How much weight should I gain during my pregnancy?
Well, it depends - but rest assured that gain you will! And this is no time to worry about looking larger.
You're carrying a brand new life inside you, as well as preparing to breast-feed. A pregnant woman is one of nature's masterpieces; so stop thinking about the scale and start thinking about what's healthy for you and your baby.
The recommended weight you should gain during your pregnancy is a factor of your height and how much you weighed before you got pregnant.
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, if you were underweight, you should gain 12-18kg; if you were at an average pre-pregnancy weight, you should gain 11-16kg; and if you were overweight, 7-11kg. If you're having twins, you should gain about 16-20kg.
Keep in mind that weight gain recommendations change often over time; it's important to pay more attention to what you eat than how much you gain.
How will I get rid of all those extra kilos?
The first thing to do is follow a healthy diet while you're pregnant and have an exercise physiologist or your doctor or midwife help you set up an exercise program; that will help ensure that you're gaining the appropriate amount of weight at the right rate.
But it's also important to remember that a lot of the weight you've been accumulating will be gone pretty soon after you give birth.
The baby herself accounts for almost 3½kg (or more or less, depending on when she's born), and the amniotic fluid, placenta and extra body fluids and blood in your body add up to another 4-6kg.
Also, your uterus and breasts have gotten bigger - that can add up to 2-3kg. So that doesn't leave too much for you to shed through a sensible post-pregnancy exercise program. - Staff doctor