# How much weight do women REALLY gain in pregnancy? Just curious...



## justKate

I gained 45+ lbs in my last pregnancy, and it felt like a lot. I am 5'6'', and was 27 yrs and 140 lbs. to start. It was uncomfortable, and one of the things that my midwives have suggested is that I am more mindful of my weight gain this time.

I'm now 30, and started this pg at 150 lbs. My "goal" (however you manage that) is to gain the "recommended" 25-35 lbs., but I just don't get HOW I do that. I eat when I'm hungry, don't eat junk food, don't drink juice or soda, eat only brown carbs, and treat myself just now and then. At 17 weeks, I've gained ~3 lbs.

Reading in my DDC and talking to friends/family, it seems like a lot of people gain more than the recommended weight, but I can't find any stats on it.

How much do women REALLY gain during pregnancy? All the info out there seems to be about recommendations rather than reality. Any thoughts?


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## Murph12334

with one i gained 16 and the other was 18 lbs total. However, that is start to end weights. It doesn't take into account that when i get pregnant I tend to loose 10, then gain it back later and gain more.

It varies so much per person it seems. I've known some to gain a lot and some to gain a little.


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## amydidit

With my first I gained 3 lbs, despite eating whenever I was hungry. With my second and third I gained about 50 doing the same as with my first (eating when hungry).


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## dogmom327

47# with my first, 28# with my second.


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## semmel84130

I only have one so far, and I gained 68 lbs. I started off at 150, and gained at almost exactly what the books say is a "good" rate... until about 32 weeks or so, when I suddenly started to gain multiple lbs per week. I didn't make any substantial changes in my diet or anything, and in fact, I ate healthier as a pregnant woman than I normally do, thanks to aversions to meat and salt. For a long time, all I wanted to eat was carrots and tomatoes. After the baby was born, I lost almost 30 lbs of it in the first few months. Since then, I've lost maybe 1 lb every few weeks. As of today, I have 17 lbs to go. My baby will be 1 in a few weeks.

Anecdotally, most of my friends gained more than 25-35 lbs. A woman I work with, who is very thin and not at all tall, gained over 100 lbs! But I also know women who gained 10 - 15 lbs.


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## cameragirl

I lost 20lbs in the first trimester with DD, then ended up gaining that back plus about 20 lbs. I was VERY swollen, so I don't know how much of that was water. I ate well with her after I got the right treatment for hyperemesis, but just gained like crazy after the vomiting stopped.

This time I've gained about 15 lbs at 20.5 weeks. I'm overweight, and charts say 15 lbs. That isn't even enough for the placenta, baby, fluids, etc. I figure as long as I'm eating the recommended amount of calories, and it is healthy food, I don't need to worry about the scale too much. I just seem to gain during pregnancy and l lost it all within a few weeks last time.

EDIT: I should say that I don't really track calories most days. Occasionally I will to see where I'm standing with nutrition and calories, but it's every few weeks or so. I mostly just try to make healthy decisions, and make sure it isn't dehydration making me hungry.


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## JamieCatheryn

First child, I went from 145 to 195. 3 years later, next child, 140 to 180. On the Bradley diet (ish), that's high protein, good intake of veggies in variety, reasonable whole grains and fruits. The avg on that is 35 lbs gained. The weight came off without a lot of extra work.


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## erinmattsmom88

Gained 60 lbs with first (girl), 39 lbs with second (boy, had GD). My son is 18 months and I still can't get rid of pooch belly. Had 2 c-sections so I think that has something to do with it. I should be at 120 lbs, but am at 140 still. I started both pregnancies at around 150. So, at least I lost an additional 10 lbs after second pregnancy. Still have 20 to go to get back to my ideal weight that I wasn't at when I got pregnant the first time!!


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## erigeron

I gained 45 lbs; started out at 5'5.5" and 130. 4 months later I've shed all but 5 lbs. I did do some rather unhealthy eating (in hindsight--I've gotten better at nutrition since then). But mostly, in the first trimester at least, I was STARVING! Like to the point where I could barely function and could only survive the day by chowing down constantly. Early on I had an obnoxious NP at my doc's office lecture me about my weight gain... she's lucky I didn't eat HER. I never counted calories. I figured I needed to eat good food that actually filled me.


