What is the healthy or normal weight gain during pregnancy that won’t affect your baby’s health? That depends on several different factors. The first and most important is your pre-pregnancy weight.

Height-weight charts are not completely accurate, they are merely to be used as guidelines, since they do not take into consideration a person’s bone structure or muscularity. Body-mass index guides are not much better either.

However, as a general rule of thumb, if you were of an average pre-pregnancy weight, you should look to gain between 25 and 35 pounds while you are pregnant. A three pound difference can be due to water-weight, not fat, but much of the water will be lost during delivery and the days following, so three pounds is not anything to worry about.

If you are expecting twins, you should gain more. Somewhere between a 37 and 54 pound gain is recommended by the National Institutes of Medicine.

It is possible to measure your body fat, although it is more difficult during pregnancy. Your doctor should be able to tell you whether or not how much you currently weigh is healthy.

The foods that you eat can affect the amount you gain. For example, eating foods high in sodium will cause you to put on more water weight. They can also cause your blood pressure to skyrocket.

What about the healthy or normal weight gain during pregnancy for someone that is underweight?

A lot depends on how much underweight the woman was prior to conception. Somewhere between 27 and 40 pounds should be acceptable and not cause undue stress on the heart or bones.

Ideally, she would gain the pounds by eating higher quantities of healthy foods – more fruits and vegetables, more lean protein and increasing her intake of omega-3 fats. Eating more junk food is never a good idea.

Many women are found to be overweight or obese during their first checkup. Doctors may advise against putting on any extra pounds. At most, an overweight woman should put on 25 pounds. The more she weighs during the first trimester, the less she should gain as the months go by.

One to five pounds is considered the normal weight gain during pregnancy in the first trimester. But recent studies indicate that there is no need to put on any pounds during the first 14 weeks.

From week 14 until the delivery, a gain of one pound per week is acceptable. Gaining more than that may increase your child’s risk of being overweight or obese. It may also increase their risk of heart disease according to one study.

Striving to stay within the healthy and normal weight gain ranges during pregnancy may seem difficult, but it is good for both you and your baby, and studies have shown that even your hospital stay can be shorter, since recovery times are accelerated with a healthy diet. Keeping your pregnancy weight gain under control also means that you are less likely to need to lose weight while pregnant.

Unsure of what to eat and when to eat it to ensure you maintain a normal weight during pregnancy? Check out this guide here that tells you everything ==> Normal Weight Gain During Pregnancy

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