Womb to Bloom - Maternity & Beyond

Weight gain is a very touchy topic for a lot of pregnant women. For one thing you can’t avoid it, to have a healthy pregnancy you are going to have to gain some weight. For another, many women know that they are gaining more weight than they should, yet feel justified in it. So where is the happy median? That point where you are gaining enough for your baby to be healthy but not enough for you to be unhealthy? Well, that’s what we’re going to look at. We are going to take a hard and realistic look at pregnancy weight gain, and look at a few ways to avoid taking it over the top.

The first thing that we need to know is how much is too much. And the honest answer to that question is that it depends on the woman. The average healthy weight gain is going to be somewhere around 25 pounds. But that is for an average woman who is at a healthy weight. Doctor’s are now saying that women who are overweight when they get pregnant need to gain less than that, while women who are underweight may need to gain a bit more. The best way to find out your ideal weight range is to talk to your doctor. Then listen to what they say and take it to heart. But generally speaking if you have gained over 35 to 40 pounds then you probably need to start doing something differently.

See the mistake that many women make is that they believe that old saying about eating for two. As soon as they find out they are pregnant they quite counting calories and through healthy eating right out the window. In their minds it is okay to eat anything that they want because they are pregnant. The problem with this mind set is that it couldn’t be further from the truth! In reality you only need about 200 – 300 extra calories a day during your pregnancy. That’s about as much as is in a glass of whole milk, or in 2 ounces of almonds. As in, it’s not that much food!

If anything you need to be that much more careful about what you eat while you are pregnant. Think about it this way. Imagine holding your newborn baby in your arms. Now, can you imagine feeding that sweet baby a pan of brownies for dinner every night? I’m guessing probably not! But that’s exactly what you’re doing when you’re pregnant. So if you are living on fast food and brownies, then guess what your baby’s having for dinner? And this is at the most crucial part of their development, a time when you want them to have the best of the best. So give it to them! You’re the only one who can.

Now, I’m not saying that you can’t indulge yourself every now and then, just don’t make it the main portion of your diet. Instead try to fill your fridge with nutritious healthy snacks that are good for both you and your baby. The easiest way to outline what you should eat, is to have you think about your local supermarket. You know how the outside edge has all the fresh things like meat, veggies, dairy, and fruit? Well, that’s where you need to stay! Imagine that outside lane like a track, and then stay on it! The more you can avoid anything that is displayed in one of the middle aisles, the better.

The next thing that you need to do is get moving. Pregnancy is not an excuse to suddenly live a sedentary life style. Here again, now more than ever you need your body to be strong, to carry your baby, to deliver your baby, and to heal when the work is done. Make a point everyday to get some exercise in. I don’t care if you walk to the mailbox and back; just do something! Yes, there are activities that you need to avoid while pregnant, but there are also many that are not only safe, they are beneficial as well. Swimming is a great example of this. Many women report that they loved swimming while pregnant because it was the one time when they didn’t feel the extra weight weighing them down. Try some water aerobics or just walk back and forth across the shallow end of the pool.

And if you see that scale jumping up faster than you think it needs to, talk to your doctor about it. They can tell you right away if you’re in the normal range or if you need to do some things differently. But you have to be honest with them. Here’s an example. At my very last doctor’s appointment before I had my daughter, I struck up a conversation with another lady in the waiting room. She looked about ready to pop, and I asked here when she was due. Well, as it turns out, she was only about 6 ½ months pregnant, but was already far larger than I was. When she asked my due date she got very upset. She admitted that her weight gain was out of control and that the doctor was concerned about it. She also said that he kept asking her about her diet. She assured me (I was just listening at this point because it seemed that she needed to vent.) that she was maintaining a very strict and healthy diet…..well, except for the little fact that she was cooking and eating an entire pan of brownies every night.

I am not kidding! And she hadn’t told the doctor this little tidbit. Ladies, your doctor can’t help you if you aren’t honest with them. You have to tell them the truth. That, and it’s never a good idea to eat an entire batch of brownies, let alone eat one every day. Remember, everything in moderation!

At the end of the day keeping your pregnancy weight gain under control will be a huge benefit to you. You will feel better, both physically and mentally, and you will be healthier. And isn’t that what this is all about, being healthy? After all when you have that active little three year old running around the play ground do you want to be able to play with them, or be stuck on the side lines because you can’t keep up? Think about it. You’re worth it, and so is your baby!