Pregnancy is one of the happy milestones in a woman’s life. However, a lot of women are gaining excess weight during pregnancy. Gaining weight is just normal, but you have to know the line between average weight gain and excessive weight gain. Being overweight complicates pregnancy. As a matter of fact, it can significantly affect your delivery. It is important to remain healthy throughout pregnancy to ensure your
optimum health as well as the health of your baby.
Health Risks Being Overweight While Pregnant
Being overweight during pregnancy puts you and your baby at risk. The excess weight will not only affect the physical condition of the body, but as well as the biochemical compositions of the body.
If you are overweight, there will be an increase load on your backbone and internals. As a matter of fact, during the advance stage of pregnancy there is a greater risk of gestational toxicosis. Furthermore, there is also a greater risk of miscarriage, pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH), preeclampsia, and diabetes. It is also a proven fact that overweight women are more prone to cesarean section delivery. If you are overweight and you are pregnant, you are also prone to urinary tract infection and blood loss during delivery. Your baby is also at risk for nutritional deficiency.
Acceptable Weight Gain During Pregnancy
Gaining weight during pregnancy is just normal, but you should know the average weight that a pregnant woman should gain. It is best to consult your doctor so that you will be guided accordingly throughout your pregnancy. If you are overweight, then you should gain a total of 15 lbs to 25 lbs when you became pregnant. On the other hand, if you are underweight then you should gain at least 25 lbs to 40 lbs when
you became pregnant. The general rule is that you should gain at least 2 lbs to 4 lbs during the first trimester of pregnancy. When you hit the second and third trimester, you should be gaining at least 1 pound every week. If you are expecting twins, then the weight gain doubles. This will be your benchmark in identifying your weight gain.
How To Lose Weight Safely
There are instances wherein a doctor will recommend a pregnant woman to lose weight while pregnant. This is very true especially if you are extremely overweight. However, the decision to lose weight depends on the discretion of your doctor. Hence, a regular doctor’s checkup is needed during pregnancy.
Diet
If you are pregnant, you should be very careful with your food choices. Avoid eating too much fast food and choose the one with lower fat. You should as well limit your intake of fries, patties, and calorie rich foods. Milk is very important during pregnancy, but you should not take whole milk products. If you want to eat cheese, butter, and yogurt, then you should choose fat free or low fat products. Avoid taking carbonated beverages or those with sweets and sugary drinks. These beverages contain a lot of calories. Instead of taking such beverages, it is safer to take water or club soda. Avoid eating foods with too much salt content as it facilitates water retention.
Exercise
If you are an overweight pregnant, then do not worry because there are certain exercises you can do to safely reduce weight. The safest forms of exercises are walking, biking, swimming, water aerobics, and yoga. As a matter of fact, you can run up to the third trimester of your pregnancy. Again, it is best to consult your doctor especially if you are unsure as to what type of exercises to perform.
Tips
There are so many things you can do to ensure a healthy and safe pregnancy. If you are trying to conceive, you should have a preconception checkup to determine if you are fit to become pregnant. If you are overweight, then the more you need to consult your doctor. Your doctor will recommend exercises and lifestyle modification to help you in losing weight. If you are already pregnant, then you should have an early
regular prenatal checkup even if you are perfectly feeling fine during your pregnancy.
You should as well discuss the average weight gain a pregnant woman should have throughout the entire pregnancy period. Basically, pregnant women are not recommended to lose weight. However, there is an exemption to this rule. If you are extremely overweight,
then your doctor will advise you to lose weight.
Dieting
Diet is not generally recommended during pregnancy. The doctor will just restrict you to eat certain types and amounts of foods as these may be harmful to you and to your baby. You also have to engage in different exercise programs for pregnant women. A simple waking, yoga, biking, and swimming can help you stay healthy throughout the pregnancy.