Gain weight carefully

Evidence 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-72949-w#:~:text=Gestational%20weight%20gain%20(GWG)%2C,to%20preterm%20birth5%2C6. 

Ying Hu, Qi Wu, Luyang Han, Yuqing Zou, Die Hong, Jia Liu, Yuying Zhu, Qiumin Zhu, Danqing Chen, Lu Qi & Zhaoxia Liang 

Gestational weight gain (GWG), whether too much or too little, is associated with adverse maternal and infant outcomes. With excess GWG, pregnant women are more likely to experience gestational diabetes mellitus and macrosomia, which can contribute to preterm birth. 

Education 

Healthy weight gain 

Keeping track of your weight is important for your and your baby’s health. You should balance your nutritional needs with healthy weight gain and eating to appetite. 

Not enough weight gain can increase the risk of preterm birth and cause problems later in life. Women who are overweight or gain too much weight during pregnancy have a higher risk of: 

• High blood pressure 

• Gestational diabetes 

• A large baby (macrosomia) 

• Preterm birth 

• Caesarean sections 

• Birth defects 

• Difficulty losing weight after their baby is born. 

This can also increase your long-term risk of diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. 

How much weight should I gain?  

The weight you should aim to gain depends on what your weight (and body mass index or BMI) was before you became pregnant. BMI is the number used to work out the recommended amount for you. Your BMI may be in your handheld record from antenatal clinic. If not, you can work it out using the steps in the box overleaf. 

Use this table as a general guide to what you should gain during pregnancy.  

How do I work out my BMI? 

1. My pre-pregnancy weight: _______kg - My height: ____________ m (e.g. 165cm would be 1.65m)

 BMI = weight/(height x height) =_____kg/m² 

2. Another way to find your BMI is to use the graph below. From your height and weight trace your fingers along the lines until they meet. That is your BMI. Your dietitian or midwife could help if you are unsure of how to do this.

How much should I gain in my second and third trimesters?  

This depends on your pre-pregnancy BMI. Refer to the table below to see your goal.  

Do I have a different weight gain goal if I am having twins or triplets?  

Yes – if you are having more than one baby you will need to gain more weight than outlined above. Use these recommendations instead:  

What should I do if I am not gaining enough weight?  

Not gaining enough weight means you and/or your baby may miss out on important nutrients. It is important to have three meals a day, and have between-meal snacks, such as morning tea, afternoon tea and supper.  

Good snacks include:  

• Fruit toast  

• Dried fruit, nuts, and seeds  

• Yoghurt  

• Muesli bars  

• Cheese & crackers  

• Milk drinks  

Sometimes women who have morning sickness early in pregnancy find it difficult to gain enough weight. Sometimes they even lose a small amount of weight. If this happens to you, you do not need to be concerned as long as you start to gain weight in the second trimester of your pregnancy.  

What should I do if I am gaining weight too quickly?  

Gaining too much weight when you are pregnant can increase your blood pressure and risk of gestational diabetes. To control your weight gain, limit foods that are high in fat and sugar. Make sure you are not 'eating for two'. It is also important to include regular physical activity on most days. See the lists below for foods that you might like to swap or stop to help manage your weight gain.  

Limit the amount of fat you eat by:  

• Limiting biscuits, cakes, chips, and crisps  

• Reducing the amount of fat in cooking  

• Choosing low fat dairy products (e.g. milk, yoghurt)  

• Avoiding cream and sour cream  

• Trimming fat from meat before cooking  

• Using healthy cooking methods like grilling, steaming, baking 

• Removing skin from chicken  

• Limiting high fat takeaway foods.  

Limit high sugar foods by:  

• Drinking water, not soft drink, or cordial  

• Using ’diet’ or low joule products  

• Limiting fruit juices to one glass per day as these are high in sugar (even 100% juice) 

• Limiting chocolates, lollies, sweets, and desserts.  

Listen to your hunger cues and only have a snack if you are actually hungry. Watch your serve sizes, especially of foods like rice, pasta, potato, bread and meat. 

Empowerment 

A pregnant woman should be happy overall, and healthcare professionals should ensure this is the case during each prenatal visit. 

Of course, there’s evidence to show obesity can lead to complications during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Obesity isn’t good for your health, whether you’re pregnant or not. 

Although you should be aware of the risk’s obesity carries, healthcare professionals should always provide the best possible individualized care. 

Most pregnant women take care of their health during pregnancy. If they were overweight before becoming pregnant, their health – especially their mental health – might have suffered greatly because of this. 

The same applies to underweight women, who might have followed special diets to increase their ‘normal weight’. 

What should matter most is to make sure the baby develops in a healthy way, while the mother gains a reasonable amount of weight. 

If you have any concerns about your weight or your mental health, please contact your healthcare provider. 

Useful Links 

Raising Children 

https://raisingchildren.net.au/pregnancy/health-wellbeing/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-pregnancy-weight-and-weight-gain 

Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. (2020). Clinical practice guidelines: Pregnancy care.

https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/pregnancy-care-guidelines 

Maternity and Newborn Clinical Network Safer Care Victoria. (2021). Obesity during pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

https://www.bettersafercare.vic.gov.au/resources/clinical-guidance/maternity-ehandbook/obesity-during-pregnancy-birth-and-postpartum 

National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). (2013). Australian dietary guidelines. 

https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/australian-dietary-guidelines.pdf 

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG). (2022). Management of obesity in pregnancy.

https://ranzcog.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Management-of-Obesity-in-Pregnancy.pdf. 

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