Weight Gain and Pregnancy
(Dad, this one’s for you too!)
By Shawn Tassone, MD and Kathryn Landherr, MD -
Husband and Wife OBG Team, and Authors of 'Hands Off My Belly! The Pregnant Woman’s Survival Guide to
Myths, Mothers, and Moods'

Myths abound as to how much weight a pregnant woman should gain. The reality is the recommended amount of weight gain depends upon how your weight at the time of conception.

If you’re of average weight, we recommend that you gain 25 to 35 pounds. If you’re underweight, you want to increase that to upward of 40 pounds. Women who are overweight, want to keep their weight gain to around fifteen pounds, unless they are extremely overweight, in which case we don’t recommend any additional weight gain.

These figures are for a normal pregnancy. In certain circumstances, such as when a pregnant woman retains excessive amounts of fluid in her legs and feet, weight gain can’t be controlled. But usually, if you’re eating a healthy diet and regularly doing moderate exercising, your weight gain should be within the above parameters.

So how much of this extra weight will lose at delivery or soon after. Here’s the breakdown:

• 2-3 pounds of amniotic fluids

• 3-4 pounds for increased blood volume

• 1-2 pounds for breast enlargement

• 2 pounds for increased size of uterus

• 6-8 pounds for the baby

• 1-2 pounds for the placenta