Home » Dietary Guidelines » Weight Gain during Pregnancy It has been generally found that during the period of pregnancy pregnant women often increase their daily food intake by 100kcal during their first trimester and 300kcal during the second and third trimester. Like for instance, an additional snack before bedtime comprising of a fruit, a serving of milk or yogurt and a few biscuits is often enough. A daily prenatal multivitamin supplement is often recommended during the pregnancy period. What a woman eats for every day, even before her pregnancy, is important for her health as well as for the health of the coming baby.

Hence it is required that the diet before pregnancy and during the pregnancy period should contain the vitamins and nutrients that the body normally requires helping your baby develop and grow the way he or she should. For a normal weight gain during pregnancy it is required to avoid certain food items such as those discussed below:

• Raw eggs
• Fish high in mercury
• Soft cheese
• Raw Meats and Seafood including sushi
• Deli meats including hot dogs
• Refrigerated smoked seafood
• Refrigerated pâtes or meat spreads
• Unpasteurized milk and juices
• Alcohol
• Liver

The food items rich containing different nutrients such as iron, carbohydrate, fat, calcium and other nutritional values include the following:

• Blackstrap Molasses
• Canned beans
• Baked potato with skin
• Clams
• Pork Liver
• Mussels
• Shrimp
• Sardines
• Turkey
• Enriched breakfast cereals
• Cooked beans and lentils
• Pumpkin seeds
• Beef Liver
• Beef
• Enriched pasta
• Canned asparagus
• Oysters
• Chicken Liver

The weight gain varies depending on the women who have healthy babies. The following chart includes the recommended weight gain during pregnancy based on your pre-pregnant weight. If you do not know your BMI, you can also use the BMI Calculator.

For gaining this healthy weight it is required to increase the daily energy intake.

Pre-Pregnant BMI Healthy Weight Gain during Pregnancy less than 20 28 - 40 lb 20 - 25 25 - 35 lb greater than 27 15 - 25 lb

   Increase Daily Energy by First Trimester 100 kcal Second Trimester 300 kcal Third Trimester 300 kcal

According to the American college of Obstetricians and Gynecologists ACOG recommends increasing the intake of the 4 basic food groups to the following:

• 4 or more servings of fruits and vegetables
• 6 - 11 servings of whole-grain and other grain products
• 4 or more servings of milk products
• 3 or more servings of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and lentils

For a healthy food during pregnancy it is required to take iron rich foods. Folic acid is especially required for closing of fetus neural tube. Thereby helping in preventing prevent spina bifida, a very serious birth defect. Folates can also be acquired in good quantity from spinach and can also be found from the green vegetables salads, melon, hummus, and eggs.

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Pre-Pregnant BMI Healthy Weight Gain during Pregnancy less than 20 28 - 40 lb 20 - 25 25 - 35 lb greater than 27 15 - 25 lb    Increase Daily Energy by First Trimester 100 kcal Second Trimester 300 kcal Third Trimester 300 kcal