POLOKWANE – I am a registered dietitian and mother of two girls, 10 months old and 5 years old, and through work and friends, I have to come to realise that when it comes to weight gain during pregnancy, few people are sure about how much and why.
You get women who are weight conscious and aim to only gain 4kg to 5kg while pregnant, because the baby will weigh between 3kg to 4kg and gaining more than that seems devastating to them.
There are women who are overweight when they fall pregnant and are not sure how much they are supposed to pick up or are they supposed to just keep their weight stable? And then you also get the women who see pregnancy as a time to relax and eat whatever and however much they want with no regard to weight gain, which leads to too much weight gain and difficulty losing weight after having their babies.
So what is the right amount to gain during pregnancy?
During pregnancy, a women should typically gain 1kg to 2kg during the first trimester and about 0.5kg per week during the second and third trimesters. This means that a healthy woman with normal weight when she falls pregnant should gain 12kg to 14kg during her 40 weeks of pregnancy.
Weight gained during pregnancy can be broken down as follows: 3kg to 4kg for the baby, 1.4kg amniotic fluid, 1.5kg additional fluid, 1.5kg uterus, 0.6kg placenta, 1.4kg blood, 0.9kg breasts, 2.7kg fat and 2.7kg stores. This equals to 15,7kg to 16,7kg.
Too little weight gain may increase your risk for pregnancy induced hypertension and a low birth weight baby, while too much weight gain can increase risk of complications during pregnancy and delivery. If you are worried about your weight gain during pregnancy, book a visit with your nearest dietitian and get the right nutritional advice to keep you and your baby healthy during pregnancy.
Visit www.adsa.org to find a dietitian in your area.
Anke van Waveren
Registered dietician
