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Two of Everything, Please

Debunking the Myth of Eating for Two

By Lisa Hurt Kozarovich

Pregnancy often brings with it a good excuse to overeat. In fact, many mothers feel they'd be neglecting their baby's nutritional needs if they didn't indulge in extra helpings. But the idea of eating for two is simply a myth, says Dr. Richard Trester, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago, Ill.

"I see a lot of women who feel like they have a license to eat anything and everything when they become pregnant, but doing so can cause complications for the mother and the baby," says Dr. Trester.

"I gained a ton of weight with my first baby," says Trisha Yonnely, 36, of Kokomo, Ind. "I ate everything in sight and felt no remorse whatsoever. It was like I was doing a good thing for my son. But with my second baby, I ate right, and I could tell a huge difference. I wasn't so tired, my heartburn didn't keep me up all night and even the delivery was faster and easier."

Yonnely's story is typical, Dr. Trester says. Too much weight gain can cause the mother-to-be to experience more back and leg pain, heartburn, fatigue, and for some women, it can increase the chance of getting gestational diabetes, according to Dr. Trester. It also makes losing postpartum weight a lot more difficult.

"One of the biggest risks in overeating is that they'll have a baby that's too big, which can cause obstruction during a normal delivery and increase the chance of injury to the baby or the likelihood of having to have a Cesarean," says Dr. Trester. And, he says, too much extra weight can also increase bleeding after the baby is born, potentially requiring a blood transfusion in some women.

To prevent gaining too much weight during pregnancy, women should remember that they only need about 300 extra calories a day, says to Doreen Chin Pratt, a registered dietician at Women's & Infant's Hospital in Providence, R.I.

Want to see more?

• Eating for Two
• Pregnancy Pyramid
• What to Expect in Weight Gain
• Is Seafood Safe During Pregnancy?
• Herbs to Avoid During Pregnancy
• Talk about it!

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