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## lifeguard

40lbs with my first & -23lbs this time. I was much stricter with my eating this time & exercised throughout. Of the women I know irl they gained anywhere from 5-80lbs, but honestly those that gained the larger amounts struggled more with taking it off.


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## mamapigeon

I gained 40 pounds, though 20 were in the last month.


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## Buzzer Beater

I gained about 45 pounds with my first pregnancy, and about 12 with my last one. I had hyperemesis with both, but oddly felt better during my second where I did not gain.


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## LiLStar

I tend to gain 50-60ish each time. I'm 38 weeks and up 55ish I think. And its never been any trouble to lose it. I put *zero* effort into weight loss. I eat whatever I want and nurse on demand. Last time I tandemed and pumped to donate and ended up below my pre pregnancy weight


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## nia82

I kept eating normally, albeit a tad healthier in my pregnancies (less chocolate and nutella). I'm 5'6" with a starting weight of 112, I gained 28 lbs with my son (birth at 37 weeks) and 25 lbs with my daughter (39 weeks, lots of nausea up to 28 weeks, so little possibility to eat there). My MIL gained 50lbs each time and both she and the babies were fine...


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## Sharlla

start to delivery this was me. i guess i like to eat a lot of carbs when pg. i have food issues and tend to binge eat unless on a structured diet and when those pg cravings hit there is no holding back

ds1 90 lbs

ds2 75 lbs

dd 130 lbs


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## philomom

first baby 18 lbs
second baby 20 lbs
third baby 22 lbs

I do the Brewer/ Blue Ribbon baby diet with each pregnancy.


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## lizsky

I gained 31 pounds, and nearly all of it was during the 2nd trimester. I switched my care during my 2nd trimester, and I noticed that the nurse at the OB office always comment on my rapid weight gain, while the MWs I switched to never mentioned it.

I'm following a similar pattern now. No weight gain 1st trimester, but I'm gaining 2-3 pounds a week now at 19 weeks. It feels kindof fast, and I wish I'd gain more gradually and evenly, but my body seems set on gaining at this pace regardless of diet choices and moderate exercise.


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## mambera

29 with my first (123 to 152) resulting in a 6 lb 14 oz baby, 34 with my second (121 to 155) baby 7 lb 11 oz. No special diet/exercise, eat when hungry, generally healthy diet with occ treats. It still took me a year to lose the 15 lb left after delivery the first time (though admittedly I wasn't particularly trying).


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## Storm Bride

I gained right around 20 pounds in my last four pregnancies. In my first one, I'd gained 18 pounds when I went on maternity leave (four weeks before my "due" date). I had no money, nothing to do, no car (and didn't drive, anyway) and was starting to find it hard to get around. So, while I kept up with my walks and workouts, I was spending a lot of the rest of my time sitting on the couch and eating too much. I gained another 10 pounds in that last four weeks, for a total of just under 30.


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## mamablitz

my appetite has decreased but I try to eat healthy, I am 20 weeks and haven't gained anything more than 3 pounds. last pregnancy I was the same weight post partum as I was pre pregnancy


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## grassisgreener1334

This post has been removed due to privacy reasons.


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## Hannah32

I gained just over 50 with my first. It was too much. It was unhealthy. I still am up about 15 pounds from my prepregnancy weight. I have food issues. After about three years of maintaining a healthy weight for my height, I just let loose when I got pregnant and ate whatever I wanted during the entire gestation. Ugh.


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## josie423

I gain 45-55 lbs during each pregnancy. I haven't weighed myself in a couple months, but have a feeling this pregnancy will be my highest gain. Honestly, I had the most trouble losing the weight after my third, whom I gained the least with.







I generally lose the weight in 4ish months.


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## Peony

I've gained anywhere from 19 lbs to over 50. I usually gain around 40. It doesn't really matter what I do, exercise, eat well, my body just does what it wants to. I always lose the weight, well I did the first 3 times, I'm 3 months pp from #4 and still have 20 lbs to go which is normal, it takes a lot of hard work to get the weight off.


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## tooraloora

With my first, I gained over 60 lbs. I craved orange juice like crazy and went through a gallon a day. I was borderline diabetic. I ate considerably less than before the pregnancy (morning sickness through the whole pregnancy), but the weight just kept piling on. I went two weeks overdue, and was shocked when DD wasn't enormous. 7lbs 4oz. With my second, I struggled to put on weight, but finally gained almost 30lbs by the end. I can't count how many times I went to an appointment to hear my midwife fussing at me over ketones in my urine sample. Stress was giving me a tough time eating and keeping food down, and I didn't want anything to do with anything sweet. I pretty much lived off greens.


