Weight Gain During Pregnancy, When Is Too Much?

There are women who inadvertently can gain too much weight during pregnancy and this is so because they do not pay attention to their diet or learn to control their weight. It is true that during pregnancy you can feel a little more hungry than normal, but it is necessary to control it so as not to gain weight.

Gaining weight is normal when you are pregnant, it is also healthy since during pregnancy the baby grows and together with fluids and extra weight it may be that you gain more than necessary.

DO YOU HAVE TO EAT FOR TWO?

There is an urban legend that advises women to eat all they want because they must eat for two, but this is not literally the case, they must control their weight and think about their diet. It is true that sometimes when women have so-called ” cravings ” it is because their body is asking them to eat some nutrients that it lacks and that it needs. This is why sometimes women may have cravings for oranges, almonds, fish or other types of food.

But it is necessary to maintain a healthy diet and that the excuse of “is that you should eat for two” is not something that pushes the pregnant woman to eat more than necessary, this will make her gain weight. The ideal is to eat as usual , taking into account the proteins, vitamins and everything you should consume for the proper development of your baby.

Although it is true that sometimes, although women try to maintain a healthy diet low in saturated fat, they can put on more kilos than established. This should also not be a problem if it is well controlled, but if a woman gains too much weight during pregnancy then it can put her baby’s health at risk.

DANGERS OF GETTING TOO FAT

If we gain a lot of weight during pregnancy, we will endanger our health and that of the baby, to the extent that the risk of suffering from the following problems increases:

– Increased discomfort

In addition, gaining weight increases the discomfort. Being pregnant is not very comfortable and there are discomforts that increase as you increase in kilos and more if you do not feel like controlling your weight. Excess weight can aggravate everything from back pain to leg pain to tiredness. In addition, and if that were not enough, if you gain too much weight, you can get stretch marks, varicose veins and hemorrhoids, and I better not mention the horrible heartburn or leg cramps! All of this can make the beautiful experience of being pregnant tedious.

– Poor results in ultrasounds

When you get too fat during pregnancy, you run the risk that the ultrasound results will not be accurate as the body fat will prevent the doctor from seeing the baby well and diagnosing any problems that may require treatment.

– Gestational diabetes

The gestational diabetes can occur for weight gain during pregnancy and should be monitored throughout pregnancy also he endangers the mother suffering from diabetes type 2 later in life.

– Gestational hypertension

Also getting too fat can make your blood pressure skyrocket. Having gestational hypertension (diagnosed around the middle of the second trimester) can lead to complications during delivery, something that could affect a cesarean section.

– Too big a baby

The bigger and heavier the baby, the more likely that vaginal delivery requires forceps or that the mother will tear when the baby comes out of the vagina. If the baby is too large and dilation is not achieved, then a cesarean section may need to be performed (something that will make a more difficult recovery than if it had been a vaginal delivery). This is another reason why it is necessary to control weight and diet.

– Preeclampsia

The preeclampsia can also happen to gain weight and can lead to liver and kidney problems, and can also increase the risk of intrauterine growth restriction, placental abruption and other complications.

– Preterm delivery

The more you gain during pregnancy, the more likely it is that the baby will be born prematurely or that you will put your baby’s health at risk and that he will suffer from breathing difficulties, feeding problems, developmental problems and learning difficulties in adult life.

– Birth defects

Babies born to obese mothers are more likely to have birth defects, including heart problems and neural tube defects.

– Probability of not losing the weight gained

If a woman gets too fat later it will be more difficult to lose that extra weight even after the first year of life of the child. Even women who get too fat are at risk of being obese within 10 years if they don’t have a healthy lifestyle. This obesity can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.

HOW MUCH IS CORRECT?

If you are pregnant right now it is likely that you are thinking that then how much you should gain in order to be healthy and not endanger your health or that of your baby. If you gain weight well, everything will go smoothly, the problem will be that you go out of line.

If you gain more than a kilo and a half a week during the second trimester or you gain 1 kilo a week in the third trimester, you should consult your doctor. For it to be a good pregnancy, you must control your weight and know that during the entire pregnancy you usually gain between 11 (recommended) and 16 kilos (too much). Everything will depend on your BMI (Body Mass Index), but remember that not all women will gain the same weight or at the same rate.

It is necessary that you do not have a sedentary life and that you can have a complete and varied life, so you can avoid being overweight and its consequences that will only bring problems for you and your baby. It is worth it to have a healthy and healthy pregnancy and avoid the temptations to consume saturated fats and foods that are not recommended!