First Trimester Weight Gain

At my first doctors appointment I asked how much weight I should gain in the first trimester. My doctor stated I shouldn’t really gain any, maybe a couple of kilos right at the start from fluid increases and then it should stay steady during those first weeks.

I asked for a few reasons, first I know I gained too much weight in my first pregnancy and much of the excess was gained early on. This is something I don’t want to repeat as losing the excess at the other end was hard work and the extra weight gain was probably a factor in developing pre-eclampsia. Secondly I wasn’t sure exactly how much was too much as the information out there varies dramatically.

The following tips are things I plan to do to help manage my weight this time around, while still ensuring adequate nutrition for bub:

• Manage cravings by choosing a lower calorie alternative. If I’m craving chocolate I’ll drink a hot chocolate instead. If I crave a cheeseburger (that was my big craving the first pregnancy), only get the burger instead of the whole meal, or better still cook a healthier home made version. And likewise for all other cravings.

• Eat from a smaller plate. This is something I do when not pregnant to try and lose weight. While I am not trying to lose weight, and it is dangerous for bub to do this when pregnant, continuing to eat from the smaller plate will help reduce the possibility of falling into the ‘I’m eating for two’ over eating trap.

• Enlist a personal exercise motivator. I have already told my husband on days that I’m exhausted and don’t want to exercise to drag me out the house for a walk, and not to let me talk him out of it. A short walk each day is better than no exercise on days when finding the energy for a workout seems impossible.

• Keep on doing things for myself. I remember last pregnancy, a lot of the time (especially later when my belly was so huge I looked like I was about to topple forwards) people around me would do things for me saying things like you rest up and let me do/get/whatever that for you. While it was nice having people wait on my for a rare change, it meant I was being lazier and less active than normal. I promise myself to try and resist more of that well intentioned help so that I don’t end up sitting down for lengthy stints as much this time.

Comment below if you have any more suggestions to add.