Pregnancy Nutrition

Gaining Weight Too Slowly During Pregnancy

Just as gaining too much weight can be harmful to you and your baby, not gaining enough weight can be harmful also.  There are some women out there who are so terrified at gaining weight that they eat next to nothing during their pregnancy.  Please do not do this, you could be depriving your baby of the vitamins and minerals it needs and you increase your chances of having a small baby.  Babies who are underweight at delivery are at a greater risk for health problems than babies who are of average weight at delivery.

If you find that you have gained nothing during your first trimester, do not worry. Some women do not gain anything during those first three months and some even lose some weight thanks to morning sickness.  Your baby's needs are relatively tiny at that point.  It is when you are in your second and third trimesters that you should make sure you are gaining weight according.

If you find that you are not gaining as much weight as you should, you should try to fatten up your diet.  Increase your fat intake by a serving or too.  This will increase your calorie intake but won't decrease your appetite.  Do not increase your fat by more than a serving or two.  There are better and healthier ways to increase your weight gain.

If you are one of the lucky few women who do not gain weight easy, you might not want to foods with the lowest amount of calories.  You can still eat healthy but you want to up your calorie intake.  Try eating avocados and more cheeses along with some beans too.  Indulge in some snacks also.  Try to add at least three snacks into your schedule.  Make sure you have a decent amount of calories but not so many calories that your ruin your appetite for your next meal.  If you are not allergic to peanuts, try some apple slices with peanut butter or some whole wheat crackers which some low fat cheese slices.

Take some time out of your busy life to relax.  Not gaining enough weight could be a sign that you are doing too much.  You could be burning up the calories you eat instead of using them to nourish your baby.  Try cutting back on your exercise if you have an exercise routine.  You also want to make sure you eat after a workout to replace the calories you just lost.  If you are working while you are pregnant and it is a stressful job, make sure you take the time out of your busy day for lunch and snacks. 

Throughout all of this, check in with your doctor.  Your doctor may want to run some tests to make sure that you do not have a thyroid condition or any other undiagnosed medical problem that might keep you from gaining weight.   You may also want to keep track of what you eat so you can show your doctor and talk about any changes that might need to be made to your diet.   You may not be eating enough and you may find that you need to eat more. 

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