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Expert Q&A

	By Tracy Underwood Child and Adolescent Psychologist Children's Medical Center of Dallas

I'm already quite overweight (I've been 80-85 kg since my teens, and I'm 5' 8"). Are my in-laws right to worry that I'll put on too much weight in pregnancy and what can I do to stop permanent weight gain, particularly on arms, legs etc ? - Tracy, Athens, Greece"

Tracy, it's good that you are concerned about weight gain during your pregnancy, however, it's not a good time to be overly concerned about it. Let's face it. YOU WILL GAIN WEIGHT NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO OR DON'T DO. It's inevitable. But here are some basic healthy guidelines:

If your underweight it's acceptable to gain 28 to 40 pounds (13 to 18kg) If your of normal weight it's acceptable to gain 25 to 35 pounds (11 to 16 kg) If your overweight it's acceptable to gain 15 to 25 pounds (7 to 11kg)

The above guidelines are not meant for us to get fanatical about them. The guidelines allow for healthy weight gain. At any stage of life it's unhealthy to carry around excess weight. When you gain over 16 kg, the end stages of your pregnancy may be extremely uncomfortable and unsafe. It also can make delivery more difficult.

Let's break it down so that you'll know approximately what to expect in terms of weight gain:

Baby - 3.4 kg
Placenta - .68 kg
Amniotic fluid - .80 kg
Uterine enlargement - 1 kg
Breast tissue - .5 kg
Blood volume - 1.25 kg
Tissue fluids - 1.4 kg
Maternal fat - 3 kg
Total average = 12.03 kg

Don't panic if you're 2 or 3 kgs over that. The best thing to do to prevent permanent weight gain is to educate yourself on the proper nutrition needed to support your pregnancy, and make better overall food choices. Avoid junk food and highly processed foods. The more it's processed the lower the nutritional value. Eat plenty of healthy grains, fruits, and vegetables. Choose your fats wisely. Avoid empty fats like fried foods and foods high in sugar. Choose fats that also have some nutritional value, like avocados. Simply put, eat healthfully, not just recreationally. Think about the nutritional value before you eat. Don't worry. Simply in the serious attempt to support the growth of a healthy baby, of healthy weight, you will ultimately always do the right thing.

Oh, I almost forgot your concern about your arms and legs. :-) The easiest thing to do is start a program of regular walking, and light strengthening and balancing yoga. The walking will keep your legs strong and firm while maintaining cardiovascular fitness, and many of the yoga exercises can keep your arms firm. Light to moderate exercise done regularly throughout your pregnancy will prevent excess weight gain, provide the strength and stamina needed to endure labor, and will help keep you mentally and hormonally balanced."

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