First Trimester Weight Gain
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It is especially important that you gain weight, rather than lose weight, during your pregnancy. Even during the earliest part of your pregnancy, the first trimester, you will be gaining some weight. Healthy weight gain, even during the first trimester, is necessary to a safe and healthy pregnancy.
Throughout your pregnancy, if you are an average sized woman, you can expect to gain a total of about 25 to 35 pounds. If you were overweight before becoming pregnant, healthy weight gain will be more in the 15 to 25 pound range. If you were underweight before your first trimester, you should probably be gaining more like 28 to 40 pounds over the course of your pregnancy.
Proportionately, the smallest amount of weight gain will occur during the first trimester. First trimester weight gain should total right around three to five pounds. Your weight gain during the first trimester will probably be barely noticeable. Often, first trimester weight gain is most noticeable in the size of the breasts.
Weight gain during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy is going to be more steady after the first trimester. During the second trimester of pregnancy, you will gain around 1 to 2 pounds per week. This rate of your weight gain will likely continue, although slightly increasing, as you go into your third trimester and get closer and closer to your due date.
Of the 25 to 35 pounds of weight that you gain during pregnancy, only about seven and a half pounds will actually be your baby. The rest of the weight that you gain will be made up in increased fluids, extra blood volume, amniotic fluid, nutrients and fats, and in the size of the uterus and the breasts.
The first trimester is an important time in your pregnancy, especially in terms of nutrition. If you are worried that you are experiencing too much or not enough first trimester weight gain, you should contact your health care provider. She may be able to monitor your nutritional intake more closely, and make dietary recommendations as appropriate for your individual situation.
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