Manage Weight Gain During Pregnancy

Worried your weight isn’t staying on track during your pregnancy? Concerned you are going to gain too much weight, or already have? Or maybe health conditions or morning sickness are preventing you from gaining weight, and you’re concerned for your little one’s health.

There is already a lot of societal pressure about looking a certain way and being healthy, but still accepting your body for what it does. Finding that balance in daily life is hard enough without the added stress of pregnancy. And the pressure about weight and looks can become even more daunting when you are pregnant.

The last thing you want to do is put your little one at any risk. So, what advice do you follow? Can you be on a diet while you are pregnant? Is there anything you shouldn’t be eating? What about when morning sickness is so bad you are losing weight? How do you avoid gestational diabetes?

There’s a lot of advice (i.e. “you’re eating for two”) that isn’t helpful or accurate. And there is much more advice that, although generally good, may not be best for you. You want to gain the right amount of weight for you at the right time for you. The goal of every pregnancy is keeping you and baby healthy to set your lives up for a healthy start when your newborn (or newborns) arrive.

Remember, each person is unique when it comes to how, where and when they gain weight during their pregnancy. Understanding some basic principles about healthy eating, average pregnancy weight trends and things to watch for can help you feel better in between your doctor appointments. Additionally, understanding how family or personal medical history comes into play during pregnancy can create the healthiest pathways to appropriate weight gain.