Healthy Weight Gain During Pregnancy
Gaining weight during pregnancy is vital to the health of the baby. The unborn child gets all the nutrition he or she needs from the food that you intake. There are certain ranges of weight gain that is considered healthy.
The body needs to gain weight to accommodate the certain changes it will undergo. The baby growing in your belly will weigh approximately 7 to 8 pounds. Other changes like placenta, amniotic fluid, maternal breast tissue maternal blood will also weigh a few pounds and this is where the extra gained weight is distributed.
For women who are healthy prior to the pregnancy, 25 to 35 pounds is the range that she should gain. For women who are underweight, 28 to 40 pounds should be added to the body and 15 to 25 pounds should be gained for overweight women.
Weight gain fluctuates depending on each trimester of the pregnancy. More weight should be gained during the first trimester although due to morning sickness, some women have a hard time. A steadier rate is maintained during the second and third trimesters. It is important to know what your body needs during pregnancy and eat healthy to give your baby the proper nutrients.
