• Skip to content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Shop ModernMom
  • Become An Insider

ModernMom

The premiere destination for moms

  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Kids
    • Tweens and Teens
    • ModernMom Monday Videos
  • Cooking
  • Living Healthy
    • Breast Cancer
    • Health & Fitness
    • Body after Baby
    • Beauty
    • Relationships
    • Love
  • Lifestyle
    • Crafts
    • At Home
    • Education
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Decorate
    • Money
    • Brooke Burke
  • Celebrate
    • Holidays
      • Easter
      • Valentine’s Day
      • New Year’s
      • Christmas
      • Hanukah
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
    • Birthdays
    • Parties
  • Must Have
  • Contests
  • Entertainment

Weight Gain During a First Pregnancy

January 5, 2011 by ds_9395 Leave a Comment

Your first pregnancy will probably leaving you feeling excited and a bit nervous. There is so much to look forward to and learn about. One of the things you might be wondering is how much weight you should gain. This will vary depending on your starting weight. Obese women should gain less than underweight women. In general, doctors recommend gaining between 25 and 40 lbs, according to WebMD.

Size

Your doctor is the best person to tell you how much weight you should gain during your first pregnancy. You will be weighed at each appointment. Women of average weight usually gain between 25 and 35 lbs during the course of a healthy pregnancy. Overweight women should have a target weight gain of between 15 and 25 lbs. Women who are very obese should aim for between 10 and 20 lbs, according to MayoClinic.com. Underweight women might need to gain as much as 40 lbs, with a minimum weight gain of around 28 lbs.

Time Frame

Most women gain about 4 lbs during the first trimester, according to AskDrSears.com. This is mostly due to fluid retention, but some women who experience severe nausea actually lose weight. During the second trimester, it is common to gain about a pound per week as the baby grows rapidly in size. The seventh and eighth months of pregnancy are also often a time of rapid weight gain as the baby puts on fat. Many women do not put on much, if any, weight during the last month of pregnancy, as space is tight and the focus is more on the maturation of the baby’s organs, especially the lungs.

Function

Obviously, much of that weight gain goes to the baby’s body (an average of 7.5 lbs), but much of it also goes to help your body nurture the baby. Your blood flow increases dramatically when you are pregnant. In fact, about 3 lbs of your increased weight is blood, according to the March of Dimes. Two lbs goes to your breasts, 2 lbs is the increased size of your uterus and the placenta takes up about 1.5 lbs. The amniotic fluid weights around 2 lbs, and the water you retain (usually in your feet and ankles) can add up to as much as 4 lbs. Finally, your body retains fat and protein to the tune of about 7 lbs. Much of this is stored to make breast milk.

Considerations

Most women gain less during a first pregnancy than subsequent ones. This is due in part to the fact that women are younger during their first pregnancies. Increased weight gain during a second pregnancy is also attributed to the fact that your uterus is already “stretched out,” which is also why you show earlier, according to Parents.

Warning

Excess weight gain during pregnancy can lead to dangerous conditions such as high blood pressure and gestational diabetes, both of which can cause the baby to grow larger than is healthy. This may necessitate a Cesarean section. In addition, too much weight gain can cause other problems such as backaches, leg pain, varicose veins and increased fatigue.

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Parenting

About ds_9395

April Sanders has been a professional writer since 1998. She has worked as an educator and now writes academic research content for EBSCO Publishing and elementary reading curriculum for Compass Publishing. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in social psychology from the University of Washington and a master's degree in information sciences and technology in education from Mansfield University.

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Search

Tell a friend

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ModernMom Boutique

ModernMom TV

Featured

Kissing Kids on the Lips: Fine or Not?

I recently read an article that says that parents should not … [Read More...] about Kissing Kids on the Lips: Fine or Not?

Must Have

STEM-related Toys to Include in Your Child’s Easter Basket This Year 

April has arrived which means it’s time to pull out the food … [Read More...] about STEM-related Toys to Include in Your Child’s Easter Basket This Year 

Did you know?

Children Overcome a Fear of Water

How Do Children Overcome a Fear of Water?

Freeze Cooked & Smoked Ham

How to Freeze Cooked & Smoked Ham

can you get pregnant on birth control pill if you miss one day

Can You Get Pregnant on Birth Control Pill If You Miss One Day?

What Can I Substitute for Butter When Making Frosting?

safe to color Your hair while breastfeeding

Is it Safe to Color Your Hair While Breastfeeding?

How to Take Wrinkles Out of Polyester With Steam

Baby Brain Development in the Womb

Footer

  • About Us
  • Contact ModernMom
  • Advertise With Us
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contributors

Copyright © 2023 Modern Mom. All Rights Reserved.

Reproduction of any portion of this website only at the express permission of Mom, Inc.

The information provided on ModernMom is for educational use only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.