Weight gain is one of the most noticeable and dreaded parts of pregnancy. It can be difficult to watch your stomach expand as you grow rapidly out of your once favorite jeans. To make your pregnancy weight gain less painful and to assist you in snapping back to your weight before you became pregnant educate yourself on the basics of pregnancy weight gain and take strides to minimize unnecessarily weight gain.

Do I Have To?

While pregnancy weight gain is expected, it is not something that many women look forward to. Vanity aside, many women loathe packing on the pounds that will limit their mobility and make them uncomfortable during the later months. However, healthy weight gain is vital to a healthy pregnancy. The well-being of your future newborn depends upon your willingness to pack on some pounds during his months in utero. To make this process less painful, remind yourself that it is an unavoidable part of pregnancy, and keep in mind that at the end your reward will be handsome indeed.

The Ideal Gain

The amount of weight that you should gain during your pregnancy is dependent upon your pre-pregnancy fitness level, reports the Mayo Clinic. Women who are underweight when they become pregnant should gain between 28 and 40 pounds. Those who are average should gain between 25 and 35 pounds. And those who are overweight or obese should aim for a weight gain of approximately 10 to to 25 pounds. While these figures can serve as a general guide, you should consult your healthcare professional regarding your weight throughout your pregnancy.

Timing Your Gain

You should expect to gain weight throughout your pregnancy; however, you will not necessarily gain this weight in a consistent fashion. WebMD reports that women generally gain between two and four pounds during their first three months of pregnancy. In later pregnancy this weight gain is often accelerated, with women gaining, on average, one pound a week.

Gaining it the Right Way

Despite popular belief, pregnant women are not eating for two. Being pregnant doesn’t mean that you have an excuse to eat whatever you want whenever you want. WebMD reports that women should actually only increase their caloric intake by 100 to 300 calories a day. By staying within these moderate levels you can avoid excessive weight gain while still ensuring that your growing baby receives the nutrients necessary to thrive.

Considerations

As you increase your food intake to support both your growing appetite and your developing fetus, remember that every pound you gain you will have to lose. Make your post-baby weight loss easier by maintaining a moderately healthy diet throughout your pregnancy. Instead of getting your extra calories by downing pints of ice cream and chips, raise your intake of fruits, veggies and lean proteins to make the pounds easier to drop once your infant enters the world.