Healthy Weight Gain In Pregnancy
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1Healthy Weight
Gain in Pregnancy
Gaining the right amount of weight during your
pregnancy is one of the most important things you can do
to support your health and the health of your baby
How much weight should you gain in your pregnancy?
To work out how much weight you should gain during your pregnancy, you need to know your
BMI (body mass index).
If you know how much you weighed before pregnancy, or in early pregnancy (less then 12 weeks),
and have measured your height, you can work out your BMI in the chart below. Please ask a staff
member if you would like help with this.
Pre-pregnancy or Early Pregnancy (< 12 weeks) Weight (kg)
50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 100 102 104 106 108 110 112 114 116 118 120
Instructions:
1.50 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
52
53
1
1.52 22 23 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 42
43
44
45
46
47
48
48
49
50
51
52
Match up the point between
1.54 21 22 23 24 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 30 31 32 33 34 35 35 36 37 38 39 40 40 41
42
43
44
45
46
46
47
48
49
50
51
1.56 21 21 22 23 24 25 25 26 27 28 29 30 30 31 32 33 34 35 35 36 37 38 39 39 40
41
42
43
44
44
45
46
47
48
48
49
your measured height and your
1.60 20 20 21 22 23 23 24 25 26 27 27 28 29 30 30 31 32 33 34 34 35 36 37 38 38
39
40
41
41
42
43
44
45
45
46
47
1.62 19 20 21 21 22 23 24 24 25 26 27 27 28 29 30 30 31 32 33 34 34 35 36 37 37
38
39
40
40
41
42
43
43
44
45
46
measured weight. This is your
1.64 19 19 20 21 22 22 23 24 25 25 26 27 28 28 29 30 30 31 32 33 33 34 35 36 36
37
38
39
39
40
41
42
42
43
44
45
1.66 18 19 20 20 21 22 22 23 24 25 25 26 27 28 28 29 30 30 31 32 33 33 34 35 36
36
37
38
38
39
40
41
41
42
43
44
BMI.
1.68 18 18 19 20 21 21 22 23 23 24 25 26 26 27 28 28 29 30 30 31 32 33 33 34 35
35
36
37
38
38
39
40
40
41
42
43
1.70 17 18 19 19 20 21 21 22 23 24 24 25 26 26 27 28 28 29 30 30 31 32 33 33 34
35
35
36
37
37
38
39
39
40
41
42
1.72 17 18 18 19 20 20 21 22 22 23 24 24 25 26 26 27 28 28 29 30 30 31 32 32 33
34
34
35
36
37
37
38
39
39
40
41
1.74 17 17 18 18 19 20 20 21 22 22 23 24 24 25 26 26 27 28 28 29 30 30 31 32 32
33
34
34
35
36
36
37
38
38
39
40
E.g.
If you weighed
1.76 16 17 17 18 19 19 20 21 21 22 23 23 24 25 25 26 26 27 28 28 29 30 30 31 32
32
33
34
34
35
36
36
37
37
38
39
1.78 16 16 17 18 18 19 20 20 21 21 22 23 23 24 25 25 26 27 27 28 28 29 30 30 31
32
32
33
33
34
35
35
36
37
37
38
62kg when you got
1.80 15 16 17 17 18 19 19 20 20 21 22 22 23 23 24 25 25 26 27 27 28 28 29 30 30
31
31
32
33
33
34
35
35
36
36
37
1.82 15 16 16 17 18 18 19 19 20 21 21 22 22 23 24 24 25 25 26 27 27 28 28 29 30
30
31
31
32
33
33
34
34
35
36
36
pregnant and are
1.84 15 15 16 17 17 18 18 19 19 20 21 21 22 22 23 24 24 25 25 26 27 27 28 28 29
30
30
31
31
32
32
33
34
34
35
35
1.86 14 15 16 16 17 17 18 18 19 20 20 21 21 22 23 23 24 24 25 25 26 27 27 28 28
29
29
30
31
31
32
32
33
34
34
35
1.64m tall, your
1.88 14 15 15 16 16 17 18 18 19 19 20 20 21 22 22 23 23 24 24 25 25 26 27 27 28
28
29
29
30
31
31
32
32
33
33
34
1.90 14 14 15 16 16 17 17 18 18 19 19 20 20 21 22 22 23 23 24 24 25 25 26 27 27
28
28
29
29
30
30
31
32
32
33
33
BMI is 23
1.92 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 18 18 19 20 20 21 21 22 22 23 23 24 24 25 25 26 27
27
28
28
29
29
30
30
31
31
32
33
1.94 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 18 18 19 19 20 20 21 21 22 22 23 23 24 24 25 26 26
27
27
28
28
29
29
30
30
31
31
32
(healthty weight).
1.96 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 18 18 19 19 20 20 21 21 22 22 23 23 24 24 25 26
26
27
27
28
28
29
29
30
30
31
31
1.98 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 18 18 19 19 20 20 21 21 22 22 23 23 24 24 25
26
26
27
27
28
28
29
29
30
30
31
2.00 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 18 18 19 19 20 20 21 21 22 22 23 23 24 24 25
25
26
26
27
27
28
28
29
29
30
30
Under Weight
Healthy Weight
Overweight
Obese
Recommended weight gain (kg)*
BMI
E.g.
If your BMI is 23, you are
2
Under Weight
<18.5
13 - 18
Match your BMI to
healthy weight and should gain
Healthy Weight
18.5 - 25.9
11 - 16
see how much weight
between 11 and 16 kg in your
Overweight
25 - 29.9
7 - 11
you should gain.
pregnancy.
Obese
>30
5 - 9
*
If having twins, triplets or more talk to your midwife, doctor or dietitian about how much weight you should gain
What can you do to support healthy
3
• Choose wholegrain bread instead of white bread.
weight gain?
• Have 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit every day. Buy
fruits and vegetables that are in season to help reduce cost.
It is very important that you know pregnancy is not
• Eat meals at home. Have takeaways no more than once a week.
a time for ‘eating for two’. The total amount of
• Choose healthy snacks. Good options include: low-fat yoghurt, fruit,
extra food you need each day while you are pregnant is the same as
cheese and crackers, a small bowl of cereal with low-fat milk, home
one slice of wholegrain bread or two apples.
made popcorn, or a small wholegrain sandwich.
• Aim to have less white on your plate (rice, pasta, potatoes and bread)
Ways to support healthy weight gain:
and replace with colourful vegetables.
• Drink water rather than sweetened drinks or fizzy drinks.
• Aim to do 30 minutes exercise most days of the week, e.g. walking or
• Drink low-fat (trim, green top), calcium-extra (yellow top) or light
swimming (or as directed by your doctor, midwife or physiotherapist).
blue milk instead of full-fat milk (blue top, silver top).
What are the risks of gaining more weight than recommended?
Increased risk of:
• Having a large baby
• Gestational diabetes
• Pre-eclampsia
• Needing a caesarean section
If you gain too much weight you may also find it harder to lose the weight you gained
following the birth of your baby.
Emma Jeffs, Dietitian, Di Leishman, Midwife
Christchurch Women’s Hospital, December 2012
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