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Causes of Pregnancy Weight and How to Manage it
The weight a woman gains during pregnancy is a critical factor for the health of the baby and the woman herself. The body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy determines the amount of weight you should gain. A normal weight is classified to be a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9. Someone who is overweight is classified to have about 29.9 BMI. Someone who is also obese is classified to have more than 30 BMI.
Before we discuss about the causes of pregnancy weight, let us know talk about the risks and complications of being overweight or obese.
There are high chances that women who are obese have a high risk of complications. These complications include high blood pressure disorders like sleep apnea, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes. They also have high chances of giving birth to kids who become overweight and obese.
You baby may also be affected negatively if you gain too much weight during pregnancy. In other words, your baby may be born larger than average and result to complications at birth or preterm birth.
That being said, your doctor should be of assistance in helping you managing your weight throughout pregnancy.
How Often Does Pregnancy Weight Gain Occur?
In the United States, one in five women possess a BMI of 30 or more while being at the early stage of their pregnancy. During the pregnancy stage, around one to five women gain more than 40 pounds.
The Signs and Symptoms of Pregnancy Weight Gain
You can experience day-to-day issues if you are experiencing excess weight. This includes snoring or sleep apnea, breathlessness, increased sweating, heartburn, fatigue, and back and joint pain. If you must know, obesity can result to high cholesterol levels, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure.
The causes of Pregnancy Weight
Not exercising your body and consuming too much food are the most common factors that contribute to increased weight. A pregnant woman can also be obese if she takes certain medications like anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and hypothyroidism.
Where Does Pregnancy Weight Come from?
Adding weight during pregnancy is not bad. It\’s recommended you aim for a weight gain of around 25-35 pounds during your 40 weeks of pregnancy (if you started out pre-pregnancy at a \” normal \” BMI. Ask your prenatal practitioner for the recommended weight gain for your profile.) But not all that weight will be in the form of extra fat.
Here\’s a breakdown of where those pounds come from.
What you Need to do to treat excess pregnancy weight
The best way to reduce the risk is losing weight prior to your pregnancy. You can improve your overall health and live a healthier pregnancy if you lose just 10 to 20 pounds.
Even though there are risks, you can still experience a healthy pregnancy if you possess excess weight. You can monitor your pregnancy for complications by following the regular parental care. You will need to provide good nourishment to your body and your baby by eating healthy foods.
1. Consume a Healthy Diet
While at home, you can practice some healthy habits to lose weight before becoming pregnant or to even assist manage your weight while pregnant.
You can help keep your weight in a healthy range by changing what you eat and consuming these foods consistently. To determine an individualized healthy eating plan, simply visit and discuss with a registered dietitian. Generally, extra calories are not needed in the first trimester of pregnancy. During the second trimester, women require about 340 extra calories on daily basis. When she gets to the third trimester, she will need about 450 extra calories per day.
2. Get Regular exercise
You can control your weight by having regular and moderate exercise during pregnancy. Every week, you should try to have at least two and a half hours of moderate exercise. To break it down, thirty minutes every day and five days a week. Before you start to exercise especially when you are pregnant, simply discuss with your doctor on the possible workouts you can perform. The reason is to prevent stressing the lower body.
Know your Limit
Do not take cigarettes, alcohol, or any illicit drugs when you are pregnant.
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