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much less weight gain = smaller baby?

2K views 24 replies 16 participants last post by  blessedwithboys 
#1 ·
I am hoping to hear some anecdotal experiences here! I am sure I am not the only one who has always gained a lot with my pgs (and had big babies). I didn't eat terrible at all but didn't pay much attention or deprive myself. I ate very healthy 80-90% of the time but often ate a lot. LOL I gained at least 50+ lbs with all my pgs although a lot at the end was water weight as well.

This time around after my last baby being an ounce short of 10 lbs, I am taking a stand against my bad habits and paying close attention to what I'm actually eating. I am using babyfit to monitor what I am actually putting in my mouth. I've always gained even in the first trimester because I get so nauseated and eat to feel better even for a short time. I have always been active and this has not affected my babies' birthweights.

I am almost 9 weeks and thrilled to report I am down 4 lbs...I am eating very healthy and avoiding junk food and sugar except for a very occasional (small) indulgence. I am sure I lost a little muscle as well as I was on modified bedrest for a few weeks. But I am finally on top of things and feel like I am doing really well! My nausea is still there but surprisingly isn't worse with eating better and less.

It might be important to know that I am a healthy weight for height and always lose what I gain, even if it takes quite a few months.

SOOOO after all of that history I would like to ask if anyone here has gained much less with a subsequent pregnancy by eating more carefully and had a much smaller baby??

With the complications I have had in the past I would like to make a go at changing it and hopefully having an easier birth. I suppose you can teach an old dog new tricks! LOL
 
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#2 ·
I considered not posting, but....

Let me start by saying that I am overweight, about 240 pounds.

My first pregnancy I gained less then ten pounds, but had a 9 pounder- though I did have GD, but managed it with diet until the last two weeks.

This pregnancy, I'm at nearly 30 weeks and have just broken my prepregnancy weight, I have GD again so I don't know how big this one is yet.
 
#3 ·
I'm curious to hear others' experiences as well. I am a lower than average weight for my height. I gained 65 lbs with DS1 who was 11lbs 14oz and gained 40-45 (can't remember) with DS2 who was 8lbs 1oz. I ate the same diet with both, mostly healthy vegetarian however I indulged my sweet tooth quite often-- but I felt MUCH hungrier with DS1 from the start and therefore ate more. This time around (I'm now 18 weeks) I've barely gained a pound whereas with my other pregnancies I was already up 20 or 10, respectively. So I'm curious if this means I'm having a little 6 or 7 pounder!

Just a question to the OP, do you think overeating is to blame for a larger baby? Everyone's experience is different, but with DS1 I felt SO MUCH hungrier than I ever had in my life and therefore ate more because my body demanded it. That wasn't the case with DS2 or with this current pregnancy. Do you think your body just needs the extra calories, or are you stuffing yourself to the point of being uncomfortable?
 
#4 ·
I overate a lot in my four other pregnancies. Not always healthy food either. I gained 45-55 with all of them and my babies were 7lbs 11oz - 6lbs 5oz. So for me personally, high weight gain does not equal a big baby. This pregnancy I am grain-free and paying much more attention to what I eat. I started this pregnancy 14lbs higher than my last and now at almost 17 weeks am right around my starting weight and am lighter than I was at the same point with my last baby.. (I gained 20 lbs by 20 weeks with him!) I am very curious how big this baby will be. My last two were 6lbs 5oz, I don't need them to get any smaller!!
 
#5 ·
For background, I am a healthy weight/BMI to start off. With my 2nd, I gained about 50lbs and had a 9lb 8oz baby. With my 3rd, I gained 26lbs and had a 9lb 5oz baby. I started both pregnancies at very similar weights. This time, I have gained just 20lbs (@38w) starting from the same weight as the previous two. This baby is looking like it might be a bit smaller, but only time will tell. I do have a GD diagnosis this time, but it is well and easily controlled with diet. IF the baby is smaller, I have to credit the GD diet as it really has changed my eating habits. My weight gain also pretty much stopped when I started it.
 
#7 ·
I have varied widely. My best pg was my first, I didn't eat that much, was very active, gained 19lbs and she was 6.13. That also was the only pg where I was not sick or have severe food aversions.
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She was a 38 weeker.

With DD2, I had normal morning sickness, but severe limitations on what I could eat. I also stopped weighing myself so I have no idea from this pg on, what actual weight I gained but I have a good guess. She was 6.11 and I think I gained about 35 lbs. Obviously all the extra weight just went to my butt then her. Another baby born at 38 weeks as well.

With DS1, I ate crap, the entire pg. I gained about 45 lbs, he was 40 weeks and 8lbs 13ozs.

DS2 I ate crap again, a lot of it. Probably close to 45lb weight gain, if not more. He was 7.12. I don't doubt he was on track to be DS1's size had he not decided to come at 38 weeks exactly.
 
#8 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by loveandgarbage View Post

Just a question to the OP, do you think overeating is to blame for a larger baby? Everyone's experience is different, but with DS1 I felt SO MUCH hungrier than I ever had in my life and therefore ate more because my body demanded it. That wasn't the case with DS2 or with this current pregnancy. Do you think your body just needs the extra calories, or are you stuffing yourself to the point of being uncomfortable?
I'm not entirely sure, but I now that I am actually paying attention to calories, carbs, etc. I can see that I was overeating. I was always sooo hungry despite that but I think I was overindulging in carbs and sometimes sugar/fat which seemed to make me even more hungry. I had such a big butt! LOL so I know it sure didn't all go to baby! I really tried to eat healthy much of the time but I think I didn't realise where I was sneaking in too much because of hunger. My metabolism slows down or something while pg because I can eat what I want just about when I am not pg and still stay a healthy weight fairly easily. When I'm pg I LOOK at a donut and gain a lb! I had a ton of water weight at the end as well but I wonder if that too could be magnified by the extra weight itself? I go late which I know makes a difference in weight (they've all been 1-2 weeks past my dd), but often near the end I would stop weighing myself and give in to cravings more because I felt I deserved it waiting so long!

