The question of weight gain during pregnancy is often a thorny subject for expectant mothers. All women and all pregnancies are different.
Does the ideal weight gain exist?
The answer is unequivocal, there is no such thing as ideal weight gain. Each individual is unique. Weight gain can be very different from one woman to another, without this being in any way pathological. “Weight gain depends on baseline BMI, maternal morphology and fetal development “, explains the midwife. In general, it is considered that the woman will gain between 500 g 1kg per month in the first trimester, 1kg per month in the second, and 2 kg in the third trimester. According to the BMI (body mass index) of the mother-to-be at the start of her pregnancy, the weight gain will oscillate between 5 and 18 kilos.
| Pre-gestational BMI (kg / m2) | Recommended weight gain |
| <18.5 | 12.5 to 18 |
| 18.5 to 24.9 | 11.5 to 16 |
| 25 to 29.9 | 7 to 11.5 |
| 30 and over | 5 to 9 |
Be careful, however, such modeling can be anxiety-provoking for women who do not fit into the framework.
The distribution of pregnancy pounds
Here is how the weight gain is distributed between new tissues on the one hand, and those whose mass will increase during pregnancy.
- New fabrics: fetus (3.2 kg to 3.6 kg), placenta (700 g), amniotic fluid (900 g).
- Tissues with increasing mass : uterus (900 g), breast tissue (900 to 1300 g), expansion of the extracellular and extravascular sector (900 to 1300 g), expansion of blood volume (1300 to 1800 g), fatty tissue (2700 to 3600 g).
I have gained too much weight, or on the contrary not enough, what are the risks?
Too much weight gain during pregnancy is not trivial and can have consequences for both mother and baby. “There is a risk for the mother-to-be of developing a Gestational Diabetes and therefore to have a bigger baby “, explains the midwife. A macrosome baby exposes the mother to complications during childbirth, including an increased risk of cesarean section. “Too high a BMI also increases the risk hypertension and preeclampsia“, adds Anh-Chi Ton.
In addition to these health problems, excessive weight gain also has psychological repercussions. “It can be difficult for women in the relationship to their body that it sees changing and hinders their mobility.“, she observes. The midwife specifies, however, that while we often talk about extra pounds, not gaining enough weight can also be dangerous. “Insufficient weight gain is associated with a greater risk of having an underweight baby but also ofpremature delivery. “
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