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Tipping the Scales

Managing Pregnancy Weight Gain

By Melinda Copp

With cravings for all things salty, sweet and unhealthy for you, it's hard not to indulge during pregnancy. And weight gain is natural. After all, you're growing a baby. However, gaining too much weight can put you and your baby at risk for a number of serious health conditions.

So how much weight should you gain? Consider the following information and tips for determining how much you should gain and how to manage the weight.

The amount of weight that is considered healthy for your pregnancy will depend on how much you weigh when you're not pregnant. And that's different for everyone.

"Healthy weight gain in pregnancy depends primarily on where you're starting from," says Janice Henderson, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. "If you're underweight, expect to gain 28 to 40 pounds. If you're normal weight, expect to gain 25 to 35 pounds. And if you're overweight, expect to gain 15 to 25 pounds."

If you're carrying multiples, your weight gain will be greater. Talk to your doctor about how much of a weight gain is right for you and your body type.

Women who gain too much weight during pregnancy experience a number of side effects. "One of the negative effects of gaining too much weight is general discomfort and fatigue," says Henderson. Carrying extra weight is hard work and it takes a toll on your body and stamina. Keeping your weight gain within the normal range will help ease some of the physical difficulties often associated with pregnancy.

Another risk for the mother that comes from gaining too much pregnancy weight is gestational diabetes. Like other forms of diabetes, gestational diabetes affects your body's ability to manage insulin. And although gestational diabetes goes away after the baby is born, it can make the pregnancy more difficult.

"Theoretically, gaining too much weight increases insulin resistance and therefore the potential for gestational diabetes and increased fetal size and thus more difficulty in labor if the baby is bigger," says Henderson. Having a large baby makes labor more difficult, increases the chance that the baby will be injured during delivery and increases the risk of requiring a C-section.

Want to see more?

• A Weighty Issue: Pregnancy Weight Gain Guidelines
• Two of Everything, Please: Debunking the Myth
  of Eating for Two
• Nutrition After Baby: Now You're Really Eating for Two
• Talk about it!

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