Should You Really Gain A Pound A Month In Pregnancy?
Some beliefs revolve around pregnancy that often make it even more complex. For example, it is said that you have to eat for two, or that you have to completely change your eating habits. It is impossible to avoid speculation. In addition, many women undergo specific diets to carry the pregnancy. However, sometimes it is the gynecologists who are quite strict. In fact, it happens that they are based on the principle that establishes an increase in body weight of one kilo per month.
The idea is to distribute nine kilos in nine months, which doctors check at each visit. According to this theory, a pregnant woman should only gain one pound per month. For this reason, visits become a real nightmare. If you increase more, you risk a lecture from the doctor. As a result, some women lie about their weight or go on strict diets.
However, most specialists agree that there is no ideal weight in these situations. There are many factors that affect pregnancy weight gain and they are not always the same. In any case, the goal of one kilo per month is more symbolic than anything else, as every woman gains weight differently.
Should we try to gain only one pound a month?
Patricia Soler, a gynecologist at the Hospital Clínico Universitario San Carlos in Madrid, says that a kilo a month is a simplification. It would be ideal, but it is not possible to respect the stages precisely. A woman hardly gains only nine pounds in pregnancy. Some increase less, while others more than double.
It is much more likely that you will exceed the kilo per month. When the pregnancy comes to an end, it must be considered that the volume of the uterus has doubled. Then you have to add the weight of the baby, the accumulated fats and fluids and the weight of the amniotic fluid.
It is inevitable that a pregnant woman will constantly gain weight and it all depends on the specific characteristics of each one. There is no need to worry if you overdo it a little. In addition, doctors know what to do in the event of a large increase.
Problems related to excessive weight
Gynecologists warn that at each checkup they can identify possible problems and complications. For example, a woman who gains significantly in weight may be suffering from severe water retention, which is of clinical concern.
Another possible cause for concern is the development of gestational diabetes, a disease closely related to being overweight. In this sense, the principle of “one kilo a month” is introduced to try to prevent disorders related to the weight of the pregnant woman. This does not mean that it must be applied rigidly.
According to Josefina Ruiz Vega, director of the Centro Médico y Psicológico de Preparación a la Maternidad, you only really need to worry when the extra pounds exceed all limits. However, there is no reason for women to be more informed about this issue than they should. On some occasions, when they persist in following this rule, they tend to neglect their diet, avoid consuming proteins or eating properly for fear of gaining too much weight.
Josefina Ruiz Vega assures that, in large part, errors in nutrition often lead to weight problems, which can become excessive or insufficient. And all of this has repercussions on the fetus. Eating for two or increasing doses is as bad as reducing them or following a strict diet.
A balanced diet over the course of the nine months can help you get closer to the proper weight and, perhaps, you may be able to maintain the constant of one pound per month. In these situations, extremes could be dangerous. In fact, they could lead to episodes of pregorexia, a disease with very serious consequences for both the mother and the fetus.
