Pregnancy Weight Gain

About Pregnancy Weight Gain


Talking to your doctor about your weight gain is important. Try not to worry if you're slightly above or below these weights. Working with your doctor on food intake will get you on track.

Facts About Weight Gain


The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends a weight gain of 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy, for women who are at normal weight when pregnancy occurs.

Women who are underweight should gain 28 to 40 pounds, unless your doctor says differently.
Women who are overweight should gain 15 to 25 pounds, unless your doctor says differently.
Women who are obese should gain 11 to 20 pounds, unless your doctor says differently.

Eating low fat meals will allow you to gain weight correctly for your pregnancy. Putting on weight that is unnecessary is easy to do when eating junk food and foods that are higher in fat.
Eating a well-rounded diet is important. According to the American College of Obstetricians and 
Gynecologists, pregnant women should have 4 servings of milk, 3 to 4 servings of protein (2 to 3 from animal and 1 to 2 from legumes/nuts), 5 servings of fruits and vegetables (2 of Vitamin C, 2 of Vitamin A, and 1 of another), 4 servings of whole grain products, and 2 servings of other.


Weight Distribution


7 ½ pounds is about how much the baby will weigh by the end of pregnancy
1 ½ pounds is how much the placenta weighs
4 pounds is attributed to increased fluid volume
2 pounds is the weight of the uterus
2 pounds is the weight of breast tissue
4 pounds is because of increased blood volume
7 pounds is attributed to maternal stores of nutrients and muscle development
2 pounds for the amniotic fluid

Total: 30 pounds

On a Trimester Basis


First trimester: 1 pound per month
Second trimester: 1/2 a pound per week
Third trimester: 1 pound per week

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17 Weeks Pregnant: Your Weight Gain

17 Weeks Pregnant



In this article

• Pregnancy Week 17: All About You
• Pregnancy Week 17: All About Baby
• How Big Is Baby?
• Most Common Pregnancy Questions
• Multiple Madness
• For Your Partner
• Fun Fact
• Follow The Chronicles of a Real-Life Pregnancy
• Join Your Due Date Club

At 17 weeks pregnant, chances are, you're not just starting to show but you're gaining some pregnancy weight as well. Here are important tips to keep you on the healthy track.

Each time you go to the doctor or clinic, they dip a strip of paper in a cup of your urine to measure your blood sugar level. What's with that blood sugar test, anyway? It's to make sure you're not developing gestational diabetes, a condition that affects around one to two percent of all pregnant women. When blood sugar levels are controlled (through diet and sometimes medication), women can have normal pregnancies and normal, healthy babies.

Pregnancy Week 17: All About You

Pregnancy Weight Gain and Other Symptoms
Daily, your body's changing inside and out to accommodate your baby-to-be. As your skin stretches, your breasts and abdomen may become itchy. Your baby bump will begin to change your posture so that your back may ache. Inside your body, your stomach is getting more cramped, sometimes leading to heartburn, indigestion, and flatulence. You may also notice mood swings as pregnancy hormones continue to play with your emotions.

Unsightly Pregnancy Signs
Your body undergoes many changes to give your baby-to-be enough room to grow. Some of these changes are comforting—your rounded belly and your full breasts, for example—while other signs can be troubling. Keep in mind that many of these physical changes will last only until your baby arrives.

• Bleeding gums: Your blood volume has increased dramatically to provide nutrients to your baby-to-be. This increase, along with swelling caused by pregnancy hormones, might make your gums bleed.
• Stretch marks: Whether or not you have stretch marks is a matter of genetics. No amount of specialty abdominal creams or Vitamin E pills are going to prevent stretch marks (despite claims to the contrary), but most women find that these stretch marks fade over time after the baby's birth.
• Weight gain: You should expect to gain 25 to 35 pounds during your pregnancy. As distressing as weight gain can be for some women, those pounds are necessary for your growing baby. Much of the weight is extra fluids (such as blood), tissues (like your breasts), and of course, your baby. (Find out how it all adds up here.) If you eat a sensible pregnancy diet and stay fit, you should be able to lose much of your pregnancy weight after your baby's birth. (Some women are able to shed pounds in a matter of weeks; others need as much as a year to get their bodies back in shape).
• Dark line (linea nigra): As your abdominal muscles stretch to make room for your growing uterus, you may notice a dark line extending from your belly button to your vaginal area. After birth, this line will disappear.
• Swelling (edema): Your body retains water to provide the necessary fluids for your growing baby-to-be. You can prevent much of this swelling from drinking plenty of fluids and keeping your legs up. You may also want to purchase socks designed to improve the circulation in your feet.
• Skin spots: The skin's pigmentation may deepen around certain parts of your body during pregnancy, such as your nipples and freckles. You may also notice spots of color on your face, called the mask of pregnancy or chloasma. These pigmentation changes will fade after your baby's born.

Pregnancy Week 17: All About Baby

Around this time your baby's ears pop from his head and Baby-to-be can now sense sounds. After all, he has plenty to listen to in utero! He's accustomed to the strong beating of your heart, blood rushing through your veins, and your stomach grumbling. He can also discern sounds outside the uterus, like your voice and music. Although, according to the Mayo Clinic, whether he can distinguish the sound of your voice versus other sounds is not yet clear.

On average, most moms are feeling fetal movement by week 17. Kick, little one, kick!

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