The thought of pregnancy is exciting because of the end result, however many women are really concerned about putting on too much weight, its effects on the baby and pregnancy, as well as losing the weight after the baby as born. There are some guidelines to help women understand what type of weight gain they should expect that are based on their pre-pregnancy BMI or body mass index. This number is figured out by plugging your weight and other numbers into a formula. The resulting number is your BMI and what will indicate how much weight you should put on during pregnancy.

A woman with a low BMI or who is underweight is advised to gain between 28-40 pounds, a woman with a mid BMI or of average weight is recommended to gain 25 and 35 pounds while an overweight woman with a high BMI is only advised to gain 15 to 20 pounds. In cases where the woman has a super high BMI, or in other words is obese, she should not gain more than 15 pounds total. Since these numbers are all significantly higher than what an average baby weighs many moms-to-be wonder why the need to gain so much weight for an 8 pound baby. The answer is that the weight is divided among a variety of things, least of all being additional fat for the mother. For example, the placenta weighs 1.5 pounds, additional fluids and blood account for another 8 pounds, amniotic fluid is 2 pounds, increased uterus size is another 2 pounds, larger breasts account for 2 pounds as well, and the mother typically gains 5-8 pounds in fat. This means that for a woman to have a healthy baby she will need to gain close to 30 pounds. Once the baby is born there will be weight to lose, but not too much.

Of course, pregnant women sometimes have a difficult time staying within the guidelines and as a result their weight gain should be a regular part of prenatal check-ups. Eating healthy foods as often as possible and moderate exercise are good ways to keep from gaining too much weight. Also, some women have a difficult time staying on track for their weight gain and for these women there are tips to help them gain the necessary weight.

If you are not gaining enough weight then in addition to your three normal meals you should also eat three snacks. This is not to say you should eat high fat and sugary snacks, but healthy ones. Also, you should focus on increased calorie consumption, but in the form of healthy, whole foods. When you are eating simply eat. Do not accompany your meals with beverages like water, milk, juice or soda but rather save your drinking for in between meals. That way, you will have more space for food. As long as you follow these tips you will stay on target for healthy weight gain during pregnancy and will not put yourself at risk for gaining too much weight as long as you make healthy food choices.

Of course, healthy food should make up the majority of your diet after delivery as well. During this time you will need all the nutrients and vitamins to help you deal with the demands of a new baby. Also, you will want to lose that baby fat and maintaining a healthy diet is the best way to do so. Including exercise in your routine will also help speed up the baby fat loss and give you more energy to meet the demands of being a new mom.

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