QuestionQUESTION: Dear Helene,
My question comes from a pregnancy fitness perspective. Many articles I read state that by week 9, clothes should feel very tight, if you can get into them at all. Yet the pregnancy weight gain charts say that by week 11, you should have only gained 2 pounds. Which is correct? Also, does early pregnancy bloating actually mean too much weight gain? At week 11, I look extremely bloated, yet as an athlete I maintain my diet and exercise regularly. (I'm afraid to look at the scale).
Thanks a lot!
ANSWER: The physical responses to the first trimester vary widely. Some women don't even begin to show, while others need to transition to elastic waistbands quickly. Bloating is common, and may be simply how your body responds to being pregnant, may be due to diet (too much salt for instance) or may have other causes.
Because you are athletic and exercise regularly, you are much healthier than most other pregnant women. Fit women gain less fat overall, have easier labors and deliveries with fewer complications and interventions, have stronger, healthier and even smarter babies(!) and bounce back more quickly. Your athleticism puts you far ahead of the curve, so you deserve big kudos.
If you stay active and eat a high quality diet, in the proper amount, then the vast amount of weight that you gain will not be fat. This is not something that you need to fear.
All of us are brainwashed by the media to fear that pregnancy causes out of control weight gain, but if you make healthy choices, then you'll gain the right amount for yourself and developing baby. When you hear stories of women who "somehow" gained 60 to 75 pounds during pregnancy, I guarantee that these women consistently over-consumed, and probably had a lot of low quality foods in their diets too.
Weight gain is monitored throughout pregnancy to insure adequate infant growth and development. Sudden weight gain, with swelling of the feet, hands and face may be a sign of pregnancy induced hypertension and you should consult your OBGYN if you notice any of these types of symptoms. So here again, is another good reason to monitor prenatal weight gain.
FYI, in my second pregnancy, even though I was in great shape and I ate great, I had gained 6 pounds by week 13 (a lot for my petite frame) and was into stretch pants. Overall, I ended up gaining a total of 33 pounds.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thank you so much, Helene, for your thorough and personal response. I am usually about 113 lbs. At 11.5 weeks, I checked the scale and saw 120 lbs. I am trying not to feel too bad about a 7 pound weight gain at 11.5 weeks. Regarding your total gain of 33 pounds, was that normal for someone athletic like yourself? Did you look like a "fit pregnancy" at that final weight or not so much?
Thanks again!
Nocturn
AnswerHow much weight a woman gains in pregnancy is mostly genetic, assuming that she eats the right foods at the right amount. So for me 33 pounds was simply how my body did pregnancy. And I'm petite, 5'1" and was 105 pounds before pregnancy. So "normal" is a big range, and to guarantee a healthy pregnancy, 25 to 35 pounds is average.
I definitely had a typical "fit" pregnancy. Was small and muscular everywhere, from the back you couldn't tell I was pregnant, carried very forward and high. Went from a barely A cup to a C.
