US Pregnant Women Getting Heavier

Bathroom Scale Doctors generally recommend that a woman who is pregnant with one baby, and starts off her pregnancy at a normal weight, gain between 25 and 35 pounds during pregnancy. Gaining too little weight during pregnancy increases the risk of having a low birth weight baby. However, gaining extra weight is dangerous too, putting moms at increased risk for gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and delivery complications.

The proportion of women gaining 40 or more pounds during pregnancy increased from 15% in 1995 to 20% in 2005. A pregnancy weight gain of 40 pounds is rarely recommended by a doctor, unless a mother starts off her pregnancy underweight, or is carrying more than one baby. If you’re wondering how much weight gain is ideal during a singleton pregnancy, check out the chart below based on the Institute of Medicine guidelines for total weight gain during pregnancy.

Pre-Pregnancy BMI	Recommended Weight Gain
<19.8	28-40 lb
19.8-26.0	25-35 lb
26.1-29.0	15-25 lb
>29.0	15 lb

If you’re trying to maintain a healthy pregnant weight, typically a well rounded diet with about 300 extra calories per day will work. So, the old phrase “eating for two” is clearly a misnomer.

If you’re interested in figuring out your BMI, you can find an online BMI calculator and BMI tables here.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 at 2:07 am and is filed under Nutrition, Pregnancy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “US Pregnant Women Getting Heavier”

Michelle Says:
February 18th, 2008 at 6:13 pm

I think it’s hard for first time moms to not gain too much during pregnancy. When I was pregnant I read something early on that you should not let your self get hungry. I ended up eating more than I really needed to, especially for the first trimester when the baby is only a tadpole! Thankfully, I figured out what was going on and slowed down my weight gain. Gaining 30-35 pounds overall. My OB really harped on me about my weight the entire time. It kind of stressed me out. Especially since I wasn’t gaining a ridiculous amount AND I felt like I was seeing hugely fat (but not far along) pregnant women everywhere. You do not have to eat for two. I think an extra bowl of cereal before bed is enough! Plus ice cream cones every night… ha ha! That made my husband gain 15 plus pounds!

Diet in Pregnancy and Infancy May Shape Future Eating Habits | Kristie McNealy, MD Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 3:49 pm

[...] eat a balanced diet, with plenty of fruits, vegetables and lean protein, and remember, you’re not really supposed to be “eating for two”! addthis_url = [...]