I Gain Weight While Pregnant…
Eating a balanced diet throughout pregnancy is a positive sign that your baby is getting enough nutrients and growing healthy. Slow weight gain is best. During the first 3 months of pregnancy, you should gain 2 to 4 pounds, then 1 pound every week. Average-weight women acquire 15 to 35 pounds during pregnancy. If you’re underweight or overweight when pregnant, you may need to gain more or less respectively.
Multiple pregnancies affect recommendations.
Why You Are Gaining Weight:
When pregnant, the baby’s developing parts leads to the majority of your weight gain, and here is how its distributed –
What happens to all the weight?
Baby, 6–8 lbs. Placenta, 2–3 lbs.
Amniotic fluid, 2-3 pounds
0 to 3 pounds of breast tissue
3 to 4 pounds of blood
Fat stores for giving birth and nursing (remainder of weight)
Uterus gets bigger, 2 to 5 pounds
ALL TOGETHER: 15–35 pounds
Regain your weight. Don’t lose or stop gaining weight. Try to gain weight slowly, according to your trimester.
During first trimester you should gain 2 to 4 pounds; second and third: 1 pound every week.
Follow these steps change your diet so as to gain weight slowly:-
- Avoid second helpings and oversized portions.
- Buy low-fat milk.
- Most days, stroll or swim.
- Cook low-fat.
- Reduce sweets and calorie-rich snacks.
- Reduce sugary beverages.
This is What to Do If You are Under-weight
- Not all women gain at the same rate.
- If you’re not gaining enough, see your doctor.
- Nausea and morning sickness slow weight gain.
- Hyperemesis gravidarum can cause excessive vomiting; see your doctor.
- Change your diet to gain weight safely:
- Frequent eating. Eat 5-6 times a day.
- Choose nutrient-dense foods like dried fruit, almonds, peanut butter crackers, and ice cream.
- Eat more cheese, honey, margarine, or sugar.
What to eat when sick?
- Symptoms vary. Morning sickness, diarrhea, and constipation can affect women. How to treat these symptoms.
- Try crackers, cereal, or pretzels for morning sickness. Smaller meals more often.
- Avoid fried food.
- Constipation: Eat high-fiber cereal, fruits, and vegetables. Drink 10-12 glasses of water a day.
- Diarrhea: Pectin and gum fiber help absorb excess fluids. Applesauce, bananas, white rice, oatmeal, and wheat bread are good.
- Heartburn: Eat small, frequent meals, chew carefully, avoid spicy, rich foods, and coffee. Drink fluids between meals, not with meals. When lying down, keep your head raised after eating.
Cravings Are Normal
Some pregnant ladies don’t crave meals. It’s good to indulge food cravings if it fits into a healthy diet and doesn’t happen too often.
If you crave ice, detergent, dirt, clay, ashes, or paint chipping, you may have pica. Consult your doctor ASAP. Non-food products can be detrimental to you and your baby and may indicate an iron shortage
How To Eat While Pregnant:
Lean meats, low-fat dairy, fruits, vegetables, and whole grain items will contribute 200 to 300 calories.
During pregnancy, watch what you eat. Eat nutrient-dense foods and fewer sweets and desserts. Eat diversely.
Choose foods from each food group using www.choosemyplate.gov.
Pregnancy diet guidelines
Calcium strengthens bones and teeth. Calcium ensures appropriate blood clotting, neuron function, and heartbeat. ACOG recommends 1,000 mg per day for pregnant and nursing women. 19-year-olds need 1,300 mg daily. 4 servings of dairy or calcium-rich meals. Calcium-rich dairy products are preferable. Dark, leafy greens, fortified cereal, breads, salmon, fortified orange juices, almonds, and sesame seeds also contain calcium.
