Kilo counting

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 (three 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.

If you are overweight, many experts will recommend that you try to lose some of the excess before you become pregnant. Being on the heavy side before you start having a baby can make a pregnancy seem much more of a 'burden'.

Pregnancy itself is no time to worry about looking 'large', and it's certainly not the time for dieting; both you and your baby need to be well nourished.

There is really no 'ideal weight' gain

People will obviously vary, just as metabolism (which is the body function of 'burning off the calories') varies from one person to another.

How much you should gain will depend a lot on your pre-pregnancy weight and height, your metabolism and your level of activity. The range of normal weight gain in pregnancy is large, some women gaining very little, others anything up to 23kgs.

But rather than worrying too much about precisely how much, or how little you have gained, the important thing is that you should eat well. See Healthy eating in pregnancy.

If you take a full and balanced diet then, usually, 'nature' will take care of the rest.

There are disadvantages if you're at the limits of weight gain

A very low weight gain tends to be associated with premature birth and lower birth weight babies - especially, if associated with smoking, poor diet, and alcohol or drug abuse.

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