Weight gain during pregnancy is a more than natural phenomenon, because the tummy increases in volume, and the baby grows in it. This is perhaps the only case when the increase in weight and volume in a woman, rather, serves as an occasion for satisfaction and pride than for shame.
Body mass index
Calculation of weight during pregnancy depends on the physique of the woman, on her body weight before she was in position. For this, a body mass index (BMI) is calculated for the initial height and weight. It makes no sense to pregnant women to calculate this index, because they do not fit into these strict standards. Everyone who is interested in their own figure has heard about this indicator. You can find out about body mass index in almost any fashion magazine, and on the Internet women's websites about beauty and health simply abound with such information. So how is it calculated? Weight is divided by height squared, weight being measured in kilograms and height in centimeters. Most often, it is not necessary to resort to calculations - there are many special calculators of body weight that will perform the most basic work for us and carry out the calculation of weight gain during pregnancy. The average BMI for a young woman ranges from 19 to 25.
Build and weight gain
Thin women, whose BMI does not reach 19, are allowed to gain more weight for the entire pregnancy - from 12 to 18 kg. With a normal body mass index of 19 to 25, it is perfectly acceptable to add 11 to 16 kg. But if the BMI exceeds 25, it is not recommended to type a lot and it is best to meet the figures from 5 to 11 kg. True, these figures are very contradictory. Some doctors argue that with initially normal weight, you should not gain more than 8-13 kg.
There are detailed tables that show the calculation of weight gain during pregnancy by week, depending on BMI.
Sum of terms
What makes up the weight gain of a pregnant woman? We all know that a baby usually weighs only about 3-3.5 kg, in rare cases, heroes of 4.5-5 kg are born. Is everything else fat? It's not like that at all. In the body of a pregnant woman there are many processes, her organs are being rebuilt, moreover, new ones are forming. So what makes weight gain?
- A child weighs an average of 3000-3500 g.
- The enlarged uterus reaches 900-1000 g.
- Placenta - about 500-600 g.
- Amniotic fluid 900-1000 g.
- An increase in blood volume of 1200-1500 g.
- Additional fluid - 1500-2700 g.
- The increase in mammary glands will be about 500 g.
Fat deposits - on average from 2000 to 4000. And even they are not unnecessary ballast, but a reserve that is useful during breastfeeding. So the calculation of weight during pregnancy shows that with a healthy lifestyle in the mother’s body there is nothing superfluous.
Pledge of health
Keeping track of body weight and weighing yourself regularly is important not so much because of body care, but rather to control the correct course of pregnancy. Sometimes this indicator helps to diagnose some pregnancy disorders.
Calculation of pregnancy weight by week depends on the trimester - the first time the set practically does not occur, and later it becomes more noticeable.
First trimester and toxicosis
In the first trimester, the weight of the pregnant woman will increase by only 1-2 kg, may not increase at all or even decrease slightly. Weight loss usually occurs with toxicosis. Pregnancy toxicosis or early gestosis is considered a pathological condition, although many consider it to be a normal and almost inherent sign of pregnancy. It all depends on the severity of its course. Many pregnant women are limited only by a subjective feeling of nausea, a slight decrease in appetite and sensitivity to odors. Vomiting is rare or absent. In this case, the weight usually remains the same or does not decrease much - about 1-2 kg for the entire trimester. It is not harmful to the health of mother and baby. However, severe and frequent vomiting leads to malnutrition. Tests usually show a decrease in indicators such as hemoglobin. Ketone bodies appear in the urine, indicating starvation. Together with rapid weight loss, this may be the reason for treatment and hospitalization. But many women suffering from toxicosis, especially throughout the other trimesters, are proud that they did not gain weight at all or even lost weight. With an initially large body weight, this is not dangerous for the baby.
Second trimester
In the second trimester, the picture is changing. A woman gains an average of 250-300 g per week. After all, the fetus becomes larger, grows more noticeably, and with it the organs of a pregnant woman grow. Usually, it is at this time that the tummy becomes visible.
Third trimester
About 400 g are added per week. Calculation of weight gain during pregnancy by week is an important means of monitoring your health. It is important to understand that a sharp weight gain is not only a risk for a postpartum figure. He can talk about serious problems in the body. For example, such a quick increase is often associated with edema. This should alert the expectant mother and doctors, because edema is often one of the symptoms of late gestosis. There may also be increased pressure. True, you should not be afraid of changes in body weight. Pregnant women have to regularly take blood and urine tests, so such abnormalities in the body will make themselves felt.
Brute force
True, excessive weight gain may be associated with elementary illiteracy. Do not listen to the advice of the older generation “eat for two” - we must remember that the second “eater” is too small to receive a whole adult serving. The diet of a pregnant woman should exceed the usual diet by 200 kcal in the second trimester and by 300 in the third. Counting calories and complicating your life is completely optional. If weight gain is associated with fat mass, the main thing is to limit the use of the most high-calorie and junk food - sweets, pastries.
It must be understood that unnecessary fat mass is not the cost of pregnancy when a woman sacrifices a figure, but harm to her and the child. This complicates the birth and, in addition, a paradoxical situation may occur - the aging of the placenta will accelerate and the baby will not receive enough nutrition, despite the mother’s abundant diet.
Gestational diabetes
A large weight gain for both the mother and the fetus may be associated with gestational diabetes. This disease should not be confused with diabetes, which is not associated with pregnancy. In contrast, gestational usually occurs after childbirth. True, there remains a risk of type 2 diabetes. If a woman does not follow a diet and if necessary does not use insulin, there is a risk of pathology of the internal organs of the child and macrosomia, when the baby is born with a lot of weight, despite the fact that his head remains of normal size. The amount of water with this diagnosis is also often increased.
True, the timely diagnosis and strict adherence to the diet often lead to the fact that women with diabetes gain less weight than those who do not have such a diagnosis. After all, fast carbohydrates turn out to be forbidden - all the same sweet, flour, potatoes. In this case, the slowdown in weight gain should not be scared, although it does not hurt to consult a doctor.
Before birth
Calculation of weight during pregnancy can be fraught with some surprises if you do not know the patterns that occur in the body. The schedule for the increase in kilograms of the future mother can not only persistently go up. Before birth, weight gain can not only slow down and stop, but also reverse. Loss of 1-2 kg even serves as one of the criteria by which doctors and pregnant women themselves predict an early birth. True, along with the discharge of the mucous plug and prolapse of the abdomen, this symptom only approximately speaks of the forthcoming birth. One has several days of waiting, the other a couple of weeks.
Pregnancy and sports
Of course, do not give up physical activity during pregnancy. Of course, many types of activity will be significantly limited, because they are associated with the risk of miscarriage. But such activities as swimming, yoga for pregnant women, will only benefit. Moreover, specially designed exercises help prepare a woman’s body for childbirth. Also, the fetus needs oxygen, so walking is very useful. They should be continued until the very last days of pregnancy. Of course, if it becomes difficult to move, you have to reduce distances and slow down.
Exercising in pregnant women depends on what physical fitness was before pregnancy. For example, pregnant women are not recommended to lift weights, if ordinary expectant mothers should not carry heavy packages from the store and it is better to ask loved ones or to buy in parts, then the woman who was engaged in power lifting before pregnancy lifted 100 kg, and during - only 50 This is a little for her. Of course, you should not be equal to her. Therefore, if there was an unsportsmanlike way of life before, then it is worth adding only light physical exertion and certainly walks in the fresh air. If you combine this with a sufficient, but not excessive diet, rich in vitamins, then calculating the weight during pregnancy is likely to please with acceptable numbers.