Mummy Buzz

Jun
23
2014

Should You Worry About Weight Gain During Pregnancy?

If we look and feel healthy, can't we give ourselves a break?

pregnancy weight gain

One of the perks of being pregnant is pigging out with impunity. But should we really be 'eating for two'? In a blog on Today, host Savannah Guthrie worried about surpassing the recommended 25-30lbs gain 30 weeks into her pregnancy.

Mercifully, her OB/GYN's reaction was all, "You're pregnant. Don't worry about it." Yet some medical practitioners go by the book, and launch into lecture-mode on patients who exceed the weight guidelines.

"I know we shouldn't pile on the pounds during pregnancy," said Guthrie. "It isn't healthy, and we don't want to dig a weight gain hole so deep we can't Jazzercise our way out of it. But let's keep it in perspective. It is just a recommendation. If we look and feel healthy, can't we give ourselves a break?"

Some doctors are like watchdogs, tracking gain in the first trimester, while others turn a blind eye. My own midwife had a pretty lackadaisical attitude toward my weight gain. In hindsight, I'd have preferred she had been more insistent about the number on the scale: I went on to gain a whopping 50lbs! 

Spill it: How much weight did you pack on while pregnant?
 
Are doctors right to caution pregnant women about weight gain, or is the number on the scale ultimately irrelevant, provided they are healthy?
 
This pregnant woman's diet furrowed a few brows.