Pregnancy Chalkboard: 15 Weeks + Healthy Pregnancy Weight Gain
By Kate Horney
How far along? 15 Weeks, 2 days
Maternity clothes? Making the most of my leggins, spring skirts and unbuttoned jeans! I’m telling ya, spring/summer is the time to be preggo!
Best moment this week: Watching my belly expand. I know it sounds crazy & some women hate to see the belly grow, but personally- I love it! It means we have a healthy, growing baby! I’m thankful, excited, and enjoying the baby bump.
Miss Anything? Right now, although completely unrelated to the pregnancy- we’re missing having Patrick/daddy home. The USMC has left us- yet again- counting down the days until he comes home. I’m grateful he will be back in time for the arrival of our newest one, though! And on a pregnancy note: this is a pretty sweet time. I’m not sick anymore, and not yet big enough to feel like a giant waddling house…. I’m relishing in God’s goodness to us & loving every minute right now!
Movement: Little flutters here & there… no summersaults yet, but I look forward to the big movements so daddy & big brother Jackson can feel! 🙂
Food cravings: Cheese (still) on everything, lots of pepperoni and homemade pizza and an insane amount of cauliflower this week. I’ve been loving “apple pie” oat bran and still can’t get enough of my fresh berries.
Gender prediction: The world says girl, and both Patrick and I are thinking pink as well. Will we have a little boy & shock everyone?
Looking forward to: Finding out the gender of the 2nd Baby H in just a few weeks! And then of course… holding him or her for the first time! (ahhh… nothing better!)
Biggest Struggle: Ahhhhh… the proper weight gain balance. Too much is not good. Not enough- not good. When it comes to pregnancy weight gain, Goldilocks said it best… for optimal health of both mommy & baby, the weight gain has to be “juuuuust right.”
Now that I’m in the 2nd trimester, I’m keeping a closer watch on my weight gain. I gained approximately 35lbs with Jackson, and that was just about perfect. He was a healthy 8+ lb baby and I gained enough to have a healthy pregnancy, but not too much to leave me with lots of excess (and unhealthy) body fat afterwards.
Solution: I get lots of questions from pregnant mamas asking about my thoughts on weight gain during pregnancy… So far with this baby, I’ve gained 6lbs. If everything continues as expected, I anticipate to be right at the 35lb mark again when I hit full term.
Here’s the reality: whether you were barely able to gain an ounce during the first trimester (think: crazy morning sickness) or you gained a few more lbs than you care to admit (think: tons of comforting carbs for the queasy tummy), our babies should be our top priority, so when you hit the second trimester, it’s weight-gain time. Period.
Starting in the second trimester, your baby’s getting bigger and bigger, and consequently, you should be too. I told you I’m loving my growing belly, right? I mean it! 🙂
It’s a sign of a healthy pregnancy & a healthy, growing baby.
At the same point, just because we’re growing a baby doesn’t mean we get a free pass to stuff our faces with donuts and pizza all day…
Make slow and steady your motto and aim for a weekly weight gain of about one pound.
(Note: you have to keep in mind that’s an average, so it’s perfectly fine to gain half a pound one week, and a pound and a half the next, as long as you’re netting about four pounds a month).
Personally, I’m not a fan of the scale.
When I’m not pregnant, I rarely weight myself. But once I hit the second trimester, I do break out the scale, dust it off, and do a weekly check in, just to make sure I’m on track.
It’s never healthy or safe to diet during pregnancy (hello, we want to GROW these healthy babies, not starve them!) so keeping weight in check and knowing where you’re at regularly is a great way to prevent things from getting out of too out of hand. If you’re weighing in at home, once a week (or once every other week) is plenty; just make sure you do it consistently- at about the same time and under about the same conditions (undressed, right after getting up, for instance). Or leave the weigh-ins to your Dr. your monthly visits.
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P.S. Are you a fellow pregnant mama?
Don’t fall into the “eating saltine crackers on the couch” trap!
Your baby is a REASON to make a healthy choices priority… not an excuse for why you can’t!
If you’re not sure where to start, join us over at the BeyondFit Life Club where I upload all of my personal workouts (100% safe during pregnancy) and share all the best fit mom recipes, tips & tricks!
