With my last pregnancy, I gained fifty pounds (maybe even 55 if you'd weighed me on the day I had him). I never in a million years expected to gain so much! I thought for sure I would have one of those "cute" pregnant bellies and gain around 25 or 30 at the most. My mother had gained only 25 pounds with each of her babies and I just expected I would do the same.
It was so hard to be carrying around that much weight by the end of the pregnancy. I felt huge. Like a monster that made the earth rumble under my feet with each step--pound, pound, pound. And waddle, waddle, waddle, of course.
Going into this for the second time, I have to admit that's the thing I'm really not looking forward to. Feeling huge, having trouble getting around, barely being able to walk. It's the worst part of pregnancy in my book! Especially since this baby will be due in the heat of summer.
I keep wondering if there's any way I could gain less this time, and if it would be healthy to do so? Am I just one of those people who needs to gain a ton of weight to be able to carry a healthy baby? Did I overeat? I put no limit on my intake of food, as midwives and doctor's generally advise against it today unless you have a condition like gestational diabetes. I ate almost entirely healthy, made from scratch meals. But I ate SO much of everything. Especially in the last two months.
I have been lucky in that breastfeeding allowed me to shed all of my pregnancy weight by four months postpartum. So at least I am going into the second pregnancy without extra weight from the first. However, this time, I hope to watch the quantity of what I eat and really ask myself if I "need" to eat more, or am just eating from boredom. It may not make a difference in what I gain.....
But it would be so nice to only gain 25 pounds and still feel somewhat agile! Especially since I will have another little person to chase after this time!
At this point it looks like I'm on track to gain about 25-30 lbs with my first pregnancy (I'm currently 37 weeks). I would say the key for me has been exercise! My food intake has def increased as baby gets bigger (but it sounds like we stick to a really similar diet), but I've been able to maintain a pretty consistent exercise routine to help balance it out. I have a history of back problems so part of sticking to a routine has been out of necessity, but it also really seems to help me feel more energized, especially during these last few weeks when getting out of bed to go to bathroom or up from a chair seems like exercise in and of itself! :) My midwife has also been great in encouraging me not to limit what I eat, and def eating when I am hungry, but also reminding me that I really don't need to "eat for 2." Instead, our bodies only need a few extra snacks during the second and third trimesters!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are doing great, Julianne! I saw the pictures on your blog and you definitely have one of those "cute" pregnant bellies. My midwife also never told me to limit what I was eating, but now looking back, I really think I should have. I was definitely eating for two or more. I would like to exercise this time as well, but we'll see. Life gets busy when you already have one to look after. In my first pregnancy, I was very good about doing some exercises that help with baby positioning and the stamina you will need for labor. But that was it. I do feel those helped immensely, and I will do them again. They don't do much for weight gain though. I'm feeling really hopeful that I will do better this time around, just by remembering to only eat to the point of being full and not stuffed. Hah!
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