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## DaisyO

I started at 130 and gained between 50 and 60 lbs. It was all normal until about 35 weeks, when I started to gain more than a pound a day for no apparent reason...no GD...but my thyroid levels were not the best, although my midwives weren't worried. I half suspected an iodine deficiency (ate non-iodized sea salt, and was only on 1/3 of a prenatal a day), but that doesn't totally add up b/c I live near the sea and ate lots of seafood and even seaweed salad. Still confused about that fast weight gain, it was scary since I couldn't stop it. It stopped itself when I had my baby (induced after early rupture of membranes) at 37+1. She was only 5.5 lbs, too. Very strange pattern of weight gain that makes me feel nervous about any hypothetical next time (although I think I'll be happy with just one!), especially since the birth was not as expected and that in my mind was tied to the weight gain.

As far as weight loss goes, I'm now only 120, with almost no effort on my part. The baby is 15 months old and still nursing a lot, and I've been vegetarian for about six months now also. So, it all just kind of disappeared. Still confused about the whole thing, as I said..not to hijack, but if anybody has insight I'd be interested.

D


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## Amylcd

65 with my first (no diabetes or health problems causing the gain)

40 with my second

lost 15 in the first trimester with my third... gained it back plus an extra 2 pounds.


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## quantumleap

with dd - I started out a bit underweight, ate and exercised well (was handling several sled dog teams, walking/biking everywhere, yoga, etc. etc), and gained 75lbs. Lost all but 5-10 within about four months by just living my life.

with ds - was still hanging on to that extra 5lbs to start out with, gained closer to 80lbs. I still ate well and was reasonably active, but the spd the second time around was excrutiating, which limited me more than I liked. At 10 months pp, I'm still hanging on to 15lbs. I'm still a reasonable weight, but I would love to get rid of the extra, so I think I'll actually have to put in some extra effort!

I make big babies (9lbs2oz and 9lbs13oz), and big placentas.

I would have had to severely restrict my intake to stay with the recommended guidelines.


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## Just1More

I gain a lot, too. I don't know exactly because I don't keep super close track of it. But, I start off somewhere in the 135-145 range (which is good for my height), and end up in the 180-220 range. Dd3 was the most, around 80 pounds probably, now that I do the math. Whew. Ds was the least, probably in the 45 pound range. My midwife with him was surprised when she saw me for the first time at 32ish weeks and I told her I'd gained 30 pounds. She said, "You?!?!" So, I guess I carry up to about 165-170 well. Nearing the 200 point, I start getting uncomfortable.

This time, I am hoping to gain a fair bit less...in the 20-30 pound range. I'm eating whenever I am hungry, but carrots and grapes instead of brownies and ice cream. 

I, too, make bigger babies (8.7, 8.10, 9.6, 8.14).


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## coldandsleepy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *semmel84130*
> 
> I only have one so far, and I gained 68 lbs. I started off at 150, and gained at almost exactly what the books say is a "good" rate... until about 32 weeks or so, when I suddenly started to gain multiple lbs per week. I didn't make any substantial changes in my diet or anything


This describes my gaining pattern with my first pregnancy and (I suspect, much as it dismays me) my pattern this time, too. I gained 55 lbs with my older son, and almost all of that was in the third trimester. Before the third tri hit, I was smack in the middle of normal pregnancy weight gain. Same thing seems to be happening this time. I'm up about 25 now with 10-12 weeks to go but my gain per week is going way up despite the fact that I'm eating the same, still biking at least an hour a day, etc. Peculiar and frustrating, but I guess that's the way my body works.

I expected to have a lot of trouble losing it all last time (55 lbs is not an insignificant amount of weight), but in fact, I lost 24 lbs by about 5 days post delivery (first time I could face weighing myself) and the rest melted away over the course of about 9 months with no big effort on my part.


