Having problems gaining weight

[Tammyspq]

Well - I CAN'T believe this is an issue for me. I'm a fitness instructor who has always had to be careful about over indulging. Now, 33 weeks pregnant and I've only gained 18lbs. Two more since my check-up a month prior. Doctor's are only mildly concerned as baby is measuring normal (I haven't had an ultrasound and the doctor isn't concerned enough to order one). Yet, I'm concerned because of the 25lbs. minimum "safe" gain.

Has anyone else had this problem? I'm not dieting. As a matter of fact, no food really turns me on so I find myself almost constantly eating to find something that I really dig! Plus, I have not done any real cardio (just started back riding a bike for 30-40 minutes 2x/wk about a month ago)and I've had a fairly high fat snack issue (chips and candy I could not live without). I've only done BodyPUMP for exercise and that is 4x's week.

Has anyone gained less than the recommended and still had a "normal" baby?

jeni

 

[dshepperd]

Hi Jeni,
A couple of comments I have. First, I HAD gained a little over 20 pounds by the time I was 25 weeks but then was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, so I am on a special diet and have been losing consistently since 25 weeks, putting me at about an 18 lb. gain at 32 weeks. My doctor isn't concerned because, like yours, my baby is measuring right where she should be.

As for gaining less than the recommended, my SIL only gained 19 lbs. with her 2nd baby and he was just fine. Also, back when my mother was having babies, the recommendation was not to gain more than 15 pounds and she didn't gain much more than that with either me or my brother and both of us are "normal" (although some might argue with you! but from a health standpoint anyway...).

If your dr. isn't worried and your baby is growing appropriately, I would just be thankful you can eat what you want and not overgain. Believe me, the diet I'm on is NOT fun but if it keeps my baby healthy it's worth it.

Take care,
Dana

 

[Stebby]

Don't worry, Jeni. As Dana said, not all that long ago, women weren't supposed to gain more than 15 lbs, and an awful lot of normal babies were born then. My mom just gained 12 lbs with me (and I was an 8+ lb baby). Your body will gain the weight it needs to gain, and as long as you are listening to its signals and the doctor thinks the baby is fine, everything will be OK.

There are a number of women I work with who gained less than 25 lbs, and their babies were fine. Not only that, but 3 weeks after they'd had the baby you couldn't tell they'd ever been pregnant -- so there's something for you to look forward to.

Good luck and enjoy the rest of your pregnancy!!

Stebby
(36 1/2 weeks pregnant, 36 lbs gained, would love to have gained a bit less...)

 

[ebh87]

I never gain weight with my pregnancies and my babies have all been normal-sized and healthy. I'm 36 1/2 weeks pregnant now and sometimes get concerned about the lack of weight gain, but I know the baby is growing well and I'm afraid if I try to purposely gain weight it will just be converted to fat on my body which I certainly don't need. For me, I always lose weight in the first trimester and then gain it back slowly during the rest of the pregnancy resulting in little or no weight gain from prepregnancy. With my current pregnancy, I have been exercising a lot, but with my others I think all I did was eat and sleep!
As long as your doctor isn't concerned and you feel like you are getting the nutrients that you and your baby need, I think you will be fine!!
Erica

 

[Tammyspq]

Thank you all for your replies. I know I'm in the "worry" part of pregnancy now - so that may be contributing to my concern - which is quite minimal. It's nice to hear feedback from women who have been active during their pregnancies. I seem to have more confidence in you all than my sedentary friends!

Thanks again! jeni