Pregnancy & Baby 

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Kilo counting

Don’t eat for two, and don’t get obsessed with the bathroom scales. Dr Howard Lee gives you the low down on weight gain in pregnancy

Pregnant women used to be weighed at every antenatal appointment, but research showed that the practice was of little value because it was often inaccurate; so you can heave a sigh of relief, you won’t be put through that. If, however, you are significantly over – or under – weight, you’ll be asked to ‘stand on the scales’ more frequently than other women in your antenatal group.

Weight gain in pregnancy is still a source of great anxiety

Many women worry about putting on too much, and being unable to lose it afterwards, or about not gaining enough, and how this might affect their baby. Naturally, it is essential, and we (the medical care team) should be concerned if you’re not gaining weight, as it could indicate that you are not getting adequate nourishment, and that, in turn, could affect the growth and development of your baby. Because of this, your doctor or midwife will certainly keep an eye on your weight, while you are pregnant, and they’ll also be watching for any sudden increase, which could herald the onset of pre-eclampsia. For more information about this complication in late pregnancy see my article about pre-eclampsia.

Pregnancy will obviously put extra demands on your energy reserves, and you’ll need to increase your total calorie intake – particularly, towards the end of your pregnancy (the third trimester). The old idea of ‘eating for two’ is not, of course, sensible or necessary. In fact, research at St.Thomas’s Hospital, London, has indicated that eating in excess (especially, the wrong types of food) could put the unborn baby at risk of heart disease, diabetes and blood pressure in later life. As a guide, think of your extra energy requirements as around 250-300 calories per day.

You probably won’t notice any change in your appetite in the first trimester (3 months), it may even be reduced because of the early-pregnancy changes on your digestive system – like ‘morning sickness’. In the second trimester, your appetite and weight will usually increase gradually, but it is in the third – last trimester – when your appetite really increases and you put on most weight, meeting the demands of your growing baby.

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