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## rtjunker

I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum, I have trouble gaining weight. I started out at around 100lbs (I'm only 5'2"), dropped between 5-10lbs in the first trimester, before finally gaining, so I'm at 115lbs now. I was concerned at first that I wasn't gaining enough, but my midwives reassure me that my LO keeps measuring right on track, and that I should keep doing what I've been doing. I still can't help cringing every time I step on the scale to see no weight gain...but I'm starting to gain more steadily now.


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## MelW

With my first I gained 20 lbs, and lost 40 in the first year postpartum (so 20 lbs below pre-preg)

With my second I gained 30 lbs, and again lost 40 in the first year postpartum.

Interestingly, I didn't get my first postpartum period until I got back up into my "normal" weight range after postpartum weight loss. With #1 it was at 21 months, #2 was around 15 months.


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## Just1More

Did you loose a bunch of that weight very rapidly? Could it have been water weight? I gained 50+ with my first, and lost 30 pounds in a week after her birth. All water (well, and baby  )

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DaisyO*
> 
> I started at 130 and gained between 50 and 60 lbs. It was all normal until about 35 weeks, when I started to gain more than a pound a day for no apparent reason...no GD...but my thyroid levels were not the best, although my midwives weren't worried. I half suspected an iodine deficiency (ate non-iodized sea salt, and was only on 1/3 of a prenatal a day), but that doesn't totally add up b/c I live near the sea and ate lots of seafood and even seaweed salad. Still confused about that fast weight gain, it was scary since I couldn't stop it. It stopped itself when I had my baby (induced after early rupture of membranes) at 37+1. She was only 5.5 lbs, too. Very strange pattern of weight gain that makes me feel nervous about any hypothetical next time (although I think I'll be happy with just one!), especially since the birth was not as expected and that in my mind was tied to the weight gain.
> 
> As far as weight loss goes, I'm now only 120, with almost no effort on my part. The baby is 15 months old and still nursing a lot, and I've been vegetarian for about six months now also. So, it all just kind of disappeared. Still confused about the whole thing, as I said..not to hijack, but if anybody has insight I'd be interested.
> 
> D


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## 2002rulz

I gained 38 lbs during my pregnancy and it took 4 1/2 months after giving birth to lose all that. I didn't gain much if anything during first trimester; in fact I think I lost during first trimester because I was sick. I just ate whatever I could keep down and sounded good during first trimester.


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## Thursday Girl

I gained about 25 pounds with my first, but that's from start weight to end weight. I actually gained 13 more then that b/c I lost 13 pounds in the first trimester which was bad b/c I started out pretty dang skinny. 2nd I gained almost 60lbs and and 3rd, I think about 35-40. I know they mentioned it once, me maybe gaining too much weight. which I fund annoying.


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## *MamaJen*

Oh, jeez, I gained like 40 pounds during my pregnancy. And I'm 5'2" and started out at 117-ish, so that was a LOT on a petite frame. However, I do think that at least 10 or 15 pounds of that was due to quitting smoking. I was a pack a day smoker when I got pregnant and I definitely did some unhealthy snacking to deal with the quitting pangs.

The good news is that the weight dropped off really steadily and easily without me doing much of anything. Nine months after DS was born, I was within 7 or so pounds of my pre-baby weight, and by the time he was a year and a half, I was actually at below my pre-baby weight.


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## Baby_Cakes

#1 - 62 lbs

#2 - 49 lbs

Both healthy normal pgs. I just gain a lot!


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## olw3k

#1 - 49 lbs

#2 - 34 lbs

#3 - 25 lbs (but started 25 lbs heavier than my previous pgs)


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## Katie8681

I gained 25lbs, I'm 5'4 and started at 115. Breastfeeding sucked all but 5lbs off in short order. Thanks for the genes, Mom! It didn't happen because I was particularly virtuous, that's for sure


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## Fly Girl

I gained 25 with my first and 20 with my second. I started off at 125lbs with both so I was concerned about only gaining 20 lbs with my second but she was 8lbs 3 oz; 3oz heavier than DD1. I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight with each by 6-8 weeks. I am 24 weeks pregnant with my 3rd and am up 10 lbs so far. I usually gain a lb a week from here on out so that puts me at about 25 lbs for my total. But I am so much bigger this pregnancy so I'll be surprised if I end up under 30-35 lbs.


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## MsDolphin

My goal was 20-lbs gain, but I ended up at 26-lbs. Thankfully it all came off and I am actually below my pre-pregnancy weight now.


