Dieting and Pregnancy

A recent article titled "Women Who Diet Before Pregnancy Gain the Most Weight While Pregnant" was on WebMD.com.

"When they are not pregnant, many women are really trying to hold their weight down. But when they become pregnant the message they get is 'Eat for two; give in to your cravings,'" Siega-Riz tells WebMD. And thus the tend to eat too much and gain more weight than they should during pregnancy.

What's the big deal about gaining too much weight during pregnancy? Well, it exposes mother and baby to some risks: "Women who gain too much weight during pregnancy have more C-sections, more preeclampsia, and are more likely to have babies with growth problems.
Surprisingly, normal-weight women don't need much more food once they're pregnant:

Extra daily calories needed during the first trimester: 0
Extra daily calories needed during the second trimester: 340
Extra daily calories needed during the third trimester: 450

It's a different story only for women who are underweight before pregnancy, but who restrict their diets anyway. These women, Siega-Riz and colleagues found, did not gain enough weight during pregnancy -- and many likely suffer from eating disorders.

"Pregnancy doesn't require you to eat that much more calories -- just an extra glass of milk and an apple during the last two trimesters," Siega-Riz says. "But you have to make sure you are eating a nutrient-dense, healthy diet and not becoming physically inactive."

Was your pregnant daughter underweight or overweight before she became pregnant? Did you daughter diet often before she became pregnant? With your pregnant daughter, learn about nutrition and about the way she should eat while pregnant. Talk to her doctor and find out how much weight the doctor wants your daughter to gain during each trimester of her pregnancy.