Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Weight.

I decided against the post I was going to post because, well, it's been done before. Even though I have an additional opinion about it, I really don't want to have to start from square one and talk through all the same responses again.

But I've got another one, less controversial, but still, bugs the hell out of me.

Weight. Namely the weight gain during pregnancy.

Good lord, I see ~so many~ freaking "omg! I gained 3 lbs" messages and on the other side "I've only gained 2 lbs this whole pregnancy! I'm awesome!" messages, I'm about to go insane. Of course I don't respond to these, except maybe to calm down someone who has gained.

I'm relatively thin. I've been super skinny most of my life, but things changed a bit when I got older. My "normal" when I eat like crap everyday is about 10lbs overweight. If I watch what I eat and exercise, I can be at my body's "perfect" weight. And then there is the size 1 weight I can achieve when I stop eating, but that wasn't on purpose, it was stress induced. So now you know my background.

I can understand those scared posts, worrying about their weight gain. That's why I try to calm down their fears. Yes, 25-30 lbs is what a doctor would suggest a woman carrying a singleton to gain. But some women's bodies simply don't know that rule. ~I~ gained 50 lbs EACH pregnancy! Sure, my OB gave me "the talk" but when I lost it all within the first few months, he was cool. When I gained again with baby #2, he said "that's what your body needs to do". Of course you won't know what your body needs to do when it's your first pregnancy. But if you are eating relatively well, you can bet you are gaining the appropriate weight the baby needs.

I also realize that for people who have struggled with their weight for years, even the recommended weight gain can be a very scary prospect. So I acknowledge this is something I simply don't have any experience with, so I can't judge.

But then there are the women who gloat about "I only gained 2 lbs and I'm 38 weeks!". (Here comes the controversy...) These messages literally piss me off. I ~want~ to say "yeah, but how much did you weigh when you started??"

A woman who is overweight is expected to gain less than someone within normal ranges. And a woman who is overweight and suddenly becomes a healthy eater when she sees that BFP may actually lose bad weight while gaining baby weight, so her weight may stay static throughout the pregnancy, even sometimes showing a decrease.

And that's great! BUT, when you are on a public message board, gloating about how you only gained 2 lbs may actually be causing harm for others. Let me explain.

Based on statistics from the CDC, 25% of Americans are considered very overweight. So for the argument, let's say this percentage is the same for pregnant women. Of these 25%, many aren't going to have to gain that much during pregnancy due to their energy stores. And many will actually lose weight or break even.

When these women do their weight gloat, whom do not mention how much they weighed at conception, the other 75% of women see this and they worry about their own weight gain. And whammo. That's when you see women freaking out over gaining 2 lbs in 4 weeks.

Look, I totally get the idea that when a women is drastically overweight, the idea of NOT gaining is huge. I understand that losing bad weight during a pregnancy is something to be personally happy about. But please, without stating the fact they didn't have to gain during pregnancy is not helping out the 75% of women who should gain.

It is quite unfortunate that skinny=beautiful is drilled into little girls as soon as they open their eyes. America is terrible in giving so many women bad body issues. It sucks and I definitely agree. But it just boggles my mind that the women who are most likely struggling with their own body issues are the reason so many other women are crying over their very normal weight gain. And maybe they will start restricting themselves which in turn leads to the baby not getting the amount of nutrients it needs.

Like I said, I think it's great when someone who has a little more bread in the oven can lose weight or not gain during pregnancy. But to make it sound like that's a good thing for everyone? I find it a little misleading.

Be proud for yourself! But just make sure it's not taken out of context.

38 comments:

MrsSpock said...

I gained 60 lbs during my pregnancy, without overeating. 20 lbs of that was edema (not to mention the extra edema I gained during delivery- almost 15-20 lbs more). My OB made a comment at one point about me "packing on the pounds" and "stay away from the carbs" but there was nothing I could do about it. I never have had a sweet tooth, and never get more than 3-4 servings of grains anyway. Not my thing. I just figured that was what my body was meant to do.

