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In the era we live in
right now, physical appearance means a lot especially to women.
Included in this matter is the body weight. Though not everyone likes
to be slim, in general, most women do not wish to be fat. Personal
health is sometimes disregarded as long as they get to obtain the
bodies supermodels like Kate Moss have. But as we all know, women are
the bearers of the future. Women are the ones who have the biological
setting for pregnancy. So in this case, what happens to the
supermodel-body type?
During pregnancy, gaining weight is not an optional thing that a
pregnant woman can opt not to do. If you are pregnant and you are
starting to worry already about the large, chubby thighs and chunkier
waists and hips, do not be so frightened. Remember that by this time,
you are not just living by your own; you are carrying a child in your
womb. What you do to yourself affect your child in more ways you can
imagine. This is why gaining weight during this period in a woman’s
life is important. Gaining weight may not look so good for your boy
appearance but it definitely benefits the developing baby in your
womb. If you wish to have a healthy baby (which I am sure you do),
making this choice would not be so difficult. It is a fact that
pregnant mothers who deny themselves good nutrition have higher
incidence of giving birth to sick and unhealthy babies.
No matter what your weight might be before pregnancy, you have to gain
weight. Even those who are diagnosed to be overweight prior to the
period of pregnancy still need to gain some weight at the minimum of
15 pounds up to 25 pounds. For the underweight women, the minimum
weight to be gained is 28 to 40 pounds. Women with average weight need
to gain 25 to 35 pounds. These figures depend on the severity of the
weight problem. Also, it is dependent on the number of child you might
be carrying. Pregnant moms who are expecting twins, triplets or more
obviously need to gain additional pounds. Consulting your health care
provider regarding this is very helpful.
Now, where do all these pregnancy gain weight go? That is very
important to know. 7.5 to 8.5 pounds gained by the mother go to the
baby. 2 pounds go to the amniotic fluid, 1.5 to 2 pound go the
placenta, another 1.5 to 2 pounds for the breast tissue, 3 pounds for
the blood volume, 2 to 2.5 pounds go to the uterine muscle, 4 pounds
for the water and 8 pounds for the maternal stores.
The best way of gaining more weight is by eating more. But this does
not mean that you have to eat twice as much because you are nourishing
two beings, yourself and your baby. Eating more means having more
nutrients in your diet. There is no need to crave for more calories.
200 to 300 calories per day is enough. So, how can you gain weight
effectively during pregnancy? Some suggestions are: eat five to six
small, frequent meals everyday; avoid snacks like junk foods, instead
replace them with nuts, raisins, cheese and crackers, dried fruits,
ice cream or yogurt; spread peanut butter on crackers, apples, bananas
or celery. A tablespoon peanut butter can provide about 100 calories
and 7 grams of protein; add nonfat powdered milk to foods like mashed
potatoes, scrambled eggs and hot cereal; add butter, margarine, cream
cheese, gravy, sour cream and cheese to some of your meals; eat lots
of fruits and drink juices with nutrients.
Gaining all the needed weight does not have to happen all at once.
Usually, a slight pregnancy weight gain can be noticed at the first
trimester. Most of the weight gets observable by the last two
trimesters.
The excess weight do not usually disappear right after giving birth
though there are some cases in which some mothers go back to their
original weight in a short period of time. If it does not happen to
you, you don’t have to be bothered as there are lots of ways on how
you can get your slim body back, your supermodel-body type.
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