Weight Gain In Pregnancy

By: Bradley G. Goldberg, M.D.

Many women, and their husbands for that matter, are often concerned with the amount of weight gained during pregnancy. So, this week I wanted to go over what the appropriate weight gain is during a normal pregnancy.

The first thing to deal with is the fact that you will gain weight, that’s just the name of the game. This is not a time to be overly concerned with dieting. Weight gain during pregnancy is necessary, healthy and in most cases unavoidable.

The average weight gain during pregnancy is 30 to 35 pounds. Women who are thinner before they become pregnant may gain more, while heavier women often gain less. Keep in mind that the weight you gain during pregnancy is accounted for by more than just the weight of the baby. There is also the placenta (‘after birth’), which can weigh 1-2 pounds with a full term pregnancy. In addition, the amniotic fluid and the extra blood volume that you normally develop with pregnancy will also contribute to your overall weight gain.

No matter what your weight gain is, the growth of your baby is the most important variable. Your physician should assess the baby’s growth at each prenatal visit. Most commonly this is done by measuring the fundal height with a tape measure. The fundal height is a measurement of the growth of your uterus, and should increase slightly every 1-2 weeks during pregnancy.

If your fundal height measurement is not progressing as expected, an ultrasound can be performed to confirm that the baby is growing appropriately. These ultrasounds are not necessary when the fundal height measurement is increasing normally.

While some women can gain a higher than average amount of weight with no problems, sometimes the higher weight gain can be a warning sign of something more serious. If the weight gain is rapid and associated with high blood pressure, this could be a sign of “pre-eclampsia”. This is a potentially dangerous condition, and can be diagnosed by your doctor. Women with gestational diabetes can also gain more weight than average.

This is why it is important to keep all of your prenatal visits... so these potentially harmful conditions can be detected, and treated early.

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