Healthy Living
Have some more. You’re eating for two, after all!
If you’re pregnant and want to keep or improve your health, do not listen to this outdated piece of advice! If you eat a balanced diet, full of protein, vegetables and fruit, with minimal simple sugars, you will be doing yourself and your baby a huge favor. If you eat for one healthy person, namely yourself, you will automatically gain approximately 25 to 35 pounds in your pregnancy. This should be your goal. The first 12-13 weeks of pregnancy, or the first trimester, is often accompanied by nausea and fatigue. Many women lose a little weight during this time of their pregnancy. This is fine, as the baby is not depending on you for much direct nutrition at this early stage of pregnancy. Most of the weight you gain in pregnancy should occur in the second and third trimesters, when the baby is more dependent on you for its growth and development. The following list shows how your weight gain is distributed during the 9 months of your pregnancy:
| Baby | 3.4 kg/7.5 lbs | |
| Placenta | 0.7 kg/1.5 lbs | |
| Amniotic fluid | 1.0 kg/2.2 lbs | |
| Uterine lining | 1.0 kg/2.2 lbs | |
| Breast size | 1.0 kg/2.2 lbs | |
| Mother’s circulatory system | 1.4 kg/3 lbs | |
| Increased fluids in mother’s tissue | 1.5 kg/3.3 lbs | |
| Mother’s lipid deposits | 3.0 kg/6.6 lbs | |
| Total | 13.0 kg/28.6 lbs |
