Pregnancy: How Much Weight Did You Gain?

I was reading a blog entry about Maya Rudolph gaining 70 pounds with her first pregnancy. And I’m thinking, “OMG! That’s a lot of weight.” But I don’t think it’s completely out of the ordinary. A lot of my mommy friends gained around 50 pounds, and some up to 100 pounds. And these women are small and petite.

When I was pregnant (both times), my doctor suggested that I gain no more than 25 pounds. The first time around, I said, “Sure, no problem.” But as the pregnancy progressed, my total weight gain was around 35-40 pounds. It wasn’t like I pigged out on everything, nor was I “eating for two.” But I definitely couldn’t control my weight gain. With my second pregnancy (since I had gestational diabetes), I was put on a low-carb, no sugar diet, and I followed this diet to a T for the health and well-being of my unborn child. Trust me. It was HARD not to give in to my cravings. Yet, I still gained about 30 pounds. My point is, whether I followed a nutritional diet or not, I still gained over the recommended 25 pounds.

Just out of curiosity, how much weight did you gain?

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Pregnant, Healthy and Taking it All in Stride

Sara at 36 weeks, healthy and happy!

We recently had a “Dear le•top” question about weight gain during pregnancy. One of our readers (and my good friend), Sara, wrote an insightful comment about her experience. Sara is now 36 weeks into her pregnancy with her first baby — a girl! (though no names have been discussed, I am rooting for my name! LOL!). Sara has not gained a lot of weight with her pregnancy despite her very healthy appetite, so she’s had to deal with a fair amount of other people’s anxieties and opinions about her weight gain (or lack thereof). I’ve read about how, once a woman becomes pregnant, she becomes everyone’s “friend”– as if there’s an invisible sign inviting everyone (even strangers) to talk about pregnancy stories, birthing and labor stories (especially the horrific ones), opinions, too-personal questions and belly pats! It seems to come with the territory of being pregnant.

Sara’s had a great pregnancy by all acounts, and even though her baby is playing games and doing cartwheels and flips, Sara’s taking it all in stride and just enjoying her pregnancy. I can’t wait to meet my namesake! 😉

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