Safe weight gain during pregnancy - how much should you pick up?

The most common misconception among expectant moms has to be the “eating for two” theory: the belief that in order for their baby to grow and develop well, they must now double their portion sizes at every meal.

This often results in unnecessary weight gain during pregnancy which then results in weight that seems impossible to lose post pregnancy. It is important that expectant moms understand that eating patterns do not need to change drastically and can in fact be easily adapted to their lifestyles.

In fact, during the first trimester, eating patterns need not change at all and moms-to-be can quite happily continue eating as normal. The second and third trimesters require approximately 1 200kj extra per day which can easily be achieved by having an extra glass of milk at breakfast or an extra sandwich at lunch or even having an extra portion of protein at dinner.

The changes can be small and distributed throughout the day, so need not result in moms feeling overfull and uncomfortable.

It is important to remember that weight gain during pregnancy does not only come from the baby but also from increased breast size, increased fluid retention and the growing of the placenta. Use the following as a guide for safe weight gain. It’s important to use your pre-pregnancy weight to see which category you fit into.

Normal weight	Underweight	Overweight	Pregnant with twins
11,5-16kg	12,5-18kg	7-11,5kg	16-20kg
A safe gain of 0.3-0.5kg a week during the 2^nd and 3^rd trimesters is important.	Eating for two does not apply for underweight mothers either. The goal is to ensure safe weight gain.	This is no time for dieting. Risks of long labour, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney infections and blood clots are high.