How much weight should I put on during pregnancy?
First and foremost, it is important to accept that you are going to put on weight during pregnancy! You are meant to because your body is growing and changing to give your baby the best start in life. Here's where the extra weight comes from:• At birth, your baby will weigh approximately 3,300g (7.3lb).
• During pregnancy, the muscle layer of your womb (uterus) grows dramatically and weighs an extra 900g (2lb).
• The placenta (afterbirth), which keeps your baby nourished, weighs 600g (1.3lb).
• Your breasts weigh an extra 400g (0.9lb).
• Your blood volume increases and weighs an extra 1,200g (2.6lb)
• You have extra fluid in your body, and amniotic fluid around the baby, weighing 2,600g (5.7lb).
• Plus, you will lay down some fat during your pregnancy to provide you with extra energy for breastfeeding. This comes to about 2,500g (5.5lb).
So, by the end of pregnancy you will weigh about 11,000g (24.2lb) more than you did before you became pregnant. This is an average weight gain but of course, you're not an average woman. And no woman is. Our pregnancy weight gain estimator can give you a more personalised indication of what you might gain. The amount of weight you should gain will depend on how heavy you were before you became pregnant.
