6 Mos Pregnant and Gained 27 Lbs Already

I gained too fast with my fist (40 lbs) yikes. I also gained fast with my second, but amazingly just stopped gaining much of anything the last 6 weeks and only gained 30 lbs. I do believe the difference for me was to cut out sugar as much as possible.

I don't have tips, but at my 20 week appointment I had gained 26 pounds. Right there with you! I'm trying really hard not to stress, and I know it will have to come off at some point. But, I'm still eating healthy enough and taking my vitamins. As long as the baby is healthy, I will worry about the weight on the other side of this.

If it helps you any, I gained 75 pounds with baby #1. Yes, 75 lbs. I lost it ALL in under 5 months after the baby came, with almost no effort on my part. Mother Nature knows what she's doing.

(For the record, baby #2 I only gained 30 pounds, and ate the exact same things as I had with baby #1... and it was way harder to lose that 30 pounds, too! Go figure.)

You already know, every pregnancy is different. Just turn the other way when they do your weigh-in every month. Eat healthy and don't obsess over the weight gain. It is what it is, and it's mostly out of your control anyway. Congrats on your pregnancy!

I gained 50 lbs with my DD (12 of those lbs were in one month so I feel your pain!) I walked every night after dinner. She's 7 mos and I've got about 5 lbs to get off. I think some babies just need more room to move around. Eat as healthy as you can and don't let it bother you if you keep gaining weight.

Only worry about weight gain during your pregnancy if your OB tells you there is a need for concern. I gained 49 pounds with my first, lost it, gained 51 pounds with my second 3 yrs later and lost that. Mostly. I weigh today, almost exactly 7 pounds more than the day I got married almost 14 years ago.

Unless your doctor tells you to be concerned, worry about weight gain AFTER your baby is born. Don't eat tons of junk just because you think you don't have to worry now, but don't go on a diet. Your baby needs the nutrients of a healthy diet... not a woman ON a diet.

You'll have plenty of time to deal with the aftermath of weight gain after your new baby arrives. Besides, stress can cause you to gain, too. So don't stress~

Drinks lots of water, eat healthy snacks, drink protein shakes. Snack on things like peanuts, apple slices, cheese, carrot sticks, pretzels, hard boiled eggs, celery with peanut butter and raisins... so that you are not always feeling ravenous throughout the day and gorge yourself during mealtimes or on unhealthy treats. Keep away from foods high in sodium (like packaged and canned foods) as that can contribute to swelling and weight gain from water weight.

if you are able to do some light walking or pregnancy safe yoga/excersizes that would be greatly beneficial as well. Congrats!

Any chance some of the weight is fluid retention.....?

I also gained a lot during my 2nd pregnacy (50 lbs total) I lost all of it, but I would tell myself it was mostly fluid. I doubt it was true, but it made me feel better :)

Hi Nichole!

I am a firm believer that if your body says "I'm hungry" you EAT! That beging said, of course you want to be sure you are eating things with good nutrition for both you and your baby. When I was pregnant with my son I ate a ton. I was hungry! IT wasn't "Cravings" like eating a half gallon of icecream, I was just hungry.

I do know that you cannot try to NOT gain the weekly weight you should at this point. Even if it puts you over your "goal" weight, you should still be gaining about 1 pound per week. Check to be sure you are not eating things high in sodium. I swelled and had a lot of water weight with my son as well. Really, if you gain about a pound per week from now till week 36, you will only be at 37 pounds, which is right around the recommended weight gain, anyway.

Talk to your doctor about your concerns. My doctor never said anything about me gaining too much weight. I was healthy and my baby was growing fine, so she wasn't concerned.

Just remember, the baby canNOT live of of stored body fat. He/She needs constant intake of nutrition. By cutting back too much now, you would just be depriving your baby, which you were clear about not wanting to do. You can always just work a little harder later to take off any excess weight, but don't sweat it! Life it too short to worry about a few extra pounds :)

Good luck!

Smaller more frequent meals, and think about what you're putting in your mouth, I know its hard, if you prepare meals & snacks the night before its harder to veer for something bad.

The hunger is totally normal. Plan extra veggies or salad with each meal. Keep the carbs and protein portions normal and load up on veggies. They won't make you gain weight, but you'll feel full and satisfied (no one wants to feel their stomach growling)! Keep your snacks healthy as well, fruit and raw veggies. Hummus makes a great dip for veggies. Don't feel the need to diet or eat less, just be conscience of what is going in. Say no to cravings for junk foods, or eat a small portion and fill up on something healthy too. Fruit smoothies with low fat yogurt or tofu are great way to curb a sweet tooth! Nuts are a great crunchy snack!

Keep moving. I know its hard when its so cold outside. Can you walk some laps inside your house, up and down stairs? You can get a stand that you put your bike on to ride it in the house stationary. Good low impact workout.

Hang in there, you'll make it. Commit to getting back into shape after the baby is born, look into a baby and me exercise group or something you can do with the baby and your kids, walks with stroller, bike rides, etc...

