Your Pregnancy Weight Gain
It goes without saying that most women worry about their pregnancy weight gain. It's almost impossible not to worry - every pregnancy magazine you open has articles on weight gain and every book you flip through has a convenient little chart breaking down exactly how much everything weighs during pregnancy (and why you should only weigh the total of those parts).
| 7.5 - 8.5 lbs | Baby |
| 2 lbs | Amniotic Fluid |
| 1.5 - 2 lbs | Placenta |
| 1.5 - 2 lbs | Breast Tissue |
| 3 lbs | Blood Volume |
| 2 - 2.5 lbs | Uterine Muscle |
| 4 lbs | Water |
| 8 lbs | Maternal Stores |
This little chart adds up to 32lbs at the most. As soon as you get close to that number doctors and care providers will start to warn you about gaining too much. The nurses will start to look disappointed and write little notes on your chart.
What you should know is that pregnancy weight gain is vitally important to you and to your baby. If you are eating a healthy diet and taking excellent care of yourself, it can even be dangerous to try and limit pregnancy pounds.
Your body needs all the nutrition it can possibly get during pregnancy. If you try to limit calories to cut down on weight gain you end up cutting down on what your child is getting. It is a myth that your baby can take what he or she needs from you. You and your baby both become nutritionally deprived when you try to limit pregnancy weight gain.
"Be aware that during pregnancy you create the cells needed to form two extra pounds of uterine muscles, the nerves, bones, organs, muscles, glands, and skin of your fetus, several pounds of amniotic fluid, a placenta, and a fifty percent increase in your blood volume. In addition, you'll replace many extra kidney and liver cells used to process waste of two beings instead of one." -Susan Weed in the Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year.
A low-fat diet is a bad choice for pregnancy. As you read in the quote above, your body must manufacture everything for your baby as well as constantly cleanse and rebuild your own cells. All of this takes energy. A good diet with healthy fats in it will give your body vital energy and healthy pregnancy weight gain.
The late Dr. Brewer found that when there is not enough fat to burn for energy the body begins to break down and burn protein. This means that even if you are eating enough protein for your pregnancy every day, that protein is not being used to build your baby or your own cells - it is being burned for energy.
How Do I know Which Pounds are Good Ones?
So limiting calories is not a good thing. It deprives your body of energy and it deprives your body and your baby of vital protein. But is there a time you should worry about pregnancy weight gain? How do you know that your pounds are good pounds?
If you are eating a solid, nutrient-dense diet each day, then your pregnancy pounds are good pounds. You cannot go wrong by eating plenty of fresh whole foods. I wish that I could talk to you face to face about the importance of having a healthy pregnancy diet. It's that vital.
If all you are eating is processed food, boxed meals, and fast food your pregnancy weight gain is going to happen quickly`. And your little one is not getting what he or she needs. These foods are OK to eat very occasionally, but they do not have the nutrients that you or your baby need. They are brimming with additives and fillers that will give you empty calories (and probably still leave you hungry).
Your best bet is to prepare meals that are satisfying to you. Enjoy whole dairy products (choose organic and non-homogenized if possible), including butter. Butter is full of vitamins and flavor. Eat eggs, which are full of good vitamins. Choose tasty meats (organic is worth the investment) or make hearty casseroles with a variety of vegetarian protein sources.
You want to choose foods that will fill you up and do it in a healthy way. If you are truly filled by good foods you won't find yourself craving foods that are bad for you. You'll know your pregnancy weight gain is from nutrient filled foods. It goes without saying that you should limit sweet foods like candies and cakes. Choose fresh fruit or thick smoothies to satisfy your sweet tooth.
What About Salt and Pregnancy Weight Gain?
Salt has been demonized during pregnancy (and most other times, too). Processed foods are full of processed salt. Eliminate the processed foods and you will also get rid of a large source of salt from your diet.
But pregnant women do need salt precisely for the reason many doctors try and limit it - to help retain fluids. During pregnancy your blood volume will expand up to 50% (and more if you are expecting multiples.) You need salt to help your blood volume stay high.
Use sea salt, which contains many trace minerals, and salt your food to taste. Salt will help you to retain the water that you need to support your expanded blood volume. This does blood volume does increase your pregnancy weight gain.
Many doctors still give out copies of low-salt, low-calorie diets when pregnant women begin to get close to that magical 32 pounds. Don't use these outdated diets, which endanger both babies and mothers. (If you have an existing condition that requires special diets, please work closely with a nutritionist during your pregnancy - and choose one who specializes in prenatal nutrition.)
As long as you are eating good, healthy food and getting some moderate exercise, you can be sure that your pregnancy pounds are a good thing for you and your baby!
Women gain at all different rates and end up with different total weight gain. What you gain will be normal for you. Enjoy your nutritious meals and snacks, and remember that you need to be eating to grow your baby, maintain your body, and continue all the additional work that your body does during pregnancy.
Note:Sudden, dramatic pregnancy weight gain accompanied by a lot of swelling could be an indication of pre-eclampsia and you should call your care provider immediately. There is substantial evidence that a high-quality, high-protein diet can prevent pre-eclampsia. Be sure that you are eating very well, and that you are eating enough good fat that your body doesn't need to burn protein for energy.