weight gain proportional to baby size?

Cunning Stunt

Hi all,

I was telling a friend that I have put on a good few kilos over my 6+ months of pregnancy and she told me that I ''need to be careful'' otherwise I am in for ''a very hard labour with a big baby!''
This particular friend is also pregnant and I have noticed she eats less now than she did before she got pregnant. She claims it is because her stomach has a smaller capacity now but I am wondering if she is trying to influence the size of her baby..

So it got me wondering - if you put on a lot of weight, does it automatically mean you are gonna have a big baby? In your experience or people you know who have had kids - is this the case, or is it impossible to tell?

I seem to be hungry a lot and when I am hungy I will eat. I think this is the way it should be - but I don't like the idea of pushing out a monster sized baby either!;)

foxinsocks

There is a VERY small connection between mother's weight gain (in the first 2 trimesters), and the size of your newborn, but honestly, there are so so many other factors that merely controlling your weight won't make any noticeable difference.

Genetics and overall nutrition will have a far bigger effect on the size of your baby. Basically, eat nutritious foods, rather than junk, and generally keep your diet healthy and you and your baby should be fine.

Your friend is right about decreased capacity though, in my second trimester it was like i'd had a gastric band fitted, whatever way the baby was leaning on my stomach.

frankie1

I have also "put on" more weight than all the books say (10 kilos in 1st 27 wks). I feel that at 5' 11" it is all relative. Like cunning stunt the first 20 wks i had no sickness but had an increased appetite. When i was hungary i ate as i was listening to what my body was saying.

I wouldn't be worrying too much though as at all my GP and hospital app i am measuring average. Just enjoy.

Moonbeam

ask your gp or obstetrician .
I know alot of people that piled on the weight and had tiny babies and people that put on no weight and had huge babies it depends on you and how easy you put on weight.

Ayla

I gained over 40lbs/15-20kg/3stone on my second preg. I'm not a big person normally (usually around 9-10 stone) so this was significant weight gain. My baby wound up being 8lb 15oz. Big enough, I suppose, but considering my husband was 11lb when he was born & I was a chunker as well, I didn't think either of my babies were big.

My sister would be roughly the same weight as me, both before & during preg (ie: similar weight gain), but she is much more athletic & longer limbed. She wound up with a boy weighing about 6lb.

Keep in mind that - assuming you're eating healthy enough - most of weight gain during pregnancy is water retention, not fat. I personally think that weight gain = big baby is an urban myth.

I think you should follow your body's lead and eat when you're hungry. I think what you eat is more important than how much (within reason). So if you eat sugary junk every time you're hungry then that's not great - high blood sugar can lead to big babies as in gestational diabetes - but if you eat well then that's perfectly fine.

I put on very little weight with my girl (about 20lbs) and she was almost 9lbs. My mum was the same with all her pregnancies and her babies were between 8.5 and 11 lbs. But then I haven't lost any since she was born even though I bf.

In short - your body knows what it's doing.:)

Nicole22

I would think its more down to other factors also. In my first pregnancy I gained 1 stone 7lbs and my son was 8lbs 6oz. I'm 7 months pregnant now on my second and its looking like I'll have around the same weight gain. To be honest I thought I'd gain more as I've gone from exercising quite a lot before pregnancy to very minimal/no exercise during. I eat whatever I want, generally a very healthy diet but plenty of treats if I'm honest. I seem to be burning it off though and apart from the bump haven't gained a lot anywhere else.
I think it must just be genetics really. I wouldn't worry that your having a big baby. I think trust your body and eat when your hungry. If your making healthy choices the majority of the time then whatever you gain is normal for you.

Cunning Stunt

Thanks for the replies - puts my mind more at ease.
I guess my friend just panicked me when she told me I was in for a mega-baby birth!



Now off to raid the fridge...:D

How Strange

I'm 5ft 2 and I probably gained 35-38 lbs, I was all bump and doctors scared the bejesus out of me about my big baby. He weighed 7lb 2 and was such a skinny little thing. I ate relatively healthily during pregnancy and kept the treats to a minimum. I started gaining weight from 8 weeks so I guess it was genetic.

cbyrd

My first pregnancy i gained about 2 stone.. mostly baby.. the second i lost 2 and a half stone due to sickness and with the last baby i lost over 2 stone aswell.. my first was 5lb 8 1/2 ozs 2nd was 6lb 10ozs and the third was 7lbs 10ozs.. the only thing that can really affect baby size is gestational diabetes. if it's not diagnosed you're more likely to have a bigger baby.. so watch you're sugar intake

bulmersgal

i lost 2 stone at start of pregnancy through morning sickness then could only eat healthy food or very plain food and at end of pregnancy had got back to normal weight plus 5/6 lbs. I was a week overdue and baby came out weighing 8lbs. I just went wit what my body told me but did find myself eating little and often