Weight Gain Chart

Weight gain during pregnancy is a normal and natural process, and maintaining a nutritious diet is important to the health of you and your baby. Your weight before pregnancy will help you determine how much weight gain is healthy for you and your baby. Women with a normal weight before pregnancy should expect a weight gain of 25 to 35 pounds. For women slightly underweight, 28 to 40 pounds should be gained because they are at higher risk for smaller babies. Overweight women are advised to gain only 15 to 25 pounds.

The following list will help you understand where all of the extra pounds are allocated:

• Baby: 7 to 9 pounds
• Placenta: 2 to 3 pounds
• Amniotic fluid: 2 to 3 pounds
• Uterine enlargement: 2 to 5 pounds
• Increased blood volume: 4 to 5 pounds
• Breast enlargement: 1 pound
• Fluid in maternal tissue: 3 to 4 pounds

Too Little or Too Much Weight Gain

Losing weight during pregnancy is never safe. You and your baby need the extra calories and nutrients in order to stay healthy. However, if you gain too much weight, consider the following options to help slow your weight gain:

• When eating out at restaurants or fast food, stay away from high calorie meals. Avoid fatty fried foods and choose a dish with no sauce or mayonnaise. When ordering a salad, ask the server for low-fat dressing.
• Avoid whole milk products and try using skim milk which will significantly reduce the amount of calories and fat you consume.
• Prepare meals with low-fat cooking methods. Baking, broiling, grilling, and boiling are all healthier techniques.
• Limit sweet or sugary drinks that are devoid of nutrients but filled with calories.
• Eat healthy snacks between meals to prevent overeating during mealtime.

If you find that you aren't adding on enough weight, the following suggestions are a safe and healthy way to put on some pounds:

• Try eating five to six small meals every day.
• Keep healthy snacks on hand such as nuts, cheese and crackers, dried fruits or yogurt.
• Add non-fat powdered milk foods to your diet such as mashed potatoes, eggs, and hot cereal.
• Add the following condiments to your meals: butter or margarine, cream cheese, gravy and sour cream.

Using the Weight Gain Chart

To monitor your weight gain, use this Weight Gain Chart and follow the directions below:

• Find out how much weight you gained by subtracting your pre-pregnancy weight from your current weight.
• Locate that number in the "Pounds Gained" column on the left side of the chart.
• Locate the week of pregnancy you are in on the bottom of the chart.
• Find where the two lines intersect and mark a dot using a pen or pencil.
• Follow the same process each week and connect the dots to chart your weight gain. The dotted lines on the chart represent normal, high, and low ranges for pregnancy weight gain.