too many women packing on pounds during pregnancy

For all pregnant women, the goal is the same–to deliver a healthy baby, while not gaining too much unhealthy weight.

Since being pregnant requires gaining some weight in order to properly nurture the fetus, the question is how much is too much. The old adage claims that you are eating for two, but this is often used as an excuse to overeat, and results in women packing on pounds during pregnancy. Most authorities recommend an expectant mother only eat an extra 350-450 calories per day to ensure adequate nutrition for the fetus.

Doctors do have guidelines for recommended weight gains for women of various heights and prepregnancy weights. There are categories of underweight, overweight, normal, and for the first time, obese women. The Institute of Medicine recently issued the following updated guidelines. Underweight women should gain between 28-40 pounds, normal weight expectant moms should aim for 25-35 pounds, oveweight women should try for 15-25 pounds, and obese mothers-to-be should stay in the 11-20 pound range.

Only one-quarter of new mothers are in these suggested ranges at the time of delivery. Most of the rest have gained too much. One problem is that many women don’t know the recommended weight gains. Some are influenced by family members or cultural factors to eat too much, to “eat for two.”

Adding to the problem of women packing on pounds during preganancy is that up to half of all pregnancies are unplanned. Many expectant women are already overweight when they conceive. Many of today’s new mothers are also older than in the past, which means they are more likely to have overriding health concerns such as diabetes. These conditons make pregnancy riskier for both mother and baby. Extra pounds during pregancy can have adverse short- and long-term effects on both mother and baby. Pre-term labor, c-sections, and larger babies, (often causing a harder delivery) are just some of the complications.

Expectant mothers and their doctors, along with other health professionals such as nutritionists and fitness experts, must focus as a team on this issue of women packing on too many pounds during pregnancy.