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## aeterna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by **MamaJen**
> 
> Oh, jeez, I gained like 40 pounds during my pregnancy. And I'm 5'2" and started out at 117-ish, so that was a LOT on a petite frame. However, I do think that at least 10 or 15 pounds of that was due to quitting smoking. I was a pack a day smoker when I got pregnant and I definitely did some unhealthy snacking to deal with the quitting pangs.


^^ Good for you, though. =)

I'm currently at 38 weeks and up 30lbs. I figure even if I (continue to... hehe) ignore my healthful-diet ideals, I won't be more than 35lbs up for this pregnancy. I'm happy with that, especially since I have GD.

And I'm basically you, OP - 28 years old, 5'5", 140lbs pre-pregnancy. 

I did read something interesting about the weight gain curve, a while back, that discussed "normal"/expected gains... something like, 5 lbs the first trimester and 1 lb/week after that. Give or take a bit. =)


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## member234098

.


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## rebirth

I started at 112 last time, I gained 18lbs I think first time, so total of 130lbs. Lost significantly in first tri, so was negative through around 25weeks.

This Preg I started at 102, am 11weeks and 98.5, but negative 3.5lbs is way better then the negative 14 of last pregnancy. I honestly expected to gain w thanksgiving and my birthday, but haven't. I an hoping to gain more total this time to wind up around same final weight. Or higher. I have a lot of difficulty maintaining weight while Breastfeeding, and still nurse my toddler lots Inc overnight so hopefully even w that I will have better gain.

Doula mama to my nursing toddler Noah


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## HML2199

I gained between 20-28 pounds all 4 times.


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## ollyoxenfree

Saw this in new posts, so I thought I would chime in because co-incidentally, I was going through some old files this weekend and came across my medical records from my first pregnancy.

I started out at 113 lbs., lost a little during the first trimester, and gained a total of 23 lbs. by my due date. DS was 8 lbs. 7 oz.

My second pregnancy, 3 years later, was similar from what I recall, although she was slightly bigger - 8 lbs. 15 oz.


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## bellsmommie

I also have the opposite problem of not being able to gain. with dd#1 I lost 22lbs and gained 6lbs back but went into premature labor from lack of nutrition and low blood sugar at 35 weeks. luckily baby was healthy but tiny leaving hospital at only 4lbs14oz. I am worried this time around because I am 10 weeks and already down by 7lbs. I did try to gain some extra in between pregnancies this time so I have I small buffer (i weighed 10lbs more preprengancy this time than last time, so now I am down to 3 buffer lbs. ) hopefully I will be able to gain a healthy amount this time. by the way I am 5ft10 and currently weighing in at 168. cross my fingers! my nurse also said some funny things when I would come in with no weight gain....they would be all confused and say....no this cant be right...lol. I was the only patient they had who wasnt gain above and beyond reccomendations, so in answer to your question I guess its pretty uncommon to have trouble gaining and from friend experiences I would say the most common amount is more in the 45 to 100lbs range.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rtjunker*
> 
> I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum, I have trouble gaining weight. I started out at around 100lbs (I'm only 5'2"), dropped between 5-10lbs in the first trimester, before finally gaining, so I'm at 115lbs now. I was concerned at first that I wasn't gaining enough, but my midwives reassure me that my LO keeps measuring right on track, and that I should keep doing what I've been doing. I still can't help cringing every time I step on the scale to see no weight gain...but I'm starting to gain more steadily now.


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## greenemami

My first I gained about 40 lb (from about 120-160).

My second I gained 45ish maybe?

I ate fairly well with both pregnancies, but was not very active at all, except for a prenatal yoga class that I enjoyed. If I ever do it again, I definitely would exercise more


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## Sol_y_Paz

35 pounds. The baby wasn't big and was early. It all came off quickly after birth despite not exercising at all and not dieting at all.


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## Quinalla

I really think the weight gain advice should be taken lightly, it is so variably depending on each woman's genetics and each pregnancy. I was so glad my OB was and is relaxed about weight gain as I have seem to have genetics that make my body want to gain a lot during pregnancy, but it also melted away no problem with just BFing with my first anyway. Also, I don't get morning sickness, so I gain weight in the 1st trimester no problem where others might maintain or lose.

I'm 5'11".