Folic acid is utilized to generate pregnancy-needed blood. ACOG and March of Dimes recommend 400 mcg each day. Prenatal vitamins include this amount. March of Dimes says folic acid can prevent 70% of neural tube abnormalities. Some women are more likely to have a baby with a neural tube defect (including but not limited to women with a family history of spina bifida, women on anti-epileptic medication, etc.). Women at risk for neural tube defects should take more folic acid. Your doctor can discuss genetic counseling with you. Lentils, kidney beans, green leafy vegetables (spinach, romaine lettuce, kale, and broccoli), citrus fruits, almonds, and beans are folic acid-rich. Folic acid is added to breads, cereal, pasta, rice, and flours.
Iron: Red blood cells, which carry oxygen, contain iron. Iron helps you avoid stress, sickness, fatigue, weakness, irritability, and sadness. Between diet and prenatal vitamins, ACOG recommends 27 mg of iron each day. Whole grain goods, lean meat and pork, beans, sardines, and green leafy vegetables are good sources.
ACOG recommends 770 mg daily Vitamin A. Vitamin A-rich foods include dark green vegetables, carrots, sweet potatoes, milk, and liver.
2 to 3 servings of vegetables, 2 servings of fruits, 3 servings of whole grain bread, cereals, pasta, 2 to 3 servings of lean protein (e.g., meat, fish, and poultry).
Vitamin D helps grow baby’s bones and teeth with calcium. It helps skin and eyesight. Women, including pregnant women, need 600 IU of vitamin D daily. Vitamin D-fortified milk and salmon are good sources. Sunlight transforms skin chemical to vitamin D.
ACOG recommends pregnant and breastfeeding women consume 200 mg DHA per day in addition to prenatal vitamins. Prenatal vitamins and DHA are available without a prescription.
Growth and development require protein. Protein provides energy and helps build and repair brain, muscle, and blood. For baby’s growth, pregnant women require more protein. Size-dependent protein requirements vary. 150-pound lady needs 75 grams of protein daily. (Divide pre-pregnancy weight by 2 to estimate) Choose fish, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans and peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds. Check food labels for protein content.
Alcohol: Alcohol causes premature birth, low birth weight, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
Limit caffeine. Two 5-ounce coffee cups, three 5-ounce tea cups, or two 12-ounce caffeinated sodas.
Moderate salt intake. Salt causes water retention and high blood pressure.
Even if you’re overweight, don’t lose weight during pregnancy. You or your baby may lack growth-promoting nutrients.
There are Foods That Are Unsafe In Pregnancy:
During pregnancy, avoid certain foods. Pregnancy hormones might lower your immune system and increase your risk of foodborne disease. Listeria can cause early birth, miscarriage, and fetal mortality, according to the CDC. 20 times more pregnant women get Listeria.
Hot dogs, luncheon meats, cold cuts, deli meats (e.g., bologna), fermented or dry sausages should be cooked to 165°F or until boiling hot before serving to reduce Listeria risk.
Wash hands after handling hot dogs, lunch meats, and deli meats to avoid contaminating other foods, utensils, and surfaces.
Soft cheeses including feta, queso blanco, queso fresco, brie, Camembert, blue-veined, and panela (queso panela) should be pasteurized. Check for “PASTEURIZED MILK” on the label.
Labels matter. Do not eat refrigerated pâté or meat spreads from a deli or meat counter. Non-refrigerated pâté and meat spreads are safe to eat. Then refrigerate.
Sushi, rare or undercooked meats (chicken), beef, raw eggs, Caesar dressing, and mayonnaise can also cause foodborne disease.
Fish is another pregnancy-unsafe food. Certain fish have high levels of methyl mercury or PCBs, an environmental contaminant.
During pregnancy, eating fish high in methyl mercury can cause brain damage and developmental delay.
Pregnant women can eat safe fish once a week.
Pregnant women should avoid raw and grilled fish, says March of Dimes. Undercooked finfish and shellfish are raw (such as undercooked oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops).
Shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish have high mercury levels.
March of Dimes warns against eating PCB-rich fish. Bluefish, bass, freshwater salmon, pike, trout, and walleye are included.
References:
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