Simply AnonyMom said...

I gained 75+ pounds both times. It was bad. I overate pure and simple. I was coming off an eating disorder the first time, and went from one set of bad habits to another one.

My SIL just had a baby 2 weeks ago. She worried over every ounce teh whole time. She was upset that the dr told her to gain more weight when she had "already gained 20". I just quit trying to talk to her about it.

I realize neither of us were healthy weight wise, but I also think Hollywood is leading to bad body image (shocking I know) and too many people think what some of the stars are doing is normal when it is not.

Hope this made sense.

KatieM said...

I started out in the "normal" range....5'1 and 123 lbs. I have only gained about 7 lbs so far (at 26 weeks), and instead of being proud of this, I actually feel bad I haven't gained more. I feel like Cullen needs more for him to be strong and healthy. I may feel differently if I started out weighing heavy though because then it makes sense that if someone starts eating healthy during pregnancy they may be loosing their own fat stores at a faster rate than than baby is growing....but for now, I really want to see the 10 lbs mark in the next month.

However, I will say that my carb restriction from week 20 on might have a little something to do with this (quite a strange balance to have a predisposition to NOT gain weigh during pregnancy and then be told you have GD too)....if it was up to me I would eat nothing but mounds of rice, chicken and angel food cake every night, lol. =)

Amy said...

I have to agree for both accounts. It annoys me to no end when skinny women complain about gaining weight in their pregnancy. Um hello? That is what your body is supposed to do. But its also not good for heavier women to gloat about not gaining a lot. I think the reason many may do this is because they have low self-esteem about their bodies anyway so when they don't gain a lot of weight during a time when women are supposed to gain weight, they are happy about it and want to gloat. Doesn't make it right though.

One of my friends who recently had a baby had a difficult time during her pregnancy. She didn't gain a lot of weight, she looked good. But her mom and husband were always nagging her about gaining too much weight. I wanted to scream at them. She has very low self-esteem about her body because of it. It's sad to me that I'm quite a bit heavier than her yet have more self-esteem about myself to not allow people to talk to me that way.

nancy said...

Amy, I totally agree it may be exactly that which makes them gloat. It's just so ironic that the ones who probably felt the most negative attention about their weight don't realize their gloating is negatively effecting someone else. It's like reverse racism. well, kind of.

Sarah said...

My mom has always been around 110 lbs. since she was a teen. She is 5'8". So on the smaller side.

She had five babies--I was the oldest. With her 5th, she gained 70 lbs. Her doctor didn't freak because he stated, "With each of your pregnancies, you lost the weight right away after. You're healthy and there is no concern here. It's just what your body does".

My mom said she went into the hospital and her legs were just huge with fluid, and after she had the baby (my brother), the legs were back down to normal and she left the hospital much smaller. Today she's a sexy 48-year old woman and you can't even tell she's had 5 kids. She looks amazing!

As for me, I gained 28-30 lbs. I started out at 133 lbs. (I'm 5'7"), topped out around 160, and 8 weeks post-partum, I was back down to 130. Another few months later I was actually down several more, and for the past several months I've been down to 121. The only thing I've done differently is breastfeed, and I would imagine once I'm done, I'll probably come up just a couple pounds.

Weight gain during pregnancy is TOTALLY affected by pre-pregnancy weight. A woman who starts out 30 lbs. overweight and says, "I only gained 8 lbs. the whole pregnancy" is really in a different ball park than a healthy woman who gains 27 lbs.

Anonymous said...

I've never posted here before but I've read quite a bit. it's funny today's post was about weight gain because I am currently 20 weeks and have gained 11 pounds..

I was talking to my friend today and she is 13 weeks and she said she lost the 2 pounds she had gained (after I just spoke to her how I was never full ect..) The whole conversation with her made me upset about my weight gain and I know I am right on target for what I should be gaining..

