You will slowly put on weight as your baby grows. The amount of weight you gain can have an impact on your health and the health of your unborn child. For example, too much weight gain can increase your risk of gestational diabetes. Talk to your doctor or midwife if you are worried about the amount of weight you are gaining during your pregnancy (or not).

Normal weight gain during pregnancy

Your pre-pregnancy weight will determine how much weight you gain during your pregnancy.

Calculate your pre-pregnancy body mass index first before determining how much weight you should acquire (BMI). The BMI calculation formula is as follows:

kilos of your pre-pregnancy weight divided by the square of your height (in metres).

Therefore, 68 / 1.7 x 1.7 = 23.5 would be your BMI if you were 1.7m tall and 68kg.

You were in the healthy weight range before being pregnant if your BMI was between 18.5 and 24.9, and you should ideally gain between 11.5 and 16 kg: 1 to 1.5 kg during the first three months, then 1.5 to 2 kg each month until you give birth.

You should have gained less if your weight was over the healthy range. You should increase your weight gain if it is below the healthy level.

How to put on the right weight while pregnant?

Try these suggestions if your doctor advises you to put on weight while pregnant:

• Every day, eat five to six modest meals.
• Keep easy, quick snacks like nuts, raisins, cheese and crackers, dried fruit, and yoghurt on hand.
• On bread, crackers, apples, bananas, and celery, spread peanut butter. A tablespoon of creamy peanut butter contains 7 grams of protein and around 100 calories.
• For mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, and hot cereal, add nonfat powdered milk.
• To enhance your dish, include extras like cheese, butter or margarine, cream cheese, gravy, sour cream, or both.

What Happens if Pregnancy Causes You to Gain Too Much Weight?

Speak with your doctor if you've put on more weight than is advised. You should often postpone weight loss till after delivery.

Here are some suggestions for reducing weight gain:

• When eating fast food, go for lower-fat options like plain bagels, plain baked potatoes, or a broiled chicken breast sandwich with tomato and lettuce (no sauce or mayonnaise). Avoid eating things like breaded chicken patties, mozzarella sticks, and French fries.
• Skip the whole milk items. Every day, you should have four servings of milk products. But if you use skim, 1%, or 2% milk, you'll consume a lot fewer calories and fat. Select yoghurt or cheese that is low-fat or fat-free as well.
• Cut back on sugary or sweet beverages. Soft drinks, fruit punch, fruit drinks, iced tea, lemonade, and powdered drink mixes are examples of sweetened beverages that are high in empty calories. To avoid unnecessary calories, choose water, club soda, or mineral water.
• Avoid seasoning food with salt during cooking. You retain water when you consume salt.
• Limit your intake of sugary and caloric snacks. Foods high in calories and low in nourishment include cookies, sweets, doughnuts, cakes, syrup, honey, and potato chips. Avoid consuming these meals on a daily basis. As low-calorie alternatives, consider fresh fruit, low-fat yoghurt, angel food cake with strawberries, or pretzels.
• Limit the number of calorie- and sugar-rich snacks you eat. Cookies, candies, doughnuts, cakes, syrup, honey, and potato chips are examples of foods that are high in calories yet low in nutrition. Take care not to eat these meals every day. Think about fresh fruit, low-fat yoghurt, angel food cake with strawberries, or pretzels as low-calorie substitutes.
• Use fats only sometimes. Examples of fats include lard, sour cream, cream cheese, gravy, sauces, mayonnaise, regular salad dressings, and butter. Think about low-fat options.
• Prepare food in a wholesome manner. Fat and calories are added when food is fried in oil or butter. Cooking methods that are healthy include boiling, grilling, broiling, and baking.