Debating Weight Gain During Pregnancy

An article published today titled, Expectant Moms Packing on Too Many Pounds, experts say there are new guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy. (This outta be good.) And they go a little something like this: - A normal-weight woman should gain between 25 and 35 pounds during pregnancy. - An overweight woman should gain 15 to 25 pounds during pregnancy. - For the first time, the guidelines set a standard for obese women -- to gain 11 to 20 pounds. - An underweight woman should gain 28 to 40 pounds. Thankfully, the article stresses the importance of gaining weight in a healthy way. Just because you're preggo doesn't mean you can live on Dr. Pepper, Skittles, bacon sandwiches, Cheetos and a daily Frosty! You can't throw all of your knowledge about nutrition out the window just because you see a plus sign on the little stick. It is tempting, but it's not smart. Keep this in mind - you will probably want to lose everything you gain. (If for no other reason than you like your existing wardrobe and don't want to say goodbye to those William Rast jeans forever, right?) See, that takes the fun out of your nightly rendezvous with Krispy Kreme, doesn't it. It may sound odd, but my big craving was those old-school multi-colored rainbow popsicles. I probably had one every day and haven't had one since I was pregnant. Strange, huh? When I was pregnant, my doctor told me my goal weight gain was 25-30 pounds. Well, I gained a ton more than that. (I may have been on the underweight side when I got pregnant, but only by a few pounds.) I probably gained close to 55 pounds during my pregnancies, maybe more. I was freaking out, but my doctor was fine with it. My diet was good and I was exercising, but I packed on weight no matter what. I passed all of my blood tests and check-ups with no problem, etc. My point is if you gain more weight than you're supposed to, don't starve yourself to stay within the "recommended" numbers. Don't beat yourself up mentally or try to exist on a unrealistic diet. Every pregnancy is different. These guidelines are exactly that - benchmarks. You may be within that range and you may not. Be honest with your doctor and if you're doing everything you can do to be healthy, yet you're packing on the pounds - so be it. You need to be smart. Your body will do the rest. Weight gain guidelines - friend or foe? How much weight did you gain? Do you agree with these guidelines?