Gained What!?

I wanted to write a post about pregnancy weight gain. My last appointment with the doctor brought on a lecture about gaining too much weight and trying to lose the weight after birth. Plus, “no one wants a big baby when they deliver.”  Well, duh! I had only gained 10 lbs and was at 20 weeks and 4 days, and NEVER thought that I was on par to have a “big baby” because I couldn’t say no to the cookies and french fries! I was left wondering if I really deserved a lecture, along with many questions…

Am I really gaining, too much? How much, is too much?  Yes, the holidays are coming, does that mean I can’t enjoy them, at all? How was my weight all the rest of the months? These were all the questions I had after my appointment and I was so taken aback at my appointment that I couldn’t verbalize them all to ask, while I was there. Not to mention, that my dear sweet husband was there with me, to hear the whole thing. Which made him say he was going to take all the snack things out of the house and give them away at the office. Oh boy, I didn’t take that one so well. Especially since I was already in a salty mood, from the doctor.

What’s a girl to do? I ended up being angry and depressed for a while, not knowing the details of what the situation really was. Once I was ready to talk about it, I started seeking out what others had experienced. Just to see if I was the only one in my boat. I got the following responses:

• 10 lbs is a lot, I only gained that my whole pregnancy.

• I gained  20 lbs by the time I was 20 weeks.

• I’m at 22 weeks and gained 13 lbs.

• When I was pregnant I gained 65 lbs and it took me 1.5 years to take it off.

• I gained over 70 lbs. with mine, don’t worry.

Over all, my friends thought that I was fine, but those responses are all over the map. One person said that I would gain too much one month and then not enough the next; my weight gain would fluctuate. So, when I went in this month I made sure I asked, and found out that I was under for this check-up! Whew, my friend was right and I am now relieved. But do you think that the doctor said anything about doing well this month, compared to last month — NO! Like I said, I had to ask. Which lead me to believe that you won’t get a thumbs up when you are on track, but you will get a lecture if you aren’t. As if, feeling like a house and having all the aches and pains with the turmoil of the hormones weren’t enough.

The whole month, it was on my mind and I thought about it constantly. Started doing more exercise and tried to change around how much I was eating at what time of day. Plus, weighing myself every time I went to the gym, before and after yoga class. I felt obsessed and a little bitter. Because there was NO WAY I was going to throw away my goodies for this holiday season!

I guess, all I need to do is keep up what I am doing and try not to stress about it. We will see how well that goes. In the meantime, for all you pregnant ladies out there wondering what the actual weight gain is “supposed” to be, here it is:

If you are considered a normal weight with a BMI of 18.5-24.9, then your total weight gain for the whole pregnancy should fall between 25-35 lbs. Here is how it breaks down…

1-5 lbs. for the first trimester

1 lb each week for the second and third trimesters

According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), dated 2009

Good luck to all the mom-to-be’s out there with managing this weight thing and still feeling good about yourself. It’s tough, and if your doctor is anything like mine (I suspect most are), then you will have to be your own cheering squad. It’s ok to do that, too. Love yourself and that little baby, your body is doing amazing things. Even if, your body gets away with itself. Keep it in stride, re-evaluate, be realistic, and search out friendly advise to ease your mind.

Personally, I like to think about the little life that’s being created and how much I can’t believe it’s actually happening (to me). That little fact keeps me smiling. 🙂