Pregnant Women’s Diet and their Weight Post Delivery

• While pregnant, it is advised that women take on around 2,550-2,650 calories per day, and their weight should not increase by more than 12-15 kilograms throughout the duration of a pregnancy.
• Choose foods that has been boiled, steamed or blanched rather than foods that has been deep fried or shallow fried. Avoid foods that are overly flavorful or too sweet, including salty snacks, caffeinated beverages and fast foods that have high levels of fat.
• Mothers who gain too much weight during their pregnancy are at a greater risk of developing diabetes and high blood pressure, while skipping meals during a pregnancy can have a negative effect on the unborn child’s neurological development.

A woman’s body and behavior undergoes significant but completely natural changes during a pregnancy. For some mothers, this can cause anxiety about the health of the child inside them, leading them to search for foods that can nurture the fetus but this can actually result in the mothers gaining excess weight. Some expecting mothers, on the other hand, are afraid of putting on too much weight during their pregnancy as they worry that it will be hard to lose it once they’ve given birth, thus leading them to skip meals.

So, what is considered a balanced diet that is healthy and beneficial for both mother and child, and also helps the mother make a return to a fit, firm and slim body after giving birth? Let’s take a look at some extremely interesting questions associated with the correct body weight and dietary requirements for mothers-to-bes.

1.How much weight should be gained during a pregnancy, from the start of the pregnancy until after giving birth?

A woman’s weight should not increase by more than 2 kilograms during the first trimester of her pregnancy, and then, that weight should increase by no more than 0.5 kilogram per week throughout trimesters 2 and 3. This means that the total amount of weight gained during a pregnancy should not exceed 12-15 kilograms. However, for women who were overweight before their pregnancy began – with a BMI of over 25 – their weight should not increase by more than 8-10 kilograms throughout the whole pregnancy.

2. How the over or under weight of a woman during a pregnancy affect the health of both mother and child?

Mothers who are overweight during pregnancy have an increased risk of developing severe health disorders, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, while mothers who lose weight or skip meals during a pregnancy are at risk of developing a ketosis blood disorder, which can have a negative effect on the unborn child’s neurological development.

3. Is it true that pregnant women should be eating twice as much to feed an extra person inside of them?

This is a common misunderstanding. Women should normally be consuming around 2,200 calories per day, and when pregnant, this number will increase by just about 350-450 calories.

4. What about pregnant mothers who have an insatiable appetite? What should they be eating to avoid becoming overweight?

The best way to eat is little and often rather than larger, less frequent meals. In cases where women are anxious about becoming overweight, it is advised that they eat breakfast and lunch as usual but replace an evening meal with acceptable levels of protein, milk and carbohydrates. Additionally, once the evening meal is finished, try not to sleep straight away, instead opt for a walk, or sit for a while to allow your food to digest.

5. Which foods should be ‘sought’ and which foods should be ‘avoided’?

Pregnant women should eat a diet consisting of the 5 main food groups in moderation, emphasizing on boiled, steamed and blanched as the preferred method of cooking. Avoid food that is overly flavorful or sweet, including salty snacks, caffeinated beverages and fast foods that have high levels of fat.

If expecting mothers follow these principles, their weight should increase incrementally – meaning that overall weight would most likely not exceed the acceptable standards – giving mothers the best chance of a speedy return to their former fit and firm bodies once they’ve safely given birth.