How to Have a Safe Pregnancy

Though most women find themselves more concerned with trying to avoid excess weight gain during pregnancy, a significant proportion of women find that they actually have a hard time keeping their weight up. Things like morning sickness, difficulty gaining weight normally, and other health factors can contribute to giving women a hard time gaining weight during pregnancy. Unfortunately, an inability to gain sufficient weight while pregnant can result in a high risk pregnancy, creating complications for both the mother and child.

How does weight affect pregnancy?

Gaining weight during pregnancy might be undesirable for women whose only concern is how they’re going to be able to lose it once the baby pops out, but the truth is that it’s crucial for the child and mother’s well-being. The fetus requires a lot of energy as it develops, and mothers whose bodies can’t provide enough of that are more likely to have offspring with health problems, including children born prematurely, or with low birth weight. There is no real hard and fast rule for how much weight should be gained during pregnancy. A general ballpark figure (for a woman with a normal body mass index that is only carrying one child) is a weight gain of between twenty five and thirty five pounds. This changes depending on the mother’s BMI, and how many children she is carrying. The lower her BMI and the more babies she has in the womb, the more she needs to gain.

How can a woman maintain her weight healthfully?

When many people hear that they need to worry about gaining weight, they often consider it free rein  to abandon their healthy modes of eating in favor of junk food. This is the last thing anyone should do, especially an expectant mother. For pregnant women looking to gain weight, it’s critical that they look for nutrient-dense foods that provide enough calories. Healthy fats like olive oil, coconut oil, or avocados are calorie-rich, but provide several different important fatty acids needed for healthy organ development. Dairy products provide abundant calories, as well as calcium and vitamin D that are important for healthy bone development. Lean meat, whole grains, and legumes all provide protein, which is broken down into the amino acids necessary for making muscle tissue and hormones. Things like refined sugar, refined flour, and trans fats should still be avoided since they don’t offer any real nutritional benefit.

If a woman is having trouble maintaining her weight because of a preexisting condition like hyperthyroidism or morning sickness, it’s important that she have that condition taken care of. Not only will it impede her ability to gain enough weight to support the growth of her child, certain medical conditions can also greatly complicate pregnancy and delivery in other ways, as well.

What kind of foods should a woman include in her pregnancy diet? Things like avocados, olive oil, flax seeds, whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruits, legumes, eggs, cheese, milk, yogurt, and lean meats. These will help ensure that the mother gets enough calories in her diet, and that the nutrients she takes in are as high-quality as possible.