Weight Gain During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of those rare times in your adult life that you want to gain weight. But just some weight, right, not a hundred pounds. I mean after the baby is born, you won't want to keep that extra weight.

How Much Is Enough?

Gaining the right amount of weight during pregnancy is a good sign that your baby is getting all the nutrients he or she needs and is growing at a healthy rate. But you don't actually have to "eat for two", at least not 2 grown-ups. During the first three months of pregnancy, you should gain only 2 to 4 pounds if you are already starting from a healthy weight. You can do this by adding a mere 150 to 200 calories to your diet each day (which is good news if you're struggling with morning sickness.)

To give you an idea, any one of the snacks in this list is 200 calories or less

• 12 ounces of calcium-fortified orange juice
• 1 serving of low-fat yogurt
• a big handful of nuts
• a couple handfuls of dried fruit mix
• 5 or 6 wheat crackers with cheddar cheese slices
• 1 tablespoon of peanut butter on toast

What you eat counts! An extra cheeseburger or ice cream sundae is going to supplement your baby's nutrients as well as your thighs. Make healthy foods your extra calories.

After the first trimester, mommy-to-be should be gaining weight at about 1 pound per week. During the whole pregnancy, you will probably gain 25 to 35 pounds. However, how much weight you should gain depends on a number of factors like your pre-pregnancy weight and health conditions you might have like gestational diabetes. For instance, underweight women are often advised to gain 28-40 pounds during pregnancy and overweight women may need to gain only 15-25 pounds. Your doctor or midwife will let you know what is good for you.

Move Your Body

This is also a good time to make sure you have an appropriate exercise routine in place. Not only does this help you maintain a healthy weight, but it will help your body to adjust better to the changes it will be going through in the next months. Doctors have found that exercise does not increase your risk for miscarriage.

If you were already exercising, you can probably keep most of that routine in early pregnancy, and adjust as you go. If you are new to exercise, you can still begin a workout routine, but you should

• start very slowly and be careful not to over exert yourself,
• listen to your body and stop if it has questions,
• take frequent breaks and drink plenty of fluids during exercise.

Good workouts for pregnant women include swimming, yoga, and classes or courses specially designed for expecting mothers. It's best to check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.