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Here’s a Quick Way to Understand Pregnancy Trimester and Weight Gain

Being pregnant, you should only gain between 25-30 pounds, which your doctor will tell you.  5 pounds during your first trimester, although more often than not most women find that they lose weight their first trimester.  The culprit to this is morning sickness.  A few women may suffer from an extreme form of morning sickness, where they can’t keep anything down.  This is normally not too much of a concern for your doctor if you lose a few pounds, as long as you gain a consistent amount of weight during the next two trimesters.

The second trimester is where you will find yourself gaining the most weight.  Most pregnant women will find themselves gaining around a pound a week.  This is roughly around four to five pounds a month, bringing their second trimester weight gain to around 12-15 pounds.  There are a few women who may put on more than others.  Do not be surprised if you put on a lot of weight one month and not so much your next.

For the 7th and 8th month you will should probably continue about a pound each week or so.  Try to aim for between 8 and 10 pounds in those months.  During the 9th month, most women will find their weight slowing down.  You might find your weight gain coming to a end as your due date draws nearer.  This can be a sign that labor is on the horizon.  Or, you could still find yourself gaining weight, but it’s mainly water retention.

So where does all this weight go? It doesn’t really make sense that you should gain between 25-30 pounds if your baby is only going to weigh between 7 and 8 pounds.  Okay, so let’s break it down and see what happens to all that weight.

First, you have your baby.  A average baby weights about 7 1/2 pounds.  Some can weigh more and some weigh less.  The amniotic fluid that your baby has been living in for the past nine months, weights around 2 pounds.  Add an additional 2 pounds for breast enlargement and around 1 1/2 pounds for the baby’s placenta.  Your uterus, which started off about the size of a golf ball has grown to weigh about 2 pounds.  Your body should be producing about 4 pounds of extra blood by the end of your pregnancy and about 7 extra pounds of fat.  Let’s not forget the extra fluid of about 4 pounds that your body might be holding on to.  This all equates to a grand total of roughly 30 pounds.

Now keep in mind this is just a estimate and not a guarantee of how your weight will fall.  There are some women you end up delivering a 10 pound baby, while others only deliver a 5 pound baby.  The key is to maintain a healthy weight gain throughout your pregnancy.  During pregnancy, your body requires additional calories, that are obtained via high quality fruits and vegetables.  Staying away from junk for will help you curb your weight gain.

When it comes to losing the weight after giving birth, don’t panic if the weight doesn’t drop off immediately.    Keep in mind, that you took nine whole months to gain the weight, and you may need that same amount of time to lose the weight.

Are you trying to conceive or know of someone who is trying to get pregnant?  Check out the conceiving website for all your conceiving answers.