With the m/s I never vomited but I have nasty 24/7 nausea that seems to only feel better when I am actually eating. Therefore I would nibble constantly and still feel terrible. Eating less I feel gross still but not worse and at least not overfull. So it really hasn't been bad. Every other pg I have gained 12+ lbs in the first trimester so that is where I am trying to start the change. I know baby doesn't need it at that point and that I don't need extra calories in the first trimester so I have finally leveled with myself that even though I was coping as best as I could at the time, it was too much.

I have always been someone who has gained a lot and had healthy pgs and babies (albeit big) but very long difficult labours. Now I don't know if this change will impact weight and/or my delivery but I know it is better for mine and baby's health. I don't eat perfectly all the time but if I want a treat it is a SMALL one. I am just realising that I need to keep track of these things or it will get out of control, and just because I maintain a healthy weight and am slim outside of pg doesn't mean that is a good idea to continue while pg. It is probably worse because I am not used to needing self control normally! LOL

Honestly I have told myself all these years that it is just how I gain and there's nothing I can do about it but I think that was the easy way for me to avoid facing it head on and taking a harder look at what i am taking in.
 
#9 ·
I gained 15 lbs with DD and at 42 weeks she was 7 lbs 14 oz. with DS I gained 50 lbs and he was 6 lbs 4 oz at 37 weeks. This pregnancy I gained 12 lbs and at 38+5 baby is not here do we will see.
 
#10 ·
I gained 60 lbs with my first, he was 9.15 (42weeks). I was cautioned to gain less with the next one to increase my chances of VBAC. I gained 45 lbs, and he was 9.6 (40weeks). So in my opinion, it makes not a stitch of difference.

ETA: I started each pregnancy at a healthy weight, and had no GD. Also, the VBAC was not a success, but I think it was more due to malpresentation than size. But who knows.
 
#11 ·
Let me start by saying that Im only 5' tall. I gained 27 lbs with DD, and she was 6 lbs 8 oz. I gained 10 lbs with DS and he was 7 lbs even. He weighed more than she did with 17 lbs less weight gain! With her I ate crap. I used pregnancy as an excuse to eat anything I wanted- A box of poptarts, candy bars, whole boxes of macaroni and cheese, etc- all in front of the tv. With DS, I still ate about 2500 calories a day, but it was in much healthier doses. Plus, I stayed way more active. This time around Im pg with twins, and I am struggling to eat enough to gain. I'm eating at least 3000 calories every day and still have only gained a total of 8 lbs, at 18 weeks. My goal was 20# by 20 weeks, not going to happen. I've eaten so much healthy food though, and I've been eating a ton of protein every day (Ok, so I did eat almost a whole box of lucky charms yesterday....).

At any rate- in my experience, baby's dont weigh any more just because you gain a whole bunch of weight, but you sure do have a bunch more to lose when it's over :)
 
#12 ·
I don't think it makes that much of a difference unless you are talking about the extremes of hugely overeating or drastically undereating KWIM?

I started both pregnancies at a healthy weight, although 5-10 pounds heavier with the second one. I gained about 40 pounds with dd, she was 8 lb 9 oz at 41 weeks. I gained closer to 50 lb with ds, he was 9 lb 2 oz at 39 weeks. My sister also had big babies (between 9 and 10 lb) and I don't think she gained above the "normal" range of weight. A friend who is just about my size gained a very similar amount of weight for all her babies and they were all in the 6.5-7.5 lb weight range. I think it has more to do with your genetics and the baby's :)
 
#14 ·
Has anyone seen this interesting study?

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/76/1/205.full

Variation in newborn size according to pregnancy weight change by trimester

It concluded that the newborn size was influenced more by first trimester weight change than in 2nd or 3rd trimesters. That would be a great sign for me.
 
#17 ·
I wonder if we could try something different...could you ladies share what you gained in the first trimester, and what baby's birthweight was? I gained about a lb a week even in my first trimesters with my previous pgs, and obviously my babies were all big: 8lb 9oz, 9lbs 3oz, 9 lbs13 oz, 9 lbs 7 oz, 9 lbs 15 oz.

The study I was looking at compared losing weight in the first trimester to women who gained more than average and the latter babies weighed 7 oz more on average. That may not sound like much but it does to me when I consider my babies' weights! ;)
 
#21 ·
I don't think weight gain has anything to do with baby size. i gained a LOT of weight with DS, didn't weight myself at the end but i would guess it was about 60 pounds. He was born 6.9 pounds. my mom also gained 60 pounds with my sister who was 6.3 pounds and only 30 lbs with me, and i was 7.14 ounces.

even though small babies run in my and DH's family, i was surprised DS was only 6.9. but looking back, even though i gained a lot, i did not have a big appetite at all. in the first trimester i probably didn't eat enough!
 
#24 ·
I usually don't gain much if any (DD1 and this one I start out the second trimester less than PP weight).

DD1- 40 lb gain total- 10 lbs, 5 oz baby

DD2- 22 lb gain total- 9 lbs, 12 oz baby

I have gained 3-5 lbs at almost 19 weeks and I am interested in seeing how much this baby BOY weighs.
 
#25 ·
I gained 80lbs the first time and had an 8lb13oz baby and then 10 yrs later I had hyperemesis with ds2 and gained ZERO lbs, I literally lost weight through the whole pg and gave birth lighter than when I conceived. Ds2 was 9lb0.5oz. Probaby not what you wanted to hear haha
 
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