Average Weight Gain

[Timber99]

Okay, okay, I know that you aren't supposed to ask this or compare yourself to others, but I wondered what the average weight gain is for those that exercise throughout their pregnancy. I'd imagine that this might be a little different that what you read in books or hear from your doctor because I think that takes into account no, or very little, exercise.

Thoughts?

Christine

 

[melimcn]

I gained 25 with my first, and 32 with my second.
Both pregnancies I worked out hard till the very end, and my diet was the same.

Sometimes, your body is just going to do what it's going to do.

I CAN say, though, that staying fit throughout and getting right back into it after delivery will take it all off quickly!
With both kids, I was back to my pre-preg weight by 6 weeks.
Shape took a little longer after #2, but by 10 weeks, all was normal again.

 

[melmeadows]

Hey,

Well I am at 25 weeks and so far I have gained about 10 lbs, including eating poorly this past Thanksgiving weekend. I think I am doing okay so far, hoping to keep the wt gain b/w 25-30lbs total. But we'll see. Mostly I am just focusing on eating healthy most days and working out when I can.
Melanie

 

[melmeadows]

Oh! I meant to add in. That the build and height of your body makes a difference also. I am short (5'3") and you can really tell I am pregnant! However, a close friend of mine gained almost 70lbs (she is 5'7") and the week after her pregnancy she was wearing her pre-preggers clothes!
Mel

 

[wastewitch]

I am in week 31 and have gained 27 pounds as of my check-up last week. Most of that came in the last 2 months. I had hoped to only gain about 30 but looks like that's not going to happen! The crazy thing is my belly isn't as big as other women at this stage and the rest of me looks the same mostly. Must be all boobs, LOL!

I know 2 women whose bellies got huge, recently delivered 2-3 weeks early, and birthed healthy 6 pound boys. So I don't think there's any rhyme or reason to it.

 

[Timber99]

I'm in week 21 and I have gained about 12 pounds. It feels like a lot probably because my clothes don't fit at all anymore. I guess at this point they probably are not supposed to, but I know that my eating has not been perfect at all.

It's tough for a formerly overweight person to gain weight and not worry about taking it off later

 

[melimcn]

You have to remember to think about your weight gain practically while pregnant.
I also counted EVERY pound through both pregs and tried to be very careful. Again, some of it you just can't control no matter how hard you try.

(I'm not going to tell you to just enjoy making a healthy baby. I hated every lb I gained and hated being pregnant! LOL!)

Keep in mind that once you deliver, you'll drop about 15lbs in the hospital. It's baby, fluid and other "stuff". Over the next 3-4 weeks after that, you'll drop another 5 (at minimum) in more water. So it's stuff beyond that that you'll need to "take off". If you don't go crazy with eating high fat, terrible food every day, you'll be fine.

I found this very helpful while tracking my #s. Hopefully you will too:

•Baby - most babies pack on roughly 6-9 pounds (though some will weigh as much as 10 or more!).
•Placenta - the placenta generally weighs in at 1-2 pounds.
•Amniotic fluid - the amniotic fluid generally comprises 1-2 pounds of extra weight.
•Uterus - the uterus grows and expands to roughly 2 pounds.
•Breast tissue - most women's breasts add 1-2 pounds of weight during pregnancy.
•Blood volume - a woman's blood volume adds an additional 2 pounds of weight gain during pregnancy.
•Fluid - Women's bodies generally retain as much as 4-5 pounds of fluid during pregnancy.
•Maternal fat stores - your body stores roughly 7 pounds of added fat to help nourish your baby and provide you the energy necessary to breastfeed after pregnancy.

 

[wonderwoman]

Hi Everybody,

Just thought I stick my 2 cents in here Good luck to all of you new mommies wishing you a wonderful and healthy pregnancy!

Timber99- I have never been an overweight person and worried about the weight too coming off after I had my baby so I know your worries.

I had my baby July 25 2010. She weighed 8lb 6oz 20.5 in. She just made 4 months.

I am 5'2 and gained a total of 40lbs. I ate pretty healthy not as healthy as I normally do I gave myself some slack. I tried to work out as often as I could and I did 4-5 days a week consistently until I was about 5/6 months but then I couldnt anymore because my back was really bad.

After my 6 week check up I lost 20 of the 40lbs and then I've been having to work to lose the last 20 and I have 7 pounds to go.

I think every woman's body responds differently to pregnancy. I started to workout and went back to my diet 3 weeks postpartum but didnt begin to lose weight until I was 8 weeks postpartum. I think my body was still in pregnancy mode which is why I didnt lose any weight right away and I didnt breast feed.


Hope this was hopeful
Good luck to everyone!

 

[Fit_mommy]

My son is 5 years old now but I wanted to share my experience...

I gained 35-40 pounds when I was pregnant with him. It was more then I had hoped for but I also admit to letting my eating get a bit out of control at times too. About 15 of it came off immediately with his birth. The last 10 pounds were the toughest to get rid of and took the longest too!

I worked out as often as possible while I was pregnant....I was exhausted in the first trimester but managed a work out about every other day. Thru the next 2 trimesters I was able to ramp it back up to 6 days per week until he was born.

I waited 6 weeks PP to work out again except for walking as advised by my doctor.

It ended up taking me until I was 9 months PP to lose what took me 9 months to gain and I was okay with that.

In the end I lost a few extra pounds, was leaner and had a nicer shape then I did pre-pregnancy! Who can argue with that!?!?! I owe it all to Cathe because I discovered her work outs when I was 3 or 4 months pregnant and worked out with her thru the entire rest of the pregnancy and beyond!

