8 months pregnant and need help gaining weight.?

Question

I'm 8 months pregnant and I've only gained 23lbs my entire pregnancy. I had a hard time gaining weight in the beginning and now that I am reaching the end I'm having the same issue.
I know toward the end your supposed to be gaining a pound a week but in between