UGH - Freaking Out At 36 Weeks!

M

mbschneider

Cathlete
Hello - I have about 6 1/2 weeks left to go in my pregnancy. I have been able to exercise nearly every day of my pregnancy -- and quite a bit. As a result, my weight gain has been pretty contained and mostly has been in my belly and my chest. HOWEVER, I am now just noticing the gain is spreading everywhere! My legs and butt are starting to go and I continue to be very hungry -- so I am sure more weight will pile on. I eat a very clean diet, but I certainly am eating more calories as I believe I should.

Is this normal for where I am in the pregnancy? I feel like I worked so hard to do so well with weight gain and fitness and now in the 11th hour it is all falling to pieces!!!! I really hope all of the earlier work will pay off. Does anyone have any words of wisdom? I am guessing I will have gained about 30 lbs when all is said in done. Pre-pregnancy I was 103 lbs and I am just 5 feet tall!

Thank you!

MB

PS - I am still exercising each day! It does not stop the weight, that is for sure.....
 
you may be starting to retain water and that can lead to a very uncomfortable-i-am-spreading-all-over-feeling. i urge you if possible to take comfort in knowing you have taken good care of your body and your baby these last 34 weeks and know if you are eating more, it is for your baby, not you. the weight will most likely fall away after birth - i think you will be surprised. i don't know any woman out there who feels really lovely at the end of their pregnancy, no matter how much or little she gains. all that fluid is just going to hide any tone.

and no, exercise won't stop the weight, nor should it when you remember weight is due to placenta, blood, fluid, and baby, not simply fat.

good luck!
 
i gained a lot of water toward the end of my pregnancy. i had a double chin, my feet, legs and hands got all puffy - and the weight just piled on. BUT, this extra weight just disappeared about 6 weeks pp. I didn't realize it was all water until AFTER I had the baby and my legs/ankles swelled to an unbelievable size! Just take heart that it goes away and it isn't down to anything you did, are doing, or could do!
 
You are doing awesome with taking care of yourself and don't worry so much about the weight gain at this point. You are carrying much more fluids than any other time of your pregnancy. You have more blood running through your body and retaining water is very common. You'll melt off the pounds after you give birth esp. since you've been so disciplined so don't sweat it. Focus on the baby that's growing in you and you'll soon forget about what your body looks like. And if you decide to breastfeed, the pounds will even melt that much faster after you give birth. 30 lb weight gain is normal. The excercising will help you with labor. It helped me that's for sure. Good luck and happy delivery!

Lisa
 
Sometimes with pregnancy it is just out of our control. I was very hungry the first couple of monthes of my pregnancy and if I didn't eat I would have been sick...so I had to eat. And I wasn't in the mood for anything healthy either. Before I got pregnant I loved salads and during my pregnancy, I couldn't look at a piece of spinach! Then my back started getting bad when i worked out so I had to give that up!

I gained 46 lbs in total:eek: ,have 3 of it left to lose:) and he is only 3 monthes old.
Don't worry, you will lose the weight in no time. And b/c you have been active your whole pregnancy you will bounce back even faster then I did.
And one of the above posters is right, it could be fluid.
Try not to stress to much about it and just enjoy your pregnancy...although the last month is anything but enjoyable! LOL:) Good luck with your little one!

Lori:)
 
Hi- I am just about 37 weeks, and I have been noticing the same thing. I have been swelling quite a bit, and it is driving me CRAZY! I think that women who continue to work out (especially using weights) tend to hold on to water more (?). I am not sure; I have been exercising like crazy, but have gained 30lbs as well (looking like maybe 35-40 when all is said and done). I feel much stronger with this pregnancy (I have a 20m old), as I have continued to lift weights 2-3x a week. Don't worry, it will pay off in the end. Keep on exercising, and it will make things so much easier--labor, recovery, and pp weight loss. With my son I lost 27lbs at my 6 week check up (started working out 1.5 weeks PP), and I was 10lbs under my pp weight one month later. I discovered Cathe when my son was about 6 months old, so I pretty much expect this weight to fall off of me! I can not wait to do some interval training! IMAX here I come!

Sorry so long...Don't worry, you are doing really good. The fact that you are still exercising is great. Just keep on going...your little one will be here soon! Do you know what you are having?
 
pregnancy is NOT the time to lose weight!! the normal healthy weight gain is 25-30 lbs, trying to lose or not gain enough is not healthy!

you have been keeping up your fitness, that is great! don't fret so much over what you've gained, this is what you need for a healthy baby! you are not supposed to exercise to lose weight, only to maintain fitness! so keep doing what you're doing and stop worrying! the weight will come off, and you will have retained your fitness, all while giving birth to a healthy baby.. what more could you ask for? :)
 
I don't see one word on this thread about LOSING weight--unless it is about how much easier it is to LOSE the weight POSTpartum after exercising the whole pregnancy.
 
>I don't see one word on this thread about LOSING
>weight--unless it is about how much easier it is to LOSE the
>weight POSTpartum after exercising the whole pregnancy.

her whole post is complaining about gaining weight. she says "I am still exercising each day! It does not stop the weight, that is for sure....." which to me sounds like she's trying to either not gain or lose weight, which i wanted to point out is not healthy during pregnancy, and shouldn't be the goal while exercising while pregnant.
 
So let her complain a little. It's her first pregnancy; when the fat/water come in towards the end it's no picnic. I just wanted to point out that she is not looking for weight loss tips; Sometimes it's just nice to hear that others can identify with your situation.
 
I remember going through this too. It really does look and feel like fat, but it's not! As the other ladies are saying, it's just water. You'll be astonished a week or two after your pregnancy is over -- you sweat and pee like there's no tomorrow and you can almost watch your legs and butt suck back in. 10 days after I'd given birth to my daughter, I was 20 lbs lighter.

Don't worry - just enjoy this time. The work you've done will pay off in a speedy recovery.
 
First of all, what I love about this forum, is that it is a place to discuss feelings regarding pregnancy/exercise even if those fears seem irrational to others. Pregnancy is difficult due to hormones and watching our bodies change and having no control over it. That being said, I gained quite a bit of weight for 1st trimester with my 2nd and feared gaining too much but the weight gain slowed down and actually gained a minimal amount the next months. I am also slightly under 5 feet, and every pound showed, but I exercised til the end with both my girls and as a result I believe, had quick deliveries, and have pretty much returned to prepreggo shape. I am 37 and my youngest of the 2 is 11 months old. I credit my shape to exercise even though I looked shapeless during pregnancy.
 
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