I also have to give props to a former fellow Catheite as she helped me out A LOT while I was losing the weight! She helped me immensely with the diet end of things!

 

[112toGuru]

...

It ended up taking me until I was 9 months PP to lose what took me 9 months to gain and I was okay with that...

I think you posted this before at one time, never been, but I thought then as I do now, that was a really good way to look at it, and good for you!...

 

[ageleg]

Okay, okay, I know that you aren't supposed to ask this or compare yourself to others, but I wondered what the average weight gain is for those that exercise throughout their pregnancy. I'd imagine that this might be a little different that what you read in books or hear from your doctor because I think that takes into account no, or very little, exercise.

Thoughts?

Christine

Well, today is my due date and it's also my day off of exercising!!! I am considering doing a workout anyway because I am fearful of going overdue. Congratulations to you on getting to this stage in your pregnancy. I 'think' I have gained about 30 or so pounds. I'm not completely sure because I try not to pay attention to that part of the pre-natal checkup and often tell them to not tell me my weight! LOL. I hate going for such consistent weight checkups because that is not how I run my body in everyday life. Plus, they give me the weight in kilograms, not pounds, which means I would have to do a conversion, which I'm NOT going to take the time to do. The doctor said I lost weight last checkup.

I can still wear my jeggings that are one size up and a lot of my pre-pregnancy tops still work --- empire waists and stretchy! haha. Don't let your diet get out of hand. Thankfully, I never had huge cravings and I never used pregnancy as an excuse to have a treat or go overboard. Stay active and you will be fine.

 

[Timber99]

I think you posted this before at one time, never been, but I thought then as I do now, that was a really good way to look at it, and good for you!...

It really is! I know that I will be depressed if it doesn't come off a minute after delivery )) but I need to remember this point!

 

[Fit_mommy]

I think you posted this before at one time, never been, but I thought then as I do now, that was a really good way to look at it, and good for you!...

Yes, you are right. I DID post that some where at some other point in time. At the time, the weight didn't come off nearly fast enough and i was frustrated there for a while BUT once it was off and I sat back and thought about it, I realized that it really was OKAY! I mean heck, a lot of women NEVER get all the weight off and I got off all of it plus some extra!

 

[autumn]

Congratulations Timber99!!

I gained 44 with my first, 47 with my second, and 50 something with my third. I broke up with the scales and am not sure exactly how much I gained but I know it is at least 50#s. I just delivered my DD 11-15 and have 15 pounds to lose to my pre-pregnancy weight. I gained more with this pregnancy b/c I couldn't workout regularly due to Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction. I was eating healthful foods so I didn't worry about the weight gain... but I certainly didn't like it.

Wendy is spot on... it takes 9 months of pregnancy to get you & baby ready for the big event so 9 months of recovery seems reasonable (at least that makes me feel better ).

 

[dianet]

I gained 42 with my first and 49 with my second. The first time around I exercised the whole time and watched what I ate and still put on the weight. The second time I could only we very processed white carbs in the beginning because I felt so sick - basically had a diet of mashed potatoes and white pasta. So I gained a lot in the beginning until I stopped feeling sick. With my first I didn't really start trying to lose weight or exercise for 3 months or so, and it took me until about 8 months to lose it all, though I didn't lose the last couple lbs until I stopped nursing at 1 yr. The second time I lost 25 lbs in the first week and 1/2, I think it was mostly water retention. I have been exercising and watching what I eat since 3 weeks and now have 1.5 lbs to lose and my baby is almost 6 months old.

Don't beat yourself up if you gain more than the recommended amount. Your body will do what it needs to do. Also, do not weigh yourself the day you come home from the hospital. The first time I weighed myself when I got home I weighed the same as when I was pregnant! You retain a lot of water if you have an IV in the hospital but it will go away in a couple days.

 

[Fit Mommy]

I worked out religiously and ate properly with my first pregnancy and still gained 50pounds. With my second baby...I decided to just enjoy life and eat to my hearts content and I gained a whopping 60+ pounds...which I now wholeheartedly regret since I'm only 5'2 and because 10 months later, i'm still trying to get it all off...12 pounds to go!

 

[fargomom]

It all comes off .... if you work at it. That's what I tell myself anyway. Don't compare yourself to others who only gain 15 pounds and lose it a week later. I know. Easier said than done.

I have 3 kids. Gained a lot with all of them. I ate really well with my second baby and I still gained a lot. I figure I'm just one of those women who will never gain just 20 pounds and that's okay.

I'm still working on losing weight for baby #3. I'm 7 months pp and still have weight and body fat to lose. I'm back to my pre-preggo jeans .... but my body is squishy and definitely not in "fighting" shape.

You were in shape before you were you pregant and I believe any woman can be in shape after pregnancy ... you just gotta get your mind right. That's the biggest thing, imo. It's harder, in some ways, to fit in exercise after having kids. I have 3 kids ... geesh. Some days I barely have time to brush my teeth. But I try to make exercise priority #1. If I get my workout in I feel like I can conquer anything else my kids try to throw at me: tantrums, poopy diapers, whining, you name it. Even my moody husband becomes more manageable ....

 

[Isilmae]

I'm 38 weeks and so far I've gained about 30 lbs (I'm 5'2" and started out at 130lbs). About 9 lbs of that is baby! I haven't been able to exercise at all due to asthma, although I worked at my nursing job until 33 weeks. Now I'm starting to swell up a bit and I don't fit into anything and I can't wait til Jr. is born! I would like to be able to see my feet again! Not long to go!