The average pregnancy weight gain is said to be between 12-14 kilograms but it really does vary from person to person. In the last few months alone I have had one friend who gained 28 kilos and another who gained 6 kilos. All the other friends I have who have been pregnant fall somewhere in between – but it really does depend on a number of factors such as;
- Was the mum overweight or underweight to start with
- Did the mum suffer from morning sickness throughout
- Did the mum have a difficult pregnancy where any exercise was difficult
- Did the mum eat for two – literally…
- Was the mum overly stressed or depressed in the pregnancy
All of these factors play a significant role in how much weight we gain but the fact is that most of us are going to put on an amount of weight that would in normal circumstances make us panic. But weight gain in pregnancy is normal, healthy and necessary for the development of the baby and there is no point dwelling on it and worrying about it in the lead up to the birth.
Yes – it is not advisable to eat a tub of ice cream every night accompanied by a family sized bar of chocolate and a packet of chocolate biscuits – but there is also no point trying to torture yourself by counting calories to the extreme and stressing about every pound you gain.
The most important thing is to ensure you are getting all of the right nutrition for you and your baby and that should be the focus as opposed to either a) going crazy on the “I’m eating for two” line or b) worrying about all of the extra weight you are putting on and then trying to limit your calorie intake.
