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Pregnancy is a time of increased care, adequate food and monthly medical follow-up. Among the main precautions to ensure a good pregnancy and also the health of the pregnant woman and the baby, weight gain during pregnancy is one of the most focused points during prenatal care. Gaining weight in the gestational phase is inevitable, since the woman’s entire body is in full change to accompany the baby’s development inside her womb, but controlling this gain is essential . Use our weight gain calculator to find out if your body is evolving as expected:
Identify your weight range according to the phase
How to Use the Weight Gain Calculator
The calculation is simple, just inform in the fields: your pre-pregnancy weight, then your current weight, next to the gestational age you are in and also if it is a twin pregnancy or not. Click on the calculate button and your result will appear in the results field below.
In addition to the result indicating whether you are in the proper weight index, below or within obesity, your body mass index and the estimate of your ideal weight gain will be informed .
Below the result is a graph that will indicate if it is within the expected. The orange dot indicates your current weight and if it is within the blue field it means that it is within the expected weight gain. If above the blue field, you are earning more than you should and if you are below, you are earning less than you should. If you are unsure about the result, use the button below to recalculate.
Ideal Weight Gain in Pregnancy
However, weight gain in pregnancy is not directly related only to food itself, but also involves several other factors such as genetics, height, age and even the weight that a woman is already before she becomes pregnant. The ideal weight gain in pregnancy can vary from pregnant woman to pregnant woman and will depend on the weight and height of each one and how much she is already weighing before pregnancy. When overweight at the beginning, it is recommended that you earn as little as possible.
Through the calculation of BMI it is possible to indicate the weight indicated for the pregnant woman to gain over the 9 gestational months. This calculation can be performed using some tools or even by the obstetrician at the beginning of prenatal care.
Weight Gain X BMI
- BMI up to 18.5 – When the result of calculating the BMI of the pregnant woman at the beginning of pregnancy, is at the value up to 18.5, it means that she is within the weight and the ideal weight gain is 13 to 18 kg.
- BMI 18.5 to 25 – When the result of the BMI calculation of the pregnant woman at the beginning of pregnancy, is in the value of 18.5 to 25, the ideal weight gain indicated is from 11.5 to 16 kg.
- BMI 25 to 30 – When the result of calculating the BMI of the pregnant woman at the beginning of pregnancy, is in the value of 25 to 30, the weight gain in the ideal pregnancy is 7 to 11.5 kg.
- BMI greater than 30 – When the result of the BMI calculation of the pregnant woman at the beginning of pregnancy is higher than 30, it means that the pregnant woman will have to be more careful with her eating and routine habits, since she is overweight. The ideal weight gain will be 5 to 9 kg.
Where Extra Weight Is Distributed
Right when we think about putting on weight and the amount of pounds we will gain during the pregnancy, then the question comes up as to where all this will go and if at the end of the pregnancy it will be “huge”. But, weight gain in pregnancy is not the conventional weight that we gain when we lose control and fail to have a healthy routine.
But thinking logically, if a baby is normally born weighing around 3 kg, it should be just that weight to have to gain, right? But the female body to generate in a healthy way, adapts itself to this new moment and with that it undergoes several changes to adapt and structure itself so that a new life grows inside your womb.
Weight gain in pregnancy is distributed between:
- Baby weight;
- Weight gives placenta;
- Weight of the uterus;
- Fluid retention;
- Amniotic fluid;
- Breast augmentation;
- Increased blood volume;
- Increased fat reserves.
There are so many transformations that the female body undergoes in this period and so many needs and overload, that the body has to be stronger and prepared to support the 9 months of pregnancy.
See also: Hunger in Pregnancy – Tips for Satiety and Maintaining Weight
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It is known that weight gain in pregnancy is one of the nightmares of many women, the vast majority of them for adults. Being overweight is the concern of many, and sometimes the terrorism that is generated around this factor in a woman’s life during pregnancy can be decisive for the acceptance of her body and a number of factors.
According to medicine, the ideal weight gain for a pregnant woman is due to the distribution proportional to the development of the organs that are growing in this phase, that is, how much the whole pregnancy can provide for changes, both in her body and in the generation of the new being . The ideal weight can be distributed as follows:
The baby> About 3,100 kg due to the baby’s weight. Sometimes a lot more, there are countless pregnancies in which the baby reaches up to over 4 kg and all healthily as a baby of 2,500 kg. In fact what determines the baby’s health is not just the weight, but if your baby is theoretically not at an ideal weight, don’t worry. But during pregnancy, the baby’s weight gain is considered to assess the mother’s health. So, a woman who generates a 3 kg child and gains 20 kg of weight during pregnancy, would have an excess of 17 kg without discounting the rest of the considerable factors.
Placenta> It weighs about 1,100kg! Too big isn’t it? It is extremely necessary for the baby to be properly nourished and also oxygenated. A healthy placenta is essential!
The amount of amniotic fluid> Amniotic fluid in pregnancy weighs around 1,200kg! This is because the weight is proportional to the amount of liters it has in volume. In this case 1,200 ml per 1,200 kg. If there is more liquid, the more weight it will have, but the normal without being considered excess liquid is up to 1,300 ml.
The Uterus> With the growth of the uterus, there is obviously an additional gain in pregnancy. As it is about muscles, the uterus can weigh a lot! It can reach up to 1,600 kg of the weight of a pregnant woman.
Reserve fat (adipose tissue): Everyone has a minimum reserve of fat under the skin. The fat may be minimal for some women, but for others it can reach 4kg! Therefore, one must consider the biotype, but it is perfectly normal for the pregnant woman to have this amount of adipose tissue under the skin!
Blood> The volume of blood in the woman’s body increases considerably! This is because to help the good circulation through the body of the mother and baby, the blood will be more fluid. About 30% more water in the blood produced by the mother, that is, 1,700 kg more weight gain during pregnancy. This would also explain fluid retention in pregnancy and the swelling!
Body Fluid> About 1,100kg of weight gain during pregnancy, is acquired only by the amount of hormonal fluid present in the body. Extracellular fluid of hormones from the placenta that retain fluid through containment of sodium in the body. So watch out for blood pressure and bumps!
What is the ideal weight gain in pregnancy?
About 14,500kg! A little more than 11, 12 kg said by some doctors. However, weight gain in pregnancy is relative for all women. This is a rational estimate of medicine, but the biotype of each woman will certainly be taken into account, in addition to of course, the biotype of the baby and the child’s father. The size of the baby will greatly influence this weight gain, however it is not very relevant. It is possible that women gain little weight during pregnancy.
It happened to me, in the first pregnancy I had a reasonable gain of 12kg with a baby of 2930kg. The second time I gained about 7kg with a 3800kg baby, the third time I had a 5kg weight gain with a 3450kg baby . What made little weight gain in the last two pregnancies was my metabolism, which for some women slows down a lot, so excessive weight gain, in my case the acceleration due to the presence of HCG, made little weight gain for me , but a good weight gain for children. As my obstetrician said, I am a freak of nature I get thin during pregnancy and gain weight afterwards (do what?)
Some doctors do absurd terrorism with weight gain, but they forget to take into account that each body is one, and the pattern cannot become the rule. It is clear that a healthy weight gain is essential, for this a good (and healthy) diet must be adopted even before becoming pregnant, but it is necessary to take several relevant factors to be able to determine an overweight and risks during pregnancy. Talk straight to your obstetrician and enjoy the pregnancy without worrying too much about weight gain, if the baby is healthy and you too, the weight is lost after pregnancy with the help of breastfeeding, diets and exercises.
A novelty for our pregnant readers, is that Famivita in partnership with Patricia Amorim developed a gestational multivitamin thinking about the needs and also the difficulties of the pregnant women. With all the vitamins and minerals important for fetal development and for the mother’s health, the FamiGesta vitamin has a differential, which is the size of the capsule that makes it easier to swallow during the phases of constant nausea and nausea. You can purchase your vitamin here in our online store .
See also: How is the cervix in pregnancy?
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
