The weight gain that we get in our pregnancies should not be focused in the post-partum stetics subject that is always in our conversations after birth but, it should be focused instead in the way these extra kilos can complicate the pregnancy if we do not follow them closely.
In a normal and single baby pregnancy, when the woman is healthy, the weight gain shouldn’t be higher than 15 kilos, as more than this would increase the risk of complications.
How is the weight distributed until the end of the pregnancy?
- Baby: ?approximately 3.400 g.
- Placenta:? approximately 750 gr.
- Amniotic liquid: between 1.5 and 2 litres of liquid that, with similar density of water we can say that the kilograms are equivalent.
- Uterus: the uterus goes from 70 to 80 grams before the pregnancy to up to 2 kilograms at the end of it.
- Breasts: the mother to be gains approximately 1 kg in each gland.
To this total we should add 1 to 3 extra kilos from “maternal modifications”, where other changes occur in the mother, for example, the liquid retention of the last 4 to 5 weeks of the pregnancy, caused by hormonal changes. All these factors give a total weight gain of 11 to 13 kilograms.
Also we should consider the kilos gained due to changes in our diets during these months, not having sometimes the most adequate diet.
From the diet point of view, we should increase the calories ingestion from 250 to 300 per day. We must NOT eat for 2, but for you and your baby.
It is very important to have a close gynecologic follow up together with nutritional support in order to have a healthy pregnancy with no complications.
Fdo. Dra Virginia Treviño
Médico Bariatra FIVER/SALUZ