Sorry to keep banging on about it, but I'm finding it hard to get past my issues with putting on weight during pregnancy. I know that it's illogical and ridiculous to dwell on it – and of course there really is no fear of me doing something silly like skipping meals or over exercising or anything like that. For a start, I love food too much (that's part of the issue), and obviously I want what is best for our baby – that comes first. Having said that, the last couple of months I have really stacked on the weight, after a fairly slow and steady start.
So in order to try and quell some of the anxiety, I decided to look into exactly where the weight actually goes when you get pregnant. Here's what I found out (all weights in kilograms – there are 2.2 lbs per kilo)*:
- The average weight gain during pregnancy is between 8kg and 15kg, but some women put on more, some less
- The baby is about 3.5kg
- The uterus can weigh in at about 1kg
- The placenta is about 650g
- Boobs are up to1kg (but mine feel heavier than that!)
- Blood volume increases by up to 50%, which can account for 1.25kg
- Water retention can add around 2kg, especially towards the end of your term
- And then there's the extra fat you gain to cope with breastfeeding of between 1 and 2kg
Reading that and doing my own sums, I suddenly feel much better about my own weight gain. I'm also told by my lovely and supportive mummy friends that breastfeeding does wonders for a woman's figure post birth, so, all things being well, that should hopefully help me get my shape back. Now I just need to wean myself off that daily Galaxy chocolate bar...post-pregnancy of course!
*Thanks to "Expecting" by Anna McGrail & Daphne Metland, Virago Press 2004 for this information.
Did you gain a lot of weight during pregnancy? Did it make you anxious or were you simply happy to get on with it?