First pregnancy (DD): Starting weight: 197 lbs, I don't know the exact ending weight as I stopped paying attention, but somewhere in the 250-260 lb range, so 50-60 lbs gained, well over the recommendation even at my height. As I said, I lost it all (and then some) after 6-7 months of BFing. As you can see, I've gained some back since then, BFing really kept the weight off! I didn't eat perfectly, but generally healthfully and I did moderate exercise for the first two trimesters, just walking for the last.

Current pregnancy (twins): Starting weight: 224 lbs, I am currently 247 as of 19w, so up 23 lbs about halfway through. There really aren't any standard guidelines for a multiple pregnancy weight gain, but based on Dr. Barbara Luke's research, I'm doing good. This pregnancy I've really upped my protein intake and I am actually making myself eat sometimes when I'm not hungry as you really need a lot more calories to grow multiples to healthy birthweights, especially since they tend to come earlier so less time to grow! I was actually less hungry in the first trimester than my first pregnancy, I think all the extra hormones were making it wonky, so my weight gain was slower at first, but once I found out twins and did my research, I've been doing well on gaining. I'm eating better this pregnancy than last, still not 100% perfect, but I really want to give these babies every chance of a good birth weight! I've not been exercising as much this pregnancy (partly because I get tired much easier), but I'm good about walking and I try to do something active with DD (3) everyday too.


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## MeepyCat

I think you have to consider what's good for you, and try not to focus too much on the numbers. Do you feel well? How's the baby doing? Are complications developing because of diet or weight? Then worry. Otherwise, it's just a number.

I gained about 30 pounds with my son, but only 13 when pregnant with my daughter. The "only 13" is because she was early. Turns out you can really cut back on pregnancy weight gain if you skip most of the third trimester! Obviously, I do not recommend this.


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## SplashingPuddle

I gained over 60lbs the first time but stopped counting part way. My daughter was 7lbs12oz and I didnt have much trouble losing weight. This time I am up 40lbs so far at 23 weeks. My goal is about 60lbs again, which feels like a good amount to me.


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## BabySmurf

I think there is a TON of variation here, most of it is normal. I think a lot has to do with how our bodies perceive things...some people just put on a lot of weight in pregnancy because our bodies just want that extra weight. I agree that it IS uncomfortable, and I am hoping to gain less this time around, or at the very least do more strength training and yoga so that I can move more easily. I have been eating much healthier than I did the first time around, and the way it looks now I will still gain a good amount. At 5'9, I started last time at about 140 and ended at 190. This time I needed to gain weight to regain fertility, I started trying to gain at 125lbs, got pregnant around 133 lbs, and I am almost up to 150 now, at 20 weeks.







Sticking to healthy foods and listening to your body is way more important IMO than than trying to meet "standards" for the average woman.


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## JudiAU

With my first, gained 30 pounds and lost 65 within 8 weeks, no joke. Breastfeeding was wild. I was so thin and it was awesome. Didn't happen again though. Gained 35 next and lost 30 and then when on to gain 15 back over the course of the next two years due to poor eating habits. With this last one I gained 25 and have lost 20 pounds at 6 weeks. I doubt I'll loose anymore easily. Sigh.


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## cottonwood

I gained 30# with all four. Started out "overweight" to "obese", so that's more than I was supposed to gain according to the doctors. But, I fed myself with nourishing food and paid attention to how I felt, and all the pregnancies were very healthy, so as far as I'm concerned the evidence points to 30# being just right for me.


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## SplashingPuddle

I'm now at 27 weeks and have gained 50 pounds so far. We'll see what I get to in another 3 months!


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## bmcneal

60-ish with first

40-ish with second

27 weeks in, and counting from pre-pregnancy weight, I've gained 5 lbs, if you count from what I gained after I lost initially, I've gained 10 lbs.


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## 1babysmom

I thought I'd replied to this but I can't find it...(unless pregnancy brain is blinding me as well..good possibility!)

I gained 45lbs with my 3 children...their weights were 7lbs, 7lbs, and then almost 10lbs. I worked out more and ate progressively better with each pregnancy, but still gained the same, and at the same rate.

This time I am already up 30lbs at 29 weeks...about 10lbs ahead of where I would be usually (10lbs in my 1st tri which was unheard of for me with my other babies...I generally LOST weight out of the blue), and I'm working out FAR more than any other pregnancy and eating the same as I did with them. So it's weird to me. I'm hoping I don't top more than 45 this time, at least not by much, since I started out a few lbs heavier and I'd begun having trouble losing weight before I got pg. this time.

