Concerned About Wife’s Pregnancy Weight

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the doctor concerned with what she's eating and how she's gaining?

OP here. The doctor has told her she needs to bump up calories because she is on the thin side. She’s 27 weeks and has only gained 12lbs. She eats roughly 1500 calories I would guess. She started at 120lbs.

It’s not even the weight. It’s more so the way that I notice she doesn’t eat as much anymore. I know women eat smaller meals as they get further along, but she will eat like a boiled egg and claim she is full for 5 hours. If she is hungry and she has “ ate too much”, she just drinks a ton of water to stop the hunger. She does this with with her cravings too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:25-35 lbs?!? Every pregnancy I gained 40-50lbs. Lost all but 10 lbs each time.

OP not your business to lecture your wife on weight. Her OB monitors her.

OP here. This is what the doctor recommended. My wife asked what a healthy weight gain is and she said they recommend 25-30lbs.

[Anonymous]

I was about 185 lbs when I got pregnant with my third child. I never lost the baby weight after first two pregnancies. I delivered with the midwives at GW and I was almost denied for my third pregnancy because of the increased likelihood of complications. I really cleaned up my eating and exercised daily but still had a few treats here and there. My weight at my last appt was 193, which was two days before I delivered. Baby was 9lb, 2oz. As long as baby is growing healthy and doctor is not concerned, don’t worry too much the numbers on the scale because weight gain varies!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How far along is she? How much has she gained? How much did she weigh prior to pregnancy?

OP here. She is 27 weeks and has gained 12lbs. She weight 120lbs or somewhere around there before she got pregnant.

[Anonymous]

Back off unless OB or midwife is concerned. I gained 50 lbs with both pregnancies and lost it all. Bodies do what they’re gonna do, so please let this go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My friend who had an eating disorder in college only gained 18 pounds with both of her pregnancies. Healthy babies. I think she still has food issues.

Both pregnancies prompted comments from her OB to eat more/gain more. But she ended up with babies weighing 7-8lbs.

OP here. The baby is doing well and is measuring fine. Slightly smaller for a boy but the doctor isn’t concerned.

I think it is food issues. I want to see if she will see a therapist but I don’t want to make her feel bad about it. I know she has issues from past weight gain. She has worked really hard to get her body into shape at a point she felt happy about and then we got pregnant. She had told me she doesn’t plan to breastfeed because she would like to lose the weight quickly and you can’t diet while breastfeeding.

[Anonymous]

It does sound unhealthy, but I’m not sure what to recommend

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Back off unless OB or midwife is concerned. I gained 50 lbs with both pregnancies and lost it all. Bodies do what they’re gonna do, so please let this go.

OP here. This has nothing to do with gaining weight. It’s the fact that she isn’t gaining enough weight. I have tried to get her to eat more or treat herself in the hopes that she will. This is not the same thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Back off unless OB or midwife is concerned. I gained 50 lbs with both pregnancies and lost it all. Bodies do what they’re gonna do, so please let this go.

OP didn’t say anything about his wife gaining too weight. You gaining 50lbs and losing it right away has nothing to do with the situation.

[Anonymous]

I would start buying high calories foods. Full fat diary, protein bars, adding oils and butter to food, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the doctor concerned with what she's eating and how she's gaining?

OP here. The doctor has told her she needs to bump up calories because she is on the thin side. She’s 27 weeks and has only gained 12lbs. She eats roughly 1500 calories I would guess. She started at 120lbs.

It’s not even the weight. It’s more so the way that I notice she doesn’t eat as much anymore. I know women eat smaller meals as they get further along, but she will eat like a boiled egg and claim she is full for 5 hours. If she is hungry and she has “ ate too much”, she just drinks a ton of water to stop the hunger. She does this with with her cravings too.

I wouldn’t nag her about this, OP. I think for many people, weight comes at the end as she’s still got close to 3 months to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It does sound unhealthy, but I’m not sure what to recommend

+1. She sounds like she is afraid to gain too much weight and controlling her eating to not gain much. I would talk to her OB and have her suggest she see a therapist. This is not healthy. You do not want your kid to grow up with eating issues because of your wife.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would start buying high calories foods. Full fat diary, protein bars, adding oils and butter to food, etc.

+1. Sneak in the calories where you can. I had to do this with my toddler who wasn’t gaining enough weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What trimester? Can you make sure she has more healthy food around? What does she consider healthy? Yogurt, fruit, nuts, vegetables… proteins. It’s a struggle to cook and figure out what sounds appealing when you’re pregnant sometimes.

OP here. She is almost in the third trimester. We keep our fridge and pantry well stocked with healthy food. She eats everything you mentioned above. We stick to eating lean proteins, veggies, complex carbs, healthy fats, etc. She doesn’t eat much diary but does eat yogurt regularly. It’s the amount that she is eating that worries me. It doesn’t seem like enough. She also doesn’t eat many foods or won’t treat herself because it’s “ too unhealthy”.

I'm sorry she feels that way. 12 lbs is low for going into the third trimester. And one egg for five hours? Wow. Definitely some eating issues there.

The baby does need fat to develop its brain. If she's planning on nursing this could become an issue also. Babies who aren't fed enough don't sleep well and that tends to create maternal stress and so on. Have you consulted with anyone professional about this? Eating issues this deep definitely need professional help, and you're right that it's better to get a handle on it before the baby comes. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How far along is she? How much has she gained? How much did she weigh prior to pregnancy?

OP here. She is 27 weeks and has gained 12lbs. She weight 120lbs or somewhere around there before she got pregnant.

But has the OV told her she needs to gain more weight at this juncture?