Don’t ‘Eat for Two’ While Pregnant

Weight gain in pregnancy is a serious issue. Excessive weight gain can lead to increased weight for both mother and child throughout their lives. This poses a great health risk including risk for heart disease and obesity. More than half of all women gain excess weight during their pregnancies. Excessive weight gain increases the chance of having to surgically deliver the baby.

Despite the concerns about weight gain during pregnancy, experts agree that pregnant women should gain weight and it would be unhealthy to lose weight during pregnancy. Some experts even believe that the more weight gained reduces the risk of preterm babies.

Women should aim to gain about twenty-five to thirty-five pounds over the term of their pregnancy, if they started off at a normal weight. If the woman is overweight prior to pregnancy she should aim to only gain 15 to 25 pounds. Pregnant women should exercise. Walking is a great exercise for pregnant women. It can help avoid gaining too much weight and help avoid problems that can develop during pregnancy such as high blood pressure and hypertension.

Most women are not losing their pregnancy weight. Nearly seventy-five percent of women remain heavier after pregnancy. Women should consider exercising even after giving birth.

Key Points:

  • 1Babies are likely to be bigger than they should be when mothers gain too much weight over the course of their pregnancy.
  • 2Babies also have an increased risk for obesity and heart problems when they get older.
  • 3The more you weigh before being pregnant, the less you should gain during the pregnancy, but never strive to lose weight during i.t


Among Americans, earlier research found 70 percent of overweight women, and 64 percent of obese women gain more than recommended while pregnant.
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Written by HealthStatus
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our health risk assessment, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years.

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