My mom gained 40-45lbs with each of her 3 babies too (and we were all 8-10lbs) so I'm wondering if it's just the genes and even if I starved myself I'd still gain ~45lbs each time!


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## beautifulnm

The idea that weight gain during pregnancy is due largely to genetics and the pregnancy itself has been reinforced to me by doulas, pp nurses, et cetera. My first I was in the midwife program at an Army hospital, and I had a Colonel medwife that hounded me for my weight gain, and that it was my "fault" I had a 9 lbs 8 oz baby. My DH was 10 lbs, and his mom is tiny. I don't think there was any way our son was going to be much smaller unless I starved myself, and that obviously had positive effects when we look at babies of folks that had very limited access to food because of wars and such. (Clinically documented higher prevalence of diabetes and being overweight as adults in this population because their bodies didn't have enough carbs as fetuses and consequently processed them differently than those who had adequate nutrition as fetuses). This time around, DD is measuring large, and I have well controlled GD. I did attend a class for GD and most of their advice actually put me OUT of range for sugar, and was much more unhealthy than what I was already doing. I think this is just further proof that pregnancies are not all the same and therefore diet and nutrition advice cannot be "one size fits all." There's a lot more to this issue than simply the numbers that pop up on the scale; you might only gain 15 lbs during pregnancy but have a steady diet of pepsi, processed foods, and candy while another gains 35 lbs eating nothing but lean proteins, brown carbs, and salad.


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## nstewart

I was about the 45-50lb mark. I exercised regularly throughout, ate healthy (my cravings were for raw brocolli and for milk), and ate when hungry. I had a TON of swelling the last 6 weeks or so (I could only wear flip flops at the end) and dropped most of the weight very quickly so I am sure a good 10-15lbs of it was water.

I am expecting #2, and at 28 weeks I am up about 21lbs. I would like to keep under 40lbs, but I'm not going to starve myself to do it. Just continue to make good choices (well, TRY, anyway, I'm not always successful) and to exercise and eat when I am hungry.

10lbs seems like such a small "recommended" range for such a huge range of heights, body types, frames, etc. It seems so silly that my good friend who is 4"11 and petite should be told to gain the same range as me at 5'9" and broad shouldered.

I was also pretty fortunate that I couldn't not lose weight breastfeeding until DS was 2 years old (then it tappered off and I gained back a few lbs before conceiving this babe). By the time DS was two I was 15lbs below my pre-pregnancy weight when I conceived DS without any type of dieting involved (I generally eat healthy but in substantial quantity, and always eat when I am hungry and never feel guilty for treating myself when I want to). Fingers crossed for a breasfeeding weight loss miracle again this time.


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## timesway

It's weird isn't it.. I've gained about 22 lbs at 29 weeks, I started off v underweight tho and I've been doing physio aswell throughout preg and gained a lot of function dispite my joints deteriorating, therefore I'm sure a bit of my gain at least is muscle..thing is I started off 105lbs and 5'9 if I were overweight and 5ft I would expect to gain much less as my body would need much less.. As it was I have gained this much to try and give the baby as much chance as poss.. I still don't look v pregnant tho and most my weight is boobs and water retention around my bum (damn wjeelchairs) the rest of me looks pretty small still and I'm still being carried up/down stairs on a daily basis.. And can hide the fact I'm preg with a jumper! It's all relative.. The guidelines I've seen say If your underweight u should be aiming for a 40-45 lb gain rather then the standard 25-35


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## SplashingPuddle

I have now happily gained 60lbs at 30 weeks. I don't report weights to my midwives, and I am feel confident that it is all part of the process since I eat relatively healthily.


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## alyxashx92

I am not quite done yet. 33 weeks pregnant on Monday and I have gained 41 pounds so far. I was 130 before I got pregnant. I feel huge but I am also pregnant with twins so it makes sense.


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## baileyb

I gain a pound per week despite puking twice a day for the first 18 weeks, then 2 pounds week until about 28 weeks, then probably 1/2 lb per week after that. It doesn't really seem to be effected by how I eat or how active I am. I think being tall makes a difference too. There's no way I would gain only the average recommended when I am above average height. The only time I gained only the recommended 30 lbs. was when i got pregnant the second time after having a baby 7 weeks prior.

