document it all accurately.  i shouldn't be doing it!  hate the scale.  whereas, i can walk for hours and hours every day, no pain, and feel great!  just padded....  but even that doesn't bother me except for when i see the scale numbers.  so i should stop weighing, or learn to let it all slide a little better.  it's amazing how trained we are to think that the scale is RIGHT and that if the scale doesn't tell us what we want, that we are doing something wrong!

i've also stayed strong and healthy and walked 2 miles a day up until the day of giving birth with all my pregnancies (oh yes, i'm terrifying to store clerks, especially teenage girls), so obviously my body is doing what it needs to do.  i need to give it the trust that it has certainly earned by now!!!

[loveandgarbage]

I know a changing body is hard to deal with, but what you gain during pregnancy isn't supposed to be just baby! Our bodies need fat stores to nurse. If I only put on 10 lbs or so during pregnancy I'd be emaciated by 6 weeks pp. Just something to think about. For most women nursing helps get the weight off, too. Even with my 65 lb weight gain I was back to within 10 lbs by 6 months, then was back to my normal range by 9 months.

[loveandgarbage]

I also want to be sensitive to those who can't or will not be nursing-- I just mean that as mammals our bodies are preparing to make milk during pregnancy.

HouseofPeace, with DS2 I walked 2-5 miles everyday up until I gave birth and I think it helped me be in great shape for labor and postpartum. I was surprised that I gained as much as I did with that pregnancy, but it made me realize that my body just needed to add at least 40 lbs.

[sweetestday]

I got huge with baby #4. I had lost it all by 6 months, though. So far the longest it's taken me to lose is 9 months. I eat all the time. I'm hungry all the time. It gets worse after the baby is born because of nursing, but somehow it comes off. I've gained over 30lbs already.