Gaining weight is an essential part of the pregnancy. Don't be afraid to gain more weight than you might have in your entire life, because that's exactly what you will need, depending on your weight before the pregnancy.
A pregnant woman needs to gain extra weight for the proper nourishment and development of the baby. The body needs to store fat that are important for the delivery and breast feeding. But the mother-to-be also needs to pay attention to the fact that becoming overweight does not mean even better nourishment of the baby. In fact, it might result in the opposite. Being overweight may present complications during the delivery. And the diet the mother consumes should also be a healthy one, with all the minerals and proteins, and should be taken in proper amounts.
Generally, a woman expecting a child must (or will) gain around 26-28 pounds. While, a woman expecting two babies (twins) will need to gain approximately 10 to 15 pounds more than a woman expecting a single child. The total baby weight comprises of several tissues that develop to support the birth of the child. Normally, the proportion of the baby itself to the overall baby weight will be around 8 pounds. Other things that contribute to the baby weight include the placenta, which adds 2 to 3 pounds; the amniotic fluid adds another 2 to 3 pounds to the mother; the blood needed for the child weighs around 4 pounds; the breast tissue contributes 2 to 3 pounds to the total baby weight; 2 to 5 pounds by the uterus, and around 5-9 pounds are added by the fat stores.
The baby weight that a woman gains, is gained in stages. In the first trimester, the mother-to-be will gain around 2 to 4 pounds, after which she will gain 1 pound every week till the day of the delivery. Women think that they will need to eat a lot more during their pregnancies, but it's not true. To gain the appropriate baby weight the mother-to-be need only consume 100 to 300 calories more than they would every day. But most women over indulge themselves and consume around 500 to 1000 calories daily. This over eating leads to gaining more weight than is necessary.
The next question that might arise in the minds of the pregnant women is that where does the extra weight that they might gain appear? There are places in which it is normal to find the new weight appearing, such as on your hips, thighs, buttocks, stomach and chest. If the weight gain appears in other places then you should probably watch the foods that you are eating and start counting your calories or performing some baby-safe exercises.
If you consume more calories than are needed, they will turn into body fat and start storing up in places or areas of the body that aren't typical during a pregnancy. But if you're consuming the correct amount of calories, the typical areas where your weight is most likely to appear are on your hips, upper thighs, the butt, breasts and of course the stomach. Sometimes you may even gain a little weight in your arms, but women are still able to maintain a great upper body.
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