Anyways, I know I rambled but I wanted to say thanks for the post it made me feel good to be gaining some HEALTHY weight for my baby..

nancy said...

Anon - You are exactly the example I was talking about and what timing!

Anonymous said...

I have a friend that I have not seen in a couple of years because of the military, but she kept bragging all the time about how she "only" gained 17 pounds during her whole pregnancy. Come to find out later that she started out 70 pounds overweight, and this is a completely normal weight gain for someone that size.

Well, I called to talk to her and mentioned that I had only gained about 3 pounds so far (not bragging, really concerned that my body won't hold onto anything that I eat) and she has the nerve to tell me that when she was as far along as me, she had still lost 8 pounds!! PUH-LEASE!! I started out in the very normal range of weight, and I gained 37 GREAT pounds with my first child. I didn't lose them all, but I was pretty small to begin with. Now I'm worried that my body won't hold onto weight and she stupidly tells me that it's a good thing?? I don't think so. I just wanted to say that I completely agree with you, 100%, which I never agree that much with anyone :)

Jennifer R.

Not in the Water said...

Since I got to watch several close co workers gain weight with pregnancy...it was interesting to see how each gained.

#1 NEVER EATS CARBS or very limited...so when she was PG that's all she craved...needless to say she gained a good 60 lbs and the be-och lost it all afterwards

#2 Was average about 25 pounds or so. Was averaged - to a little chubby to start.

#3 also average and petite - 5'2" at most. Gained 4 pounds the first trimester. Gained 7 in one month (month 5) and the doc was on her case. She ate healthy, and was still at the 11 pound mark at 6 months...with 16 lbs by month 9. But her OB was such an A Hole...made her feel bad b/c it was 7 in a month didn't look at the big picture.

When we started our ART, I was up 20 lbs (and really not happy about it...) 2 IVF/MCs later and now I am up at 30. It really sucks...but hopefully the next time I won't gain as much b/c I am already up there.

OOOH OOOH OOH one more..my dumb realtive was a skinny thing and was all "I only gained an ounce" and bragged when she lost weight but didn't get she was losing fluid. DUMBASS.

WOW...I practically wrote a post. I am sorry!!

Anonymous said...

That always bothered me too. In all honesty, even my own MOTHER did it! When I was pregnant, she was pleased to tell me that when I was in utero, she only gained 15 lbs. I gained 27, and was happy to do so! My cousin, however, is grossly overweight, and 37 weeks pregnant, and has lost about 10lbs. And my aunt is very concerned about that. The baby is fine, by the way. I appreciate this post!

Sara said...

Ya know, this is an interesting post. I am short - 5'2", but I carry extra weight. I have struggled with my weight for many years now - as I have gotten older it has been more of a problem. I would have liked to have lost weight and gotten healthier before we started for baby #2, but I just haven't. I have tried, but it became even harder after I lost Samuel. I don't eat horribly, and I exercise, so I am entering this TTC phase of my life pretty positive. I am not going to stress about my weight. If I gain the recommended amount, it will be okay. If I am actually able to lose "bad" weight in a healthy manner, it will be okay. But I agree - your body will do what it needs to do.
Good post - I like to see other people's opinions.

Jenera said...

I'm at 24 weeks right now and I've only gained about 2 pounds. HOWEVER I am about 60 pounds overweight to begin with so I have a lot more to work with. It was the same with my first pregnancy.

That being said, I'm working hard to eat good and keep active so as to keep weight gain to a minimum. Add in gnarly morning sickness that just barely went away and it's no wonder I'm not gaining.

But, it has made my body look all kinds of goofy. I'm losing bad fat and weight and gaining good weight but since it cancels each other out, I have serious flab going on. It's not pretty.

It can be quite stressful to enjoy pregnancy while being told all the time to watch my weight and food intake along with all the other things to worry about. I don't get to enjoy the 'cuteness' of pregnancy like some because I was big to begin with.

