Pregnancy Weight Gain - Johnson City,TN

Updated on February 03, 2011
H.S. asks from Johnson City, TN
7 answers

I am 18 weeks pregnant with my second baby and am having a hard time gaining any weight. I struggled with hyperemesis gravidarium up until a few weeks ago. I was on bed rest and lost close to 22 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight. Luckily, I am able to eat regularly again, but I cannot gain any weight. My baby is measuring normally, and all of my vitals including my blood pressure are great. My doctors are not especially concerned because I still fall in the "normal weight" range for my BMI. My BMI is 20.2, and I wouldn't be considered underweight unless it drops below 18.5. I lost 20+ lbs with my first pregnancy as well, but by 18 weeks - I was definitely gaining weight back. I eat throughout the entire day, as to keep food in my stomach at all times. I cannot eat peanut butter or nuts due to allergies, and I am still have a food aversion to avocados. I am drinking whole milk, and eating foods high in good fats. I love fresh fruits and vegetables, and have a very healthy diet. I'm not quite sure why I'm not gaining anything. Has anyone struggled with not gaining enough weight in pregnancy? Any tips for putting weight on? Thank you!

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H.S.

answers from Detroit on

Just keep doing what you're doing, especially with the whole milk; there are a lot of calories in whole milk. I would also eat more meat, chicken, beef, just make sure it's lean. Good luck.

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K.C.

answers from Orlando on

With my first I had the same "problem" (as I am not pregnant with my second and having no trouble gaining).
I lost about 15lbs at the begining of #1, basically because I couldn't stop throwing up. Because I was trying to eat, staying hydrated, and still a healthy weight my doctors also were not to concerned. I did end up gaining 20lbs with that one so really only a gain of 5lbs (-15 + 20 = 5) and my daughter was a healthy 7 pounder at 2 weeks early.
I would try not to stress about it, it seems as though you are doing everything right. Just don't start eating junky to try to gain weight. If the baby looks good and is measuring well, I don't see any need to be concerned.

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L.J.

answers from Lexington on

I was sick during one of my pregnancies and lost some weight. When I was finally feeling well again I put the weight on by eating lots of dairy. I probably overdid it, so you have to be careful, but that does help. I also learned after that pregnancy that eating ice cream helped increase my breast milk.

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L.S.

answers from Nashville on

Your instincts for what to eat are right on. Lots of good fats, lots of fruits and vegetables, keeping food going in all day (to stable blood sugar, keep energy up, decrease morning sickness and heartburn, etc.). If you feed your body well, the actual weight increase or decrease is moot. Your body will gain what it will. One of my couples had their full term 7# baby last weekend. She only gained 5#s all pregnancy. And that's fine. Another couple was very similar but gained about 50#s. The number is beside the point; it's how she nourishs herself and the little one that matters.

http://drbrewerpregnancydiet.com/index.html is an excellent resource for pregnancy nutrition.

L. S,
Certified Childbirth Instructor

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K.E.

answers from Jacksonville on

If the doctors are not concerned and the baby is measuring okay and doing well, do not stress about it.....I did not gain ANY weight until a month into my second trimester and I was NEVER sick......I gained 18 lbs my entire pregnancy.....I kept asking the doctor what was wrong those first 4 months and even after when the weight gain was slight and he would laugh at me and tell me not to worry that all was fine....It is so easy to get caught up in the, "I'm pregnant, I should be getting fat" stuff, but let your body do what it needs to do.....Eat well and make sure to get all the vitamins and nutrients you need and as long as the baby is doing fine, RELAX! Good luck and congrats!

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M.T.

answers from Memphis on

Every one is so worried about weight gain - it was the question my mom asked me the most while I was pregnant. I also lost weight initially but eventually started putting it on the second half of my preganancy. I had a 9 pound baby and he always measured big! I had a friend who was not sick but still did not gain any weight until ~22 to 24 weeks with both of her pregnancies. As long as you are eating a healthy balanced diet and the baby is doing well leave the worrying to the doctor. Just keep doing what you are doing because you could end up putting on more weight than you should.

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W.C.

answers from Lexington on

our family has multiple food allergies (many class 5, including nuts) - have you found PeanutFreePlanet.com, which also provides food free of MANY allergens. You can search by allergy/lifestyle/etc. I say this bc I just had my 3rd and while I have had a class 4 nut allergy (including peanut) for at least three years, I craved peanut butter endlessly throughout the last pregnancy. I only found WOW! School Safe Butter through PFP a week after delivery. This is the closest thing I've found to Peanut butter (although my husband assures me it doesn't taste like it. It has been incredible for me! We tried all of the peanut butter substitutes they offer and WOW butter was the only thing decent enough to swallow - and I love it bc to me it tastes just like peanut butter, but with a bit more sea salt flavor.

Addtionally, if you have an aversion to avocados, can you eat bananas? Could you possibly have a latex allergy? Have you been tested? I would suggest it. Warning: my food allergies increased dramatically during pregnancy. Paprika used to cause indigestion, but now my tongue/mouth swells and I get blisters internally everywhere it touches, just to name one. I would suggest getting a blood test for food allergies and avoid, avoid, avoid during pregnancy.

I'm not familiar with the condition you mentioned so I can't say I wouldn't worry, but all things considered it sounds as if you're still in the "OK" range. I've lived long enough and seen enough Dr's that I don't implicitly trust everything that comes out of their mouths anymore, regardless of who they are. If you feel like there's an ongoing issue, definitely continue to bring it up (pester if you have to), ask if maybe you're high risk and seek said professional or referral for such. Get a second opinion. Your instinct on this - especially since no one knows your body better than you - may reveal more about what's going on than the Dr. could. It certainly ALWAYS has in my case.

We eat as healthfully as possible - whole, organic foods, meals from scratch, etc. And many of our friends and acquaintances are the same. Regardless, I've had girlfriends who could only keep down/stay healthy during pregnancy on one or two foods - one gf who's a health nut spent her entire pregnancy able to eat ONLY McDonald's fries (BLAH!!!). If you're seriously concerned about weight gain - can you/have you tried fast foods? again....comes with a major ick factor in my opinion but sometimes one just has to do what you have to do....

Keep exercising, drink PLENTY (6L/day I think it is?), and if you're satisfied that the Dr's are right-on and theres no reason for concern, thank your lucky stars! You could be on the other end of it - 10 - 30 extra pounds you CANT get rid of per pregnancy!

Good health! Peace be with you :)

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