Preg #1 - Started at 150 and ended up at 190 at 38 weeks.

Preg #2 - Started at 160 and ended up at 190 at 38 weeks.

Preg #3 - Started at 145 and am at 180 at 31 weeks..


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## baileyb

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DaisyO*
> 
> I started at 130 and gained between 50 and 60 lbs. It was all normal until about 35 weeks, when I started to gain more than a pound a day for no apparent reason...no GD...but my thyroid levels were not the best, although my midwives weren't worried. I half suspected an iodine deficiency (ate non-iodized sea salt, and was only on 1/3 of a prenatal a day), but that doesn't totally add up b/c I live near the sea and ate lots of seafood and even seaweed salad. Still confused about that fast weight gain, it was scary since I couldn't stop it. It stopped itself when I had my baby (induced after early rupture of membranes) at 37+1. She was only 5.5 lbs, too. Very strange pattern of weight gain that makes me feel nervous about any hypothetical next time (although I think I'll be happy with just one!), especially since the birth was not as expected and that in my mind was tied to the weight gain.
> 
> As far as weight loss goes, I'm now only 120, with almost no effort on my part. The baby is 15 months old and still nursing a lot, and I've been vegetarian for about six months now also. So, it all just kind of disappeared. Still confused about the whole thing, as I said..not to hijack, but if anybody has insight I'd be interested.
> 
> D


I had a similar thing happen with weight loss after my second. After I stopped nursing my weight plumeted to 138 and I am 6 feet tall! My husband even said something because he thought I had been dieting but I wasn't. It took a year + 1 m/c for my body to snap out of whatever had happened. Looking back I think it was partially because I had 2 back to back pregnancies only 7 weeks apart and then I abruptly stopped nursing and I think my body just freaked out.


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## ILoveMyBabyBird

48 lbs with both pregnancies. With #1 I started out about 10lbs heavier than with #2, I was 165 with #1 and 155 with #2 starting and ending I was 213 with #1 ending and 203 ending with #2. FWIW whether you go early or late can make a big difference in how much one could gain. If I delivered 4 weeks early I would have probably only gained 38ish pounds. I gain a lot the last 4-6 weeks and I went over 40weeks with both kiddos, #1 was 41w4days and #2 was 41w2days, babies were 9lbs and 9.3lbs no GD or any other issues.


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## wildmansmom

With my first I gained about 50lb - I really stopped looking at the scales after about week 35. I didn't eat well (a lot of milkshakes) I had a lot of swelling at the end and I didn't exercise because the slightest amount of walking gave me severe Braxton Hicks.

This time around, I've eaten very well - lots of fruits and veggies, almost no sweets and I'm chasing around a 2 year old in addition to yoga and walking (and I continued to run throughout the first 2 trimesters). And... I've still gained 45lbs. I started around 125 and I'm hovering around 170 with just over a week left.

Two totally different pregnancies - very similar weight gain.


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## MichelleZB

I gained about 35 pounds.


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## Calladona

Gained 30 lbs with #1, lost it all by a year PP (when I got pregnant again).
Gained 28 lbs with #2, only lost 22 lbs by a year PP (when I got pregnant again).

Gained 30 lbs with #3, lost all + 4 of the pounds from #2 by a year PP (when I got pregnant again).

So, I'm figuring another 30ish lbs and hoping to lose back to my original pre-pregnancy weight by a year PP (which shouldn't be an issue, I wouldn't think!).


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## harli

I'm normally pretty thin, technically I'm underweight but I have an old back injury and can tell if I go just a little bit over my normal weight and/or loose fitness because my back starts to hurt. I started all three of my pregnancies at right about the same weight (approx. 115). With number one I gained 15 lbs, with number two I gained about 20, (I was very heavy for me and uncomfortable). With number three I had a previously undiagnosed diary allergy that got horrendous in my first trimester and lost a ton of weight when I finally went off the dairy. I gained back some of the weight I lost, but not much. I gave birth at about 117 lbs and only gained 6 lbs by the third trimester. I felt great, probably because I finally went off the dairy. If I gained the 'recommended' amount my body would just break down. It just doesn't function well at higher weights due to my old injury.


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