Also having been on the journey to lose weight prior to getting pregnant (I had lost 25 of the 80 I wanted to lose prior to my BFP) it's a little hard to see that number going up even though I know it's baby.

so I can see where you are coming from and I get annoyed too when people don't tell the whole story behind anything with their pregnancy.

nancy said...

Jenera, thanks for understanding my post and ~understanding~ what I was really saying. (some people are very defensive.) I've got ~no~ problems with an overweight woman not gaining weight, in fact, I'm happy about it. I just hate when all facts are not told and they rub the 2 lbs in my 50lb face.

I think it's great you are losing the bad weight and gaining the good weight - but you are right, since it cancels eachother out, you don't see it really. BUT, the good news is after the baby is born, you are going to be in awesome shape!

Amanda said...

I agree with you. It can be very hard when there are people bragging about weight loss or minimal weight gain during pregnancy.

I very strongly remember sobbing to my husband and my then-OB when I was 7 1/2 weeks about my complete inability to keep food down. I just knew my anorexia was subconsciously coming back (sounds stupid, but it has happened to me before) and that I was a horrible person. Then when I finally managed to begin eating, being told I wasn't gaining enough was hard. Luckily since I've started to put on some weight I've had so much support from family and friends (and doctor). But it's still stuck in my mind how little weight my Mom gained with me and my twin brother and how she went down a dress size and was a lower weight after we were born than when she got pregnant. Even though I know she was overweight to begin with the whole "down a dress size" sticks with me.

Io said...

Um, I don't know I can really weigh in (hardy har har) as I haven't had a pregnancy to get fatter during. I don't think I'll be putting that much thought into my weight unless the doctor gives me grief.
And now I want to know what was so controversial that you decided not to write about it! It must have been good!

sara said...

What a great post - I couldn't agree with you more! My poor sister used to hate it when her friend would tell her that she only had gained 5lbs and she was like 30+ weeks pregnant. It made my poor sister feel terrible that she had meanwhile gained 55lbs with her current pregnancy at the same point. Both had healthy babies, but I felt bad that my sister had to always listen to that. Every case is so different. But yeah when someone says they only gained 2 lbs is enough to make you stop and go, HUH?

I think you brought up a good point that there's so much to consider when hearing someone's comment. Like their starting weight, and so forth.

Chastity said...

I do talk about my pregnancy weight gain sometimes, but I try my best to speak about it without making anyone else feel bad one way or another.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I started out at 142 (I think) at 5'9", which is healthy for my small frame. I gained 21 pounds total, probably b/c they made me go on the gestational diabetes diet since I just barely passed. So, even at only a 21 pound weigh gain, which I was happy with and so was my doc...people still made stupid comments. I remember my husband's uncle telling me about how when his wife was pregnant she only gained 8 pounds the entire time (she's extremely skinny too) and the baby was exactly 8 pounds. I know this either didn't actually happen this way or she lost a lot of weight during her first trimester...something doesn't add up. I just wanted to scream "THAT'S NOT A GOOD THING!". But I didn't; he's an old fart, so I let it go. Also, I can't tell you how many times over the years I've been reminded that my cousin's wife didn't gain any weight during her pregnancies; she actually lost weight each time. Every time it's brought up I feel like reminding them that she's morbidly obese to begin with, and it probably has a lot to do with her eating healthy stuff instead of the junk she normally eats. But again, I don't say anything.

This time, so far, I have gained 35 pounds at 30 weeks. I started out at 128, slightly underweight for my height and frame, and I'm now at 163! I am fine with it. My doctors are fine with it. They actually want me to gain another ten to fifteen pounds if I make it to 36-ish weeks. I didn't have much of a problem getting the weight to come off last time, granted it was a lot less weight, but I just feel like this time won't be much different....of course I could be wrong. If I am wrong, I'll make it happen eventually. All I care about is that these two girls are healthy...I'll worry about getting a bikini body later.

