Weight Gain

A certain amount of weight gain is normal during pregnancy. The amount of weight you should gain while you’re pregnant depends on your pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), a measurement that uses your height and weight to determine whether your weight is healthy.

  • BMI less than 18.5: Underweight
  • BMI 18.5–24.9: Normal weight
  • BMI 25–29.9: Overweight
  • BMI more than 30: Obese

To find out your BMI, use this calculator:

 

Then, use the table below to find your recommended weight gain during pregnancy:

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Prepregnancy Body Mass Index Recommended Total Weight Gain During Pregnancy Recommended Weekly Weight Gain in the 2nd and 3rd Trimesters*
Less than 18.5 28 – 40 lb 1 – 1.3 lb
18.5 – 24.9 25 – 35 lb 0.8 – 1 lb
25 – 29.9 15 – 25 lb 0.5 – 0.7 lb
More than 30 11 – 20 lb 0.4 – 0.6 lb

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*Assumes a first-trimester weight gain between 1.1–4.4 lb

If you are a normal weight before pregnancy, you need only 300 extra calories per day, on average, to keep your body running efficiently and to fuel the growth and development of your baby. It may sound like a lot, but 300 extra calories adds up fast. It’s the amount in a bowl of cereal with fruit and low-fat milk, a whole-wheat bagel with cream cheese or two ounces of potato chips. If you are overweight before pregnancy, you may need less than 300 extra calories.

If you are pregnant with twins and:

-normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9) you will want to gain between 37 and 54 pounds

-overweight (BMI 25-29.9) you will want to gain between 31 and 50 pounds

-obese (BMI more than 30) you will want to gain between 25 and 42 pounds

For a woman with a normal BMI, this averages to about 4-6 pounds in the first trimester and 1.5 pounds per week in the second and third trimesters

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