The Pregnancy Weight Gain Debate

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Pregnancy is a strange time of our lives when it comes to weight gain. If we are someone who has struggled with weight or achieved a major weight loss before falling pregnant, the thought of being told that you must gain a certain amount of weight because it is healthy during pregnancy can really mess with your head.

If you are someone who struggles with putting weight on, the same is also true (the messing with your head part) because if you are struggling to gain weight, or in some peoples case - actually losing weight - the doctors and midwives may be telling you that you need to gain more weight, and this can leave you feeling guilty if you just can't.

The recommended weight gain during the course of pregnancy is between 12 and 15 kilos, but in the hormonal land that is pregnancy, both eating to stay feeling well and not eating because you just can't fathom it are in the realm of normal.

During my last pregnancy I gained ~25 kilos and this really blew me away. It didn't seem to matter how little I ate the scales just kept creeping up and this really messed with my head.

I know now, in hindsight, that much of that weight gain was fluid retention - but it didn't stop me focusing on that number on the scales.

This time round I have only gained ~ 14 Kilos at this point (and 'all the books' say that weight gain slows down after week 36). I have to admit that I am much happier withing myself this time around - it is nice to look in the mirror and see a face that is somewhat recognizable as your own. However, I do admit to wondering if when you take away the fluid retention it is in fact exactly the same as last time?
Isn't it funny how we have an insatiable need to over analyse weight? Not to mention focus on the scales at a time when it should really be the last thing on our mind.

Of course the media and all of their "Post Baby Body" celebrity hype do nothing to help - we start out with guilting ourselves before the baby even arrives!

A good example is a friend of mine who only put on 6 kilo's throughout her pregnancy - she gave birth to a healthy 2.9kg Boy on Friday. I think it is important to keep in the back of our minds that the guide for how much weight we 'should' gain throughout a pregnancy is simply a guide, and while we should try and fall within our health professionals guidelines, doing what is right for you and knowing that everyone is individual and there is a large range of normal is important to keep in the back of our minds.