Denise said...

Personally, gaining weight is something I looked forward to because pregnancy seems to be the only time it is expected and encouraged. But I also always thought I would need to be careful to not put on "bad weight" from eating unhealthy food.

I never even thought I would have trouble gaining weight, but I did at first. I worried more about NOT gaining when I couldn't keep anything down, but I think I'm quickly catching up from that deficit. I think we don't give our bodies nearly enough credit. Thousands of years of biology have us programmed to gain what we need to gain to feed a baby. Everyone is different, so you can never rely on what worked or didn't work for someone else. You have to rely on your own body and your doctors to tell you if you need to change something.

Just my opinion.

Anonymous said...

Hey Nancy,
I havent posted to you in quite awhile but I still read your blog all the time. I just wanted to touch on this topic since I am on the heavier side. When I was prego with my son I gained 20 lbs. But that 20lbs for me being overweight to start with was like 50lbs. I got huge. In all honesty I dont think the # that you gain means squat at all. I lost so much in the begining from not being able to keep any food or water down that the 20lbs for me in the end was a blessing. My son was born at 37 1/2 weeks and he still weighed 6lbs 13oz for that early. He was a great size even though my weight was up and down the whole time.

From a big girl stand point its better that we dont gain alot of weight. And I think it kinda works both ways, I dont like to hear skinny girls that havent ever had to deal with weight issues say oh I gained this much and I was back to my pre preg weight 1 week after birth or some shit like that. Its like how the hell did you gain that much weight and its all gone now. Why the hell cant I do that LOL Our bodies will do what they will do and thats all there is too it, no matter how skinny or fat you are so the weight hype needs to stop!!! LOL Glad to see you are doing so well with your preg and def glad this little one stuck it out for you. ksmommy27 from Webmd...Aubrey

Geohde said...

I gained thirty kilos- that's well over sixty pounds. I weighed115 before I was pregnant and I'm tall. And you're right- I had twins and a lot of it was oedema anyway, I lost forty pounds of it by the end of week one, another ten plus by the end of week two and the rest is an ongoing project that shall sort itself out in time. Probably a long time! ;)

My body needed to gain that weight and to try and gain less when I was so painfully hungry all the damn time would have been truly miserable.

J

Erin said...

Lurker, first time poster. Thank you for this. I have LONG struggled with my own weight. I was plain old fat as a child and young adult. In college I did the opposite of most, changed my eating habits, started working out and lost close to 50lbs.

I am so nervous about the weight gain thing because I remember being heavy and how awful I felt about myself. My mother just found out I was expecting and knew immediately where my head would go. She reminded me that I am normal weight now so weight gain is success (I had a previous loss).

Thanks for speaking about this!

The Captain's Wife said...

I am in total agreement! I have only gained 2 lbs so far (@16.5 weeks) but was already a few lbs "overweight" (at least from a text book perspective) when I got pregnant, so I really made sure that in my 1st Tri I did not use the "eating for 2" excuse.

I have a post that i am working on, that is this exact subject...check it out over the next day or two..

Anonymous said...

I am at 19 weeks and have gained 10 pounds. Although that seems on track, now I'm wondering because I was overweight to begin with. I know it's because a lack of consistent exercise. And I'm the same as one of the other responses, I hate it that I don't look "cute and pregnant". I just look fatter. Hopefully when the baby grows it will become obvious I'm pregnant.

Melody said...

I'm 5'8, and (after I lost about 100 lbs a few years ago)165 is a healthy and maintainable non-pregnant weight for my frame. I'm 15 weeks now. Before conceiving my weight had gone up to about 178 (I blame two years of messing w/my hormones during ART), and I'm currently vacilating between 179 and 181. My belly seems to be getting bigger since none of my clothes have fit for several weeks, but still-- no one can tell I'm pregnant b/c of pre-existing flab from losing my weight before.

I'm constantly worried that the baby's not getting what s/he needs or that it's not really growing b/c I don't see the number on the scale going up. I hate that my bump isn't visible, and I'm afraid my doc won't even be able to get a read on the baby at my appointment next week b/c how can she judge from measuring my existing flab?

My sister is 19 weeks and has gained 13+ lbs, but pre-pregnancy, she had starved herself down to a size 4 when her normal maintainable healthy size is a 10. We're BOTH stressed out about our pregnancy weight gain/lack of gain.

Anonymous said...

I have never posted here, but felt the need to as an overweight person and a pregnant one at that.

I would just like to state that not all overweight people are "unhealthy" as some posts seem to imply.

I had gained 35 pounds in 7 months pre-pregnancy due to a rapidly growing thyroid problem. ironic that it came about when i know i was eating healthy, working out etc, b/c i just had been married... of course i was watching what i ate, etc b/c i wanted to look good in my dress! needless to say, i was in my dress on my wedding day at my heaviest weight since i gained (& then later lost) my freshman 15 at college.

after we were married, DH & I planned right away to start trying for a baby. plans got put on hold as the weight started piling on and i didnt feel "right". needless to say after months of testing and trips to the doctor, i found out about my thyroid issues.

it saddens me i wasnt able to lose all 35 pounds before i got pregnant, but here i am now clinically "obese". i know its not healthy, but now im trying very hard to stay to the recommended 15 pounds im "supposed" to gain since i started out heavy to begin with. in total, im probably about 60 pounds heavier than my "ideal" weight, but i'd also like to say i do not have high blood pressure, diabeties, asthma or any other illnesses usually associated with obese people.

i joined weight watchers a week before my BFP and lost 5 poundsthat first week- 5 pounds that i never lost (in a row) in almost a year and a half now. after the baby is born, all excuses aside, i will be re-joining and hopefully will be once again at a "healthy and "ideal" weight for myself.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you, Nancy. During both my pregnancies, it always made me uneasy to see a lot of women very obsessed about their weight gain, or lack thereof. I saw women who lost weight while pregnant, and women who gained 70 pounds or more, and every point in between. And for the majority, everything was just fine. As long as you are eating reasonably well (not necessarily perfect, either), your body will do what it needs to do and gain the appropriate amount.

It's really sad that our culture has made women so obsessed with their weight in general (both while pregnant and not). One of my goals with raising my daughters is for them to have a healthy body image and not worry about their weight all the time.

--Kristin

Jen said...

I'm at about 30 lbs weight gain these days. That is higher than I would have liked given my starting weight, but not out of the ballpark. About 10 lbs has come in 3rd tri, and honestly I probably could have eaten a bit healthier. Oh well. I figure Jillian will be here soon enough, and after letting myself break in to motherhood I'll be needing to focus on weight loss and more than just the baby weight.

g said...

I just wanted to add that i will be one of those worrying about how much i gain (that is if i ever get PG) only because i have gained so much just from IF treatments.. and not from over eating! SO yah i am overweight & is sux! it is very hard for me to even loose it due to the alomst three years of taking hormones never mind the thyroid disease and just dx PCOS... All that is working against me! So i wouldnt lump ALL over wieght peeps into one category thinking they are overeating slobs.. as you dont now how they got there...

Anonymous said...

Great post Nancy. And I really enjoyed reading everyone's comments. It is one of those topics that a lot of people misunderstand. I also get annoyed by posts that say "I only gained 2 lbs at 30 weeks great for me." My friends and family seem to think it's ok to ask me every time they see my about my weight gain. And I get comments from everybody about not gaining too much AND not gaining enough. I think each woman has to know what if right for her body and try to eat right. I'm 5'6" and 18 wks pregnant. I started at 130 lbs and now weigh 138 lbs. I think I'm on track, and my dr says I'm doing well. So I'm not worried about it, but I do want to keep gaining weight. I gained a few during 1st trimester, stalled for a few weeks, and now am steady gaining.

Jess NBP said...

SOrry it's been awhile since I've read but I'm here and I've looked at your biwkly pics.. and you are caring low... I say BOY!!

Jen said...

I was worried about my weight gain because by the end of this pregnancy I don't want to top 200 pounds... I shouldn't unless I gain like 40 pounds but still, it's some mental thing with me... But my doctor told me she is reluctant to tell a woman when to gain the weight and how much during whatever trimester. So I am riding it out and, hell, I can always work out after the baby arrives.

ssbean said...

I agree with you. If somebody is to comment on only gaining the i.e. 2lbs, it's important to mention, if it's the case, that you are/were overweight starting out, that you had poor eating habits starting out, but began eating healthier. On community message boards, I can totally understand how it can harm others. Women who pre-pregnancy put a lot of emphasis on staying fit and healthy and eating right, gain healthy baby weight during pregnancy, can get depressed about the weight issue. It's something to think about.

Anonymous said...

THANK YOU! I am starting to check out a lot of blogs/boards right now because my husband and I are in the process of "trying"....I am 5'4 and weigh 133 lbs. I am pretty athletic and work out regularly. I went to a new OB/GYN and he told me I was overweight and that I needed to be 120 pounds if I wanted to get pregnant. I suffered from anorexia and then bulimia since I was 12 years old (I am 30 now)...this information is in my medical chart that he had right in front of him. He was a total ass and that visit has kick started all kinds of unhealthy habits that are definitely not conducive with making a baby....long story short....the weight issue should always be treated sensitively and people should be careful about what message they are sending when they do the "I only lost...." posts....I hope I can get a handle on this when I actually AM pregnant so I don't hurt my baby with my bad eating behaviors!

Liz said...

Great post, Nancy. This was one of the things I tried NOT to talk about on WebMD with my first pregnancy because I was overweight and had been given different instructions from other women on weight during pregnancy. The only time I brought it up was for moral support when I had a rapid weight gain that was an early indicator of pre-eclampsia.

Every woman is different (before, during and after pg), so this is a very personal issue. Not that all of the other things that go on aren't...

Anonymous said...

Okay, I admit, I have a lot of "...bad weight..." and ideally, I will get pregnant, and suddenly lose 50 lbs. But that will not happen. I already eat healthy, my BP is great, I am not diabetic, my cholesteral is wonderful and other thatn PCOS, I have nothing wrong with me.

Maybe the idea of gaining weight isn't as scary to me because I gained 100 lbs in 3 years before the PCOS was diagnosed and I was eating healthy, exercising and watching calories.

So what, 'mom' gains weight and it becomes earth shattering? My biggest fear is that I will never LOOK pregnant just heavier. So maybe I just don't get the weight gain whining.

Anonymous said...

I started my pg with B about 30 lbs overweight. I lost quite a bit in the first tri, which freaked me out a bit, and was slow to gain later on - because of acid reflux and not being able to eat much at one time. I ended up 7 pounds over my start weight. My doctor had advised me to try and keep my gain to around 20 pounds if at all possible, while eating a balanced diet. I was a little worried, but she assured me that I measured on track and that my extra weight had provided some cushion, so my body didn't need to gain as much.

Everyone is different. Though I only gained 7 pounds, I'm still overweight today and my thinner friends who gained 40 pounds are far better off than I am, and lost most if not all of that weight. If you are being sensible and healthy, that is what matters - not so much the number.

Anonymous said...

I was a bit overweight to start with (thanks IVF!) and gained about 10kg which I think is around 20lbs. I weighed myself out of curiosity - I was weighed once at my first antenatal appointment, then my weight was never mentioned again until the morning of my c/s, and then I was weighed so they could calculate my drugs. I'm always amazed at the huge deal that's made of pg weight gain in the US. And the way the word "calories" is thrown around in regard to pg intake and little babies. Breastmilk is breastmilk, not some certain number of calories. Weird!