Wondering About Weight?

As your belly grows and your clothes become tighter, you might begin to worry about your size. What’s ideal?

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Obstetricians today are adamant that a pregnant woman should put on neither too little nor too much weight. Previous practices such as strict weight control or uncontrolled weight gain are taboo today. Both result in increased infant mortality at worst and other unhealthy outcomes at best.

An increase of approximately 11kg to 16kg, depending on your body build and height and your weight when you became pregnant, is regarded as ideal. The rate of gain is not uniform, and most women put on more weight between the 17th and 20th weeks than at any other period in pregnancy.

SO WHAT’S NORMAL?

At an event for pregnant women hosted by the baby brand NUK earlier this year, Johannesburg-based registered dietitian Lila Bruk shared some advice.

To calculate how much weight you should gain during pregnancy, you first need to look at what your weight was before conception. Calculate your pre-conception body mass index (BMI) by dividing your weight by your height squared.

Like this: Weigh yourself on an accurate scale.

Measure your height. Calculate your height squared.

Divide your weight in kilograms (e.g. 55kg) by your height in metres squared (e.g. 1,6m x 1,6m = 2,56m2), as follows: 55 divided by 2,56 equals 21,48. This is your BMI.