"Adding calories" in 2nd trimester
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Anonymous
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So I'm almost 14 weeks, and my OB's office advises an additional 250-300 calories per day once I get into 2nd trimester, which would be next week. I already feel like I'm eating plenty - 3 well rounded meals, plus 2 snacks a day. I didn't have morning sickness so my appetite has been fine. Is the added calories recommendation more for people who aren't eating enough as it is? A bit about me, I'm 5'10, was 143 lbs pre-pregnancy and am 145 now (some days 146, some days 144), athletic build, so I'm definitely a good eater. If I really need to eat more, do I just add another snack? Eat a bigger meal? Or just focus extra on making sure what I'm eating is nutrient dense? I know 250-300 calories is not a large amount of food, and I'm cautious of overdoing it because I really don't want to gain more than the recommended amount of weight.
How did you guys "add" these calories? |
Anonymous
| Just eat when you’re hungry. Stop when you feel full. It’s not that complicated. |
Anonymous
| I agree with PP to eat to hunger and drink to thirst. That said, if you have no appetite, a glass of full-fat milk twice a day will get you there. When I was postpartum and had zero appetite, my supply tanked and this was the advice that the baby's ped gave me (3 glasses a day to get 500 extra calories). It's the only thing that worked to get my supply, such as it was, back up. |
Anonymous
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I don’t remember my OB telling me to add in calories. She more just checked my weight at my appointments, to make sure I was gaining the right amount of weight.
I’d just eat healthy, when you’re hungry. Don’t stress about it. |
Anonymous
This bolded line is a bit confusing - those numbers are on the lower side of normal BMI range. I'm not sure how it is supposed to indicate that you're "definitely a good eater"? That combined with the underlined makes me think you're maybe giving your OB the impression that you're unhealthily prioritizing watching your weight during the pregnancy and they're pushing back against that. |
Anonymous
No, they're not pushing back against anything. We haven't even discussed it, they gave me a packet and it said 2nd trimester you add 250-300 calories and 3rd trimester you add 350-400. It's my first pregnancy and I'm trying to do everything by the book. My normal weight is smack in the middle of the recommended weight for someone my height, I'm underweight and not overweight - hence I'm a good eater. What I was trying to say was that I am not one of those people who diets all the time and really needs to change up their shit because they're pregnant (and I've got LOTS of friends like that!) |
Anonymous
This makes sense to me. That's why the concept of actively adding more calories does seem complicated to me. |
Anonymous
| It's just a guideline. If you eat when you are hungry and drink when you are thirsty, you'll be fine. They just don't want people either restricting calories, or going wild "eating for two." |
Anonymous
| The baby is teeny tiny still. I agree with eat when hungry. My OB said to gain maybe 3-5 in the first half and then a pound a week after that...just as a guidelines. |
Anonymous
Oops- meant I'm NOT underweight and NOT overweight. 
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Anonymous
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Agree, just eat when you're hungry. But don't restrict yourself because you're worried about gaining too much weight.
I think these guidelines are probably intended to stop people from eating like 1,000 more calories when they get pregnant. |
Anonymous
This. You don't need to count calories. I was ravenous at certain points in my pregnancy. And had a more normal appetite other times. Don't count calories, just listen to your body. Try to make snacks protein heavy. |
Anonymous
If you are underweight, your OB may be concerned about the size of the baby. Heavier babies tend to do better at birth (not always, but more often). I wouldn't spend much time thinking about it unless you are very under or very over the average weight range for your height. |