Watch Out!

It’s important not to gain too little or too much weight during pregnancy. Gaining too little weight can put you at risk of giving birth to a low-birth weight baby (that is, a baby who is 5.5 pounds or less at birth), who may experience developmental delays, and increases your chances of experiencing still birth or neonatal death.

Some women find it hard to believe how much weight gain is required to support a healthy pregnancy. After all, if the baby weighs in at 7 1⁄2 pounds, where does the other 22 1⁄2 pounds of a 30-pound weight gain end up?

It’s a good idea to keep track of how much weight you gain from the time you learn you are pregnant to the time you have the baby. Knowing your weight status can help your health care provider detect possible problems before they become dangerous.

There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all pregnancy weight gain recommendation. Your doctor or midwife will take a number of different factors into account when helping you to come up with a pregnancy “gain plan.”