Weight loss during pregnancy?

[Papai]

Hi all,

It's been a while since I posted here. Last time I was really active was 5 years ago when my wife and I were expecting our first baby. Well now, we're in for round 2! My wife is 3 months pregnant and we're expecting the little one to arrive sometime in July.

But here's the catch: My wife never really shed the weight she gained from baby number 1.

She's WAY above what she was in college when we first met and the OBGYN was concerned about her weight gain during the first pregnancy as she gained around 50 pounds with baby number one. So I worry about her adding ANOTHER 50 pounds with baby number 2.

I've been encouraging her to make better eating habits and to exercise more, but there's really not much I can do besides try to encourage and motivate her.

Is it safe to even try to lose weight during pregnancy or should we just worry about this post-baby? Are there things that you tried that worked for you?

I fear a significant weight gain could turn this into a more high-risk pregnancy if she develops gestational diabetes or other things.

Am I wrong to be worried?

[naiystar]

This can be a very very very touchy subject at this time. If your schedule permits, I suggest you do some healthy cooking a few nights a week, and exercise together. But whatever you do, don't nag her about it.

[shesaidboom]

I would definitely not focus on LOSING weight, but instead focus on eating healthy and developing an exercise schedule, and not gaining much more than recommended if you can help it. I'm a bigger woman, pregnant with my first, and this is what my goal is for my pregnancy. If you can carry out a plan together that would be even better. Here's what we do in my house..

-Plan healthy meals and eat as a family.

-Have LOTS of healthy snack options around as pregnant women can get hungry, often. I cut up our veggies and some of our fruit after our weekly shopping trip so everything is ready to go when I need something quick to grab. When I'm feeling nauseous and hungry, the last thing I want to do is prepare an elaborate snack. My favourite snack is veggies with homemade humus or greek yogurt since it adds a bit of a protein kick.

-My husband loves junk food so he keeps a small stash in the house, but he mostly gets his fast food kick during work lunches so I don't have to see him eat it. If you are the same way, try to keep it out of the house.

-Go for an evening walk together. It can be as short as 1/2 hour and is great exercise while pregnant and isn't intense so it's easy to do. Right now I'm dealing with a lot of morning sickness so I haven't wanted to do much more.

-I switched up my usual yoga routine for one that is more pregnancy safe. Starting a light one may work for her since the stretching feels wonderful and I'm sure will help later in pregnancy.

I wouldn't push it since I'm sure she may already be feeling self-conscious about her newly pregnant body. I'm sure nobody wants her to be stressing about it, and even though your intentions are good, it's still never a nice thing to hear. The best way to get her on board would be to get on board yourself. Making a change as a family is the best way to make it work.

[Papai]

Thanks, ladies. I try my best to encourage her to be active and eat healthy. We've been starting with walks but she's not so gung ho about eating healthier. I eat a decent amount of steamed veggies and she frowns her nose at that. LOL

[LilyTiger]

Would she be the kind of person who might be willing to read more about why weight control and diet during pregnancy is so important?  There has been a lot of peer-reviewed research in recent years that suggests that maternal diet, weight, and activity level during pregnancy helps "set" the metabolism of the baby.  It is much more likely that you'll have an active healthy baby if mom is active and healthy too.  Even modest weight loss (in the case of pregnancy, not gaining much weight rather than actual loss) can help reduce the risk of childhood obesity and perhaps even diabetes and cardiovascular issues later in life. 

Sometimes moms need to have things put into the context of why it's good for baby rather than why it's good for them.  It's too bad that that's the case, but it might be one way to approach the issue.  It also might be a more concrete argument for why weight control and proper diet in pregnancy is so important rather than just the generic "weight loss is good" arguments.