Health Facts on Weight Gain

One of the key prerequisites to a healthy pregnancy is making sure you are at a healthy weight from the time you conceive and the weight you gain is at a steady pace throughout your pregnancy months. If you are looking healthy, feeling healthy and your baby is growing nicely you are likely to be gaining the right amount of weight for you. On the same token, if you do not gain weight according to the chart through every month of your pregnancy it doesn't mean you are unhealthy - weight charts represent ranges and averages.

Body types

Currently the recommended weight gain lies in the 25 - 35 pounds range; this of course is influenced by your body type and if you started your pregnancy being under, over or close to your ideal weight. Key generalizations are:

• Ectomorphs or tall, lean women - they tend to gain less


• Endomorphs or short, pear shaped women - they tend to gain the most


• Mesomorphs or average-built women - they tend to gain in the middle of the 25-35 pound range.

Did you know..

• Every pregnant woman needs a fat reserve to ensure a continuous, steady supply of calories is available to the baby in case the mother undereats for a day or two. This fat reserve is also useful for milk-making after baby's birth.


• Some women gain 8-10 pounds during the early weeks of pregnancy while others actually lose weight due to nausea or poor appetite.


• Most babies gain 90% of their weight after the 5th month and 50% in the last two months.


• During the last month it is normal for a mother to gain minimally despite baby's rapid growth: some mothers gain 1-2 pounds, some stay the same, and few even lose a bit.


• In some countries doctors do not practice routine weight checks on the mother at every antenatal check up because it is more effective to check baby's growth by measuring the fundal height.

Body Mass Index - BMI

Body Mass Index	Recommended Total Weight Gain
less than 19 (underweight)	12.5 to 18 kg (28-40 lbs)
19 to 26 (normal weight)	11.5 to 16 kg (25-35 lbs)
27 to 30 (overweight)	7 to 11.5 kg (15-25 lbs)
30 or more (obese)	7 kg (15 lbs) or less

These recommendations apply to women expecting one baby; for twins or triplets you may gain considerably more. An average of 15.5-20.5 (34-45 lbs) for twins and 20.5-23 kg (45-50 lbs) for triplets is likely depending on the length of pregnancy. In order to work out your recommended weight gain you need to know your body mass index.


From the chart below you can locate your pre-pregnancy weight in pounds from the pink area and your height in feet from the purple region. The intersection point in the green area is your BMI. You can also use the formula to calculate BMI: weight in lbs / height in inches squared X 703.

	5'0"	5'1"	5'2"	5'3"	5'4"	5'5"	5'6"	5'7"	5'8"	5'9"	5'10"	5'11"	6'0"	6'1"	6'2"
100	19	18	18	17	17	16	16	15	15	14	14	14	13	13	12
105	20	19	19	18	18	17	17	16	16	15	15	14	14	13	13
110	21	20	20	19	18	18	17	17	16	16	15	15	14	14	14
115	22	21	21	20	19	19	18	18	17	17	16	16	15	15	14
120	23	22	22	21	20	20	19	18	18	17	17	16	16	15	15
125	24	23	22	22	21	20	20	19	19	18	18	17	17	16	16
130	25	24	23	23	22	21	21	20	19	19	18	18	17	17	16
135	26	25	24	24	23	22	21	21	20	20	19	18	18	17	17
140	27	26	25	24	24	23	22	22	21	20	20	19	19	18	18
145	28	27	26	25	24	24	23	22	22	21	20	20	19	19	18
150	29	28	27	26	25	25	24	23	22	22	21	21	20	19	19
155	30	19	28	27	26	25	25	24	23	22	22	21	21	20	19
160	31	30	29	28	27	26	25	25	24	23	23	22	21	21	20
165	32	31	30	29	28	27	26	25	25	24	23	23	22	21	21
170	33	32	31	30	29	28	27	26	25	25	24	23	23	22	21
175	34	33	32	31	30	29	28	27	26	25	25	24	23	23	22
180	35	34	33	32	31	30	29	28	27	26	25	25	24	23	23
185	36	35	33	32	31	30	29	29	28	27	26	25	25	24	23
190	37	36	34	33	32	31	30	29	28	28	27	26	25	25	24
195	38	36	35	34	33	32	31	30	29	28	28	27	26	25	25
200	39	37	36	35	34	33	32	31	30	29	28	28	27	26	25
205	40	38	37	36	35	34	33	32	31	30	29	28	27	27	26
210	41	39	38	37	36	35	34	33	32	31	30	29	28	27	27
215	42	40	39	38	37	35	34	33	32	31	30	30	29	28	27

The rate at which you gain weight may differ from week to week. Some research indicates that gaining very little weight at the start of your pregnancy has little effect on your fetus than the weight gained in the other two trimesters. It is during the 2nd and the 3rd trimesters when baby piles on more weight. Some women gain fairly well early on and then much less later. These weight gains are mere guides. If you are grossly underweight or overweight you will need to consult a dietician or nutritionist for advice.

How your weight adds up

The chart above gives you an idea of on the weight distribution. About one third to a quarter of the weight gained is actually your baby. The rest comprises of all the other elements without which your pregnancy is not possible.