Pregnancy Weight gain by Trimesters

Pregnancy is a gestation period. Pregnancy is a phase where weight gain is an important factor. Weight gain is obvious as a human is carrying another human and yes your first step towards motherhood. You go through many changes throughout your pregnancy and the biggest and the common is weight gain.

What are the reasons for Weight Gain during Pregnancy?

Pregnancy and weight gain go hand in hand as in you move through pregnancy phase, weight gain will also. It is the demand of the body to increase weight as in turn will help to nourish and nurture your baby during pregnancy. It is essential to get a healthy weight gain during pregnancy. But make sure with the doctor that the weight you gain is normal as required. Weight gain during pregnancy depends on some of the factors like genetic, your metabolism and yes it varies with Body Mass Index (BMI).

Impact of Too much weight gain

If you increase too much weight gain against the recommendation, you could get complications in labor and normal delivery. Too much weight gain can also cause you to stretch marks and hypertension. So, do gain weight but healthy weight gain. Don't just double your calories which becomes difficult for you to lose after pregnancy.

Impact of less weight gain

If you have less weight gain during pregnancy then you give birth to low birth weight baby and some problems like preeclampsia occur. So, do gain at least normal weight during pregnancy to avoid such problems.

How much weight should a pregnant woman gain by trimester?

Pregnancy is divided into three trimesters i.e 3 months of each. Every trimester the weight you will gain will be different.

During the first trimester

During the first trimester of pregnancy, the weight you can is negligible. As is the initial phase you are carrying a fetus which is tiny. So, the weight gain will be somewhere between 0.5 kgs-2 kgs. And some women may not gain weight during the initial phase because of "morning sickness" but its normal.

During the second trimester

During the second trimester of pregnancy, the baby begins to grow so there is a high demand for energy to the body, and yes the weight gain is important here. Weight gain during the second trimester is around 6 kgs.

During the third trimester

During the third trimester of pregnancy, the weight gain is 0.2-0.5 kgs per week. The weight increases gradually during this trimester.

Weight Gain During Pregnancy

According to BMI, if a woman is underweight(less than 18.5) then the weight gain normally is 12 -18 kgs and, if a woman is a normal weight(18.5-24.9) then the weight gain is 11-15 kgs and if, overweight(25-29.9) then weight gain is 6-11 kgs.

How to maintain a healthy pregnancy?

As we have discussed the reasons for, and distribution of weight gain during pregnancy. Now, we'll think of how to maintain a healthy pregnancy by following simple healthy steps. Do follow these tips for a healthy baby.

Eat healthily: Have a proper diet including all nutrients, vitamins, iron, and, calcium. Do have a schedule of what to eat so to get every nutrient.

Stay hydrated: Have 6-8 glasses of liquid including milk and, juices.

Do walk: Have a habit of walking 15- 20 mins a day to boost the immune system.

Have prenatal visits and test: To avoid any complications during pregnancy, have a prenatal visit.