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Pregnancy weight gain guidelines out
Obese women in the United States should gain only 11 to 20 pounds during pregnancy, according to new guidelines released this morning by the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council.
But those are the only changes made to 19-year-old recommendations that set weight gain goals during pregnancy. The old rules still apply for women of normal weight, who should gain between 25 pounds and 35 pounds. Underweight women should gain between 28 and 40 pounds. And overweight women should gain between 15 and 25 pounds.
The new guidelines are tied to a women's body mass index, or BMI. BMI is based on a person's weight and height. You can find out your BMI by using this online calculator.
A BMI for a healthy women is between 18.5 to 24.9. Underweight women have a BMI of less than 18.5. And overweight women have a BMI of 25 to 29.9 pounds.
An obese women's BMI is greater than 30.
The report released today calls for more diet and exercise counseling and programs to help women reach a normal BMI. About two-thirds of U.S. women of childbearing age are overweight or obese. Researchers recommend that women should conceive while they are at the normal BMI and gain within the guidelines during pregnancy.
Expectant mothers who gain too much have an increased risk of keeping those extra pounds after birth and needing a C-section. Babies risk being born preterm or larger than normal with extra fat. That can raise the chances for future health problems, including heart disease and diabetes, the report says.
Bottomline: It looks like these guidelines don't change the rules for most women, but are a caution against gaining too much whatever weight you start out at.
Read more about all this in our Mom2Mom poll on this subject or in a post I wrote about it earlier this week about my own experiences.
Comments
I guess my situation was a little driffrent. I weighed 165 pounds at 5 ' 10" , 23 years ago when I got pregnant, my first four months of pregnancy weight gain were normal. After the fourth month weight started to pile on and I was haveing a hard time eating. My baby was born at 32 weeks with me having gained up to 265 lbs. I did not over eat. My baby was born healthy. What went wrong, "My Thyroid" ! It went into overload during the pregnancy.
Since then all weight gain has been contributed to me battleing the thyroid disease and issues. My daughter is now 22, slim and healthy. No diabetes, no heart disease. I feel very blessed. Most Obgyn check Thyroid during first blood draw with a host of other things, If you start gaining weight rapidly, have your thyroid checked again especially around month five and six. Just a thought!
That's a really good point!
Great post, it will give a hint among pregnant women the desired BMI that they have to meet. Pregnancy is a delicate process they are ought to follow the necessary measure to keep both the mother and the baby safe. Aside from that I think it will be a big help if they wiull eat a well balance and nutritious food.Stores such as Whole Foods stock their shelves with things like beans, pasta, rice, and also bulk produce that is sans chemical additives, and in bulk and on the cheap. You'll have to cook more, but shopping at natural food stores is like a payday cash loan to your own health.
Pregnancy is different for every woman. Weight gain is an important part of the pregnancy process. It’s important for women to realize that EVERYONE is different when it comes to gaining weight during pregnancy and losing it afterwards. Exercise during pregnancy is usually safe (ask your doctor), but your body is already working hard to gear up for birth. Although it isn’t recommended that pregnant women workout strenuously, sometimes a bodybuildingprogram can be utilized after the baby is born to help regain the mother’s shape. Since taking the baby to the gym may not be an option at first, doing workout program from the privacy of your own home may be the best choice. Again, it’s all about personal preference and every woman is different!