Any woman gains weight during pregnancy. This is due to the growing uterus, the growing fetus, hormonal changes in the body and many other factors. Weight gain up to 12 kg during pregnancy is considered normal and does not require emergency measures. But if a woman gains more during pregnancy, it makes sense to talk about being overweight during pregnancy. And this phenomenon must already be fought, because excess weight during pregnancy not only spoils the figure of a woman, but is also dangerous for her health and the health of her baby. Even getting into prenatal shape is much easier for those women who were not overweight during pregnancy.
Of course, we are not suggesting that all obese pregnant women go on a diet and starve themselves in anticipation of a child – there are much less cruel ways to prevent excess weight during pregnancy or to eliminate it in a short time.
What causes excess weight during pregnancy?

Overweight during pregnancy can appear not only due to excessive nutrition or a sedentary lifestyle. There are some other reasons that are risk factors for becoming overweight during pregnancy.
1. Early toxicosis.
Early toxicosis, accompanied by vomiting and a small amount of food, is a stress for the body, similar in effect to a hunger strike or a strict diet. As you know, after such “bullying” the body tends to stock up on nutrients for the future, which leads to a sharp weight gain. In the case of early toxicosis, the same thing happens.
2. Age.
With age, a person’s metabolism slows down, so the tendency to be overweight increases. Of course, there are happy exceptions, but the trend, unfortunately, is as follows. In this regard, if a woman’s pregnancy occurs after the age of 35, the likelihood of obesity during pregnancy increases.
3. Fetal weight.
If the baby is large, it is logical that the weight of the woman will be greater than that of mothers whose children do not weigh much. The weight of the placenta, the weight of the baby – all this plays into weight gain during pregnancy. The same rule applies to multiple pregnancies.
4. Polyhydramnios.
With polyhydramnios, the weight of amniotic fluid increases, edema and excess weight appear during pregnancy. This situation requires the close attention of a doctor.
What are the dangers of being overweight pregnancy?

In the pursuit of “nutrition during pregnancy,” which some mothers understand as “eat whatever you want, in any quantity,” sedentary lifestyles and other factors can lead to excessive weight gain while expecting a baby. Unfortunately, there is still a strong stereotype in our minds that a full pregnant woman is a good indicator. In fact, being overweight during pregnancy is a big disadvantage for both mother and child.
For example, the risk of hemorrhoids during pregnancy, even without being overweight, is quite high. What can we say about the situation when an excessive amount of extra pounds put an extra burden on the internal organs and rectum. As a result, it turns out that obese pregnant women are more prone to hemorrhoids than those who have not gone beyond the norm. By the way, the problem of varicose veins, which the vast majority of puffy expectant mothers have, is closely related to the problem of hemorrhoids.
Another big problem for expectant mothers who are overweight is high blood pressure, which jumps so much during pregnancy.
Back pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, low hemoglobin – all these misfortunes of expectant mothers in such women are especially pronounced. The reason for this is the excessive load on the musculoskeletal system and the body as a whole. By the way, toxicosis is also worse tolerated by expectant mothers who have problems with weight.
Excess weight during pregnancy can lead to metabolic disorders, problems with the cardiovascular system, central nervous system, late toxicosis, the development of urinary tract infections, the threat of miscarriage, premature birth, or, conversely, overmaturity. By the way, obese women are more likely to have large children, which makes delivery difficult and can be fraught with birth injuries. After all, even a caesarean section is more difficult for an obese woman to carry out.
And here we smoothly approached the risks for the child, the cause of which may be excess weight during pregnancy. What are these risks?
– oxygen starvation,
– nutritional deficiencies while in the uterus,
– problems with assessing the condition of the fetus during pregnancy due to a thick fatty layer,
– imbalances between the pelvis and the head of the baby,
– Birth injuries (e.g. shoulder injuries),
– tendency to excess weight in the future
– the likelihood of developing neurological diseases.
So that neither the baby nor the woman has such problems, you need to monitor your weight during pregnancy and prevent the appearance of extra pounds. How to do this – we will tell further.
Как справиться с лишним весом при pregnancy?

You need to resolve this issue with your doctor, depending on the causes of this phenomenon. We offer general recommendations in order to avoid excess weight during pregnancy.
1. Balanced diet.
During pregnancy, in no case should you starve – you need to eat right. Moreover, when, no matter how during pregnancy, eat healthy foods? Stews or steamed dishes, fruits, vegetables should be the basis of the daily diet during pregnancy. Fried, fatty and frankly not healthy should not appear on the table of the expectant mother.
The fight against excess weight should be accompanied by a decrease in the daily number of calories – but not more than 10 percent. In addition, fats cannot be completely excluded – they are necessary for the developing fetus and the body of the expectant mother. Healthy fats can be obtained from low-fat sour cream, cheese, yogurt, whole milk, ice cream. It is better to eat lean meat, and replace white bread with cereals and, of course, do not forget about cereals and potatoes.
To overcome excess weight during pregnancy, try to minimize the consumption of sweets, as well as spicy and salty appetite stimulants. The main rule of nutrition for pregnant women is balance and lack of hunger.
Just before childbirth, energy costs usually decrease – therefore, the amount of food eaten per day should also decrease. But it is absolutely impossible for the expectant mother to starve! Everything is good in moderation.
2. Fitness for pregnant women.
Physical activity is beneficial for absolutely everyone – including expectant mothers. True, before you start doing fitness for pregnant women, you need to consult a doctor – there are situations when some types of exercise are strictly contraindicated. And only after the doctor gives the go-ahead for gymnastics, you can start the exercises.
Physical exercise during pregnancy not only helps to normalize weight, but also prepares the body for childbirth. The development of a set of exercises for certain purposes should be carried out a specialist who will take into account all the potential risks and correlate them with the possible benefits.
Nevertheless, everyone is shown hiking in the fresh air and outdoor activities – without extreme sports, of course. For example, half an hour of daily sports walking will only benefit the expectant mother.
3. Weight control
If a woman is overweight during pregnancy, she needs to strictly control her weight using an electronic scale. For control, it is enough to weigh yourself twice a day – in the morning and in the evening, in order to see the dynamics of your weight and correlate it with certain events you are conducting. Naturally, you need to control the weight, taking into account the growth of the fetus.
Even if excess weight during pregnancy is not about you, do not forget to monitor your diet and lead a healthy lifestyle. If the causes of excess weight during pregnancy require special treatment, you need to discuss this with your doctor and draw the right conclusions.