Reasonable weight gain

[Anonymous]

I'm 5'5", and never lost the baby weight from DS #1, born last year. I'm 146 lbs, and about 7 weeks pregnant. I'm shooting to gain no more than 15 lbs. this time. Is that reasonable? First pregnancy I was sick all the time, didn't gain much until third trimester, and just never lost that last 16 lbs I would've liked. I have the first check up in a couple weeks and will talk to the dr, but wanted to get some real life experiences too.

[Anonymous]

15 sounds on the low end. I think they only recommend 15lbs for people who are obese. For Overweight, I think the recommendation is 15-25. For normal 25-30 and for under weight 30+. I wouldn't even characterize you as overweight so I think 15 is shooting too low. Talk to the doctor or nurse, even call if you can't wait til the appointment. Just please don't diet so that don't gain too much. Eat healthy foods in moderation and exercise and you will be fine. GL to you and happy 2nd pregnancy!

[Anonymous]

Congratulations on your pregnancy! Here's an example of where you gain your weight. You can see by adding it up that it doesn't leave much for baby, even excluding the stored protein and fat, which is variable, if you're shooting for 15 pounds.

7 pounds: extra stored protein, fat, and other nutrients
4 pounds: extra blood
4 pounds: other extra body fluids
2 pounds: breast enlargement
2 pounds: enlargement of your uterus
2 pounds: amniotic fluid surrounding your baby
1.5 pounds: the placenta

[Anonymous]

I was just researching weight gain during pregnancy online today since I'm about 21 weeks. I agree w/ the PP who stated that 15 lbs sounds on the low side for your size and that you should probably shoot for around 20 - 25 lbs? I would just eat healthy and as you would if you weren't pregnant. Pregnancy is no time for dieting. A lot of the weight is out of your control anyways, like the placenta, baby, water weight and extra blood volume, so there's really nothing you can do to prevent that.

I guess I just figure this is the one time in my life I can gain a reasonable amount of weight without feeling guilty. Enjoy it while it lasts!

[Anonymous]

At your current weight, you are just barely overweight. That means you should gain between 15 and 25. Don't try to diet to keep it own to 15, just eat healthy and you should have no problem keeping your weight gain within the advised window. If you find that you are putting on weight too fast, talk to your doctor, talk to a nurtitionist and look into low-impact exercise. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

No, 15 is not reasonable. And there's often little you can do to control the weight gain anyway. I mean, obviously, eating fettucini alfredo and Krispy Kremes at all hours of the day would increase the weight gain, but you often can eat differently during different pregnancies and still gain the same. And those guidelines of 15-25 if this, 25-35 if this, etc. are outdated. Just talk with your doctor.