Weight Gain and Pregnancy: Should the standards change?

By Jacqueline Bodnar  

For Catherine Cooper, of Zachary, La., pregnancy weight gain is an issue that is always on her mind, as it is for most expecting mothers. At six months pregnant she has gained a total of 21 pounds.

“My doctor has not said anything to me about my weight gain yet. I have kind of been watching what I eat, trying to be good and not eat bad things,” says Cooper. “I try to spread out how often I eat, every two hours, and not eat heavy meals. I have added more fruits to my diet and lots of water. I guess I have been lucky so far, but 21 pounds is a lot I think, with three months still left to go.”

Like Cooper, most women are under an incredible amount of social pressure to maintain a certain body figure. Unfortunately, this pressure continues to plague women while they are pregnant and more so after they give birth to their bundle of joy. It seems that every year the standard for how much weight a woman should gain during pregnancy is questioned. The change in the standard today does not focus on the mother’s health as much as on the child’s health. For instance, women who do not gain enough weight during pregnancy risk having a premature baby while women who eat too much are likely to have an overweight baby.

The Current Standards

The weight gain standards for pregnancy are often split into categories, which include those mothers that are underweight, average weight, overweight, and obese. Depending on which category the expecting mother falls into, this will determine how much weight she should approximately put on.  According to the Mayo Clinic, women who are underweight should generally gain between 28 to 40 pounds, average weight should gain between 25 and 35 pounds, overweight should gain between 15 and 25 pounds while obese women should gain at minimum, 15 pounds.

Yet every woman and pregnancy is unique. This means that depending on whether you are having multiple babies, in the case of multiples, than these weight gain approximations will change. However, a pregnant woman should consult her physician when it comes to her weight gain. Studies have shown that the excess weight gain may also lead to childhood obesity. According to the Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention of Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, women who gain the standard of weight to excess weight gain, are four times more probable to have a child who develops obesity in his or her early childhood. Likewise, women who are already overweight may increase the risk of contracting gestational diabetes so in this case the health of the mother is at risk by excess weight gain. 

Skip the Stress

A pregnant woman should not worry over her excess or low weight gain for multiple reasons. Undue stress can create other complications with the pregnancy such as increased bodily aches, mood swings and sharp pains and in the most extreme cases, miscarriages and premature births. If a woman stresses about her weight gain, she may end up not gaining enough weight which will also cause complications with the pregnancy such as malnourishment and a premature birth. Social stress is another factor that women suffer from during pregnancy. They believe that if they do not gain a lot of weight during pregnancy then they will not have to lose a lot of weight after giving birth in order to maintain that ideal body figure.  This latter type of stress and insufficient amount of weight gain is unhealthy to the mother and the child. The weight that a woman gains during pregnancy is not a matter of going straight to the hips and thighs but rather is allocated to certain areas of the body for the healthy development of the child.

For example, according to the American Pregnancy Association, a woman will gain about 7.5 pounds as the weight of the baby, 1.5 pounds for the placenta, two pounds for the increase of breast tissue, 7 pounds of amniotic fluid and a general four pounds for increased fluid volume, two pounds for the uterus, seven stored pounds of protein, fat and other nutrients for a healthy baby and another four pounds attributed to the increase in blood volume. Therefore, the weight that a woman gains is crucial to a healthy pregnancy and it is good to gain it. 

Media Portrayal

Regrettably, the media sources who report on celebrity pregnancies do not convey the most encouraging message for pregnant women. They idolize women such as Halle Berry, Angelina Jolie and Nicole Richie for looking fabulous just weeks after giving birth. Although pictures may not lie, the media sources may neglect to mention the available time these women have to work out, money for personal trainers and elite plastic surgery in some cases. Many expecting mothers feel this social pressure to look and weigh just as they did before their pregnancy after giving birth which greatly affects the duration of pregnancy and weight gain. 

Gaining weight is part of pregnancy and no woman should be ashamed of her body as she is giving life. There is always a grand temptation to indulge in chocolate ice cream, pizza, and other delectable cravings while pregnant. A pregnant woman should not always be denied these pleasures but if she is worried about her appearance after giving birth, the more nutritious foods that she is alimenting herself with and the less cookies and ice cream she is eating, this can solve many of these weight gain and post pregnancy appearance conflicts.  A physician should monitor the weight gain and under no circumstances should a women try to diet during pregnancy. You may even visit a nutritionist who will help create a healthy eating plan for you and your new baby so that you stay on your target weight gain for pregnancy. The most important part of a pregnancy is not how the new mom is going to look afterward giving birth but rather the health and safety of her new born child.   

Jacqueline Bodnar is a freelance writer that lives in Port Orange, Fla. with her husband and two children.