Best wishes!

Hi N.---Eat only plants! Plants contain lots of fiber so you can eat lots and lots and feel full and satisfied. There is NOTHING in animal protein that you can't get from plants. Plants contain the vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals necessary for optimal health and disease prevention. Go to www.vegetariantimes.com for lots of great vegetarian and vegan recipes. They are absolutely delicious.

I must confess that I am not a vegetarian or vegan, more of a flexitarian, eating mostly veg or vegan, savoring high quality organic meats when I eat it. Other great websites talking about the benefits of a plant based diet are www.pcrm.org and www.thechinastudy.com. Eating like this while pregnant will set your baby up for good health all through his/her life. It also will help determine food preferences as he/she grows up.

Be sure to exercise. I know it is likely difficult, at best, to schedule that. But do things with your babies and you will teach them one of the most important life habits that there is. Research shows that the heart of the baby of an exercising mother is bigger and stronger from the get go.

I've been taking classes from a Naturopath who has her PhD in Nutrition. I have access to all kinds of articles and studies to document my suggestions. I would be happy to help you to learn how to optimize your health. Feel free to call at any time. Take care, D.

With my pregnancy, I gained 10 lbs in month 5 and then only gained 10 lbs for the rest of the pregnancy, leaving me right at about 35 lbs. I could just be that your gaining it disproportionally but that you'll be okay in the long run . . .

I gained 32lbs with my son... Most of which was between weeks 25-32. The last month-month and a half... I lost a few lbs. I weighed 12lbs MORE than my husband that is a full foot taller than me at the end. But I lost it all within the first 6mos post pardum.

I only gained 18lbs total with my daughter. I was sick the entire time. I lost 6lbs in the first trimester and struggled to gain that 18lbs. It took me 3yrs to get rid of that 18lbs.

Just because you gain 35lbs, doesn't mean it will take you forever to lose it afterward.

Both of my kids were a healthy weight at birth.

I guess what I'm saying is... I don't think there's a reason to worry so much about how many lbs you've gained until AFTER the baby is born!!!!!

I didn't even look at the scale when I was pg with either of my kids. I found out total gain AFTER they were born.

I drank alot of protein meal shakes, like ensure and they kept me full longer so I didnt eat as much. And its possible that you are stressed and are just eating more, so try to relax and not worry to much about it.

Is it at all possible your having twins?

Best of luck to you and baby, and just remember to relax, and take it easy, and not to sweat the small stuff, and at the end of the day a few extra pounds for the baby is a small thing.

Walk or any exercise that will get your metabolism going-- MEM. Muscle Equals Metabolism. A pound of muscle the body burns 50 calories, a pound of fat the body burns 2 calories.

Protein, dense bread, and water (8 ounce glass of cold water the body burns 40 calories).

When we give the body good nutrition, we crave less food and the food that is a treat and not a necessity.

With 2 other children, I'm certain your life is very busy. Maybe you could do something physical and fun with your children? When it is fun, we tend to do it more often. Right?!

Last, what you eat and drink during your pregnancy you know if affects your baby's health as well as yours. Healthy you = healthy baby.

I wish you the best!

I had my own gravitational field with my first - gained well over 100lbs. Granted, some of that was fluid, but honestly... I was starving!
The minute I delivered, I didn't want any food at all.
My second pregnancy - I gained probably 40 lbs tops.
Eat things that fill you up - protein. Almonds -- 5 or 6 of those and you get sick of chewing and you're full. Carrots, celery, apples -- anything with a crunch will satisfy the need to chew and keep the pounds at bay. Drink a lot of water -- it fills you up... of course it will make you pee your brains out even more, but...
Go for walks - sometimes you just need to get those endorphins going.
Good luck!
LBC

Obviously you don't want to deprive yourself or the baby of nutrition. You don't say what you eat but common sense would indicate that you look at eating a really healthy, low-sugar, low-fat, light on the carbs, heavy on the fiber diet. Lots of veggies & protein and some fruit and whole grains. A Weight Watchers or diabetic diet would be excellent. I'd avoid empty calories as much as you can. You definitely need lots of protein, vitamins and minerals. Plenty of fluids without caffeine and sugar are needed as well. I'm wondering if you're developing gestational diabetes. Please take care of yourself. If you're hungry all the time, you need to eat but make really good choices.

I gained 50 lbs with each of my kids. I'm naturally pretty thin (although struggled to get it off after the second child) and wasn't going crazy eating. In fact, I was so sick with our second, it was hard to eat much of anything. Still, I gained exactly the same. I think a lot of times, it's just genetics. Don't beat yourself up over it.

although dieting is not recommend while pregnant you can still count your calories and make sure you're not taking in too much. They say you only need about 300 more calories a day then what you used to eat. If you think about that it's like a glass of milk and 2 cookies or 1/2 a sandwich etc. So watch how many calories you are consuming. And eat smaller meals often.