Weight gain | Birth & Babies

It is normal and healthy to gain weight during pregnancy. Gaining a healthy amount of weight helps your baby develop and grow properly, decreases your risk of complications during your pregnancy and during delivery, and helps prepare your body for breast/chestfeeding. A woman who does not gain weight is more likely to have a low birth weight baby, which can lead to greater health problems

You may hear friends and family members tell you that you need to “eat for two”, but that doesn’t mean you should should eat twice as much. If you eat “for two”, you will likely gain more weight than what is recommended for your pregnancy. Gaining more than what is recommended could lead to health problems and it may be harder to lose extra weight in postpartum.

Too little?

Gaining less weight than what is recommended might lead to a baby that:

Is born too early
Weighs less than average
Is small for their age at birth

These babies have more risk of disease in the first few weeks of life, physical and mental disabilities, and ongoing health problems later in life.

Too Much?

Gaining more weight than what is recommended could lead to:

A difficult delivery
Babies that are born large for their age or have a high birth weight (more than 9 lbs (4.1 kg))
Babies that will have problems with overweight and obesity later in childhood
More difficulty losing the weight after pregnancy
High blood sugar and high blood pressure during pregnancy

Remember – “eat twice as healthy” and not “twice as much”

If you find that when you are bored, anxious, stressed or depressed, it affects when, how much and what you eat, you may be eating for reasons other than hunger (e.g. emotions). Many people may gravitate towards foods that make them feel better or “comfort foods” like chips, chocolate, and ice cream. Emotional eating can lead to overeating, as you are not satisfying your hunger. It is important to speak to your healthcare provider if this happens frequently.

The recommended amount of weight gain during pregnancy depends on your Body Mass Index (BMI) before you were pregnant and how many babies you are carrying. Knowing the weight gain range that is right for you will help you to gain enough weight without gaining too much weight. Find out your pre-pregnancy BMI by either:

Using an online calculator, available at Healthy Parents Healthy Children
Using the formula of BMI = weight (kg) / height (m)²
Talking to your healthcare provider

Since every body is unique and BMI doesn’t know your body build or medical history, discuss what’s right for you with your primary healthcare provider.

In general, the table below will help you find out how much weight gain will be healthy for you and your baby

	Pre-Pregnant BMI	Total weight gain for pregnancy
	<18.5	28 – 40 lbs (12.5 – 18 kg)
	18.5 – 24.9	25 – 35 lbs (11.5 – 16 kg)
	25.0 – 29.9	15 – 25 lbs (7 – 11.5 kg)
	>30.0	11 – 20 lbs (5 – 9 kg)

“Little weight gain (0.5 – 2.0 kg or 1.1 – 4.4 lbs) is necessary in the first trimester”

Now that you know how much weight is good to gain for you, knowing the rate of weight gain is also important.

BMI	Weight Gain in 2nd and 3rd Trimesters*
<18.5	1.0 – 1.3 lbs/week (0.44 – 0.58 kg/week)
18.5 – 24.9	0.8 – 1.0 lbs/week (0.35 – 0.5 kg/week)
25.0 – 29.9	0.5 – 0.7 lbs/week (0.23 – 0.33 kg/week)
>30	0.4 – 0.6 lbs/week (0.17 – 0.27 kg/week)

A slow and steady weight gain throughout pregnancy is recommended

Weight gain goals when carrying twins

For pre-pregnancy BMI (18.5 – 24.9), your weight gain goal is 37 – 54 lbs (17 – 25 kg)
For pre-pregnancy BMI (25.0 – 29.9), your weight gain goal is 31 – 50 lbs (14 – 23 kg)
For pre-pregnant BMI (30+), your weight gain goal is 25 – 42 lbs (11 – 19 kg)
For a pre-pregnancy BMI (<18.5), talk to your healthcare professional about how much weight is good to gain

When carrying more than 2 babies, talk to your healthcare professional about how much weight you should be gaining.

If you are expecting twins or triplets (or more) talk with your health care provider about seeing a registered dietitian.

For more information about nutrition when pregnant with twins, triplets, or more visit:

https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/nutrition/if-nfs-nutrition-pregnant-w-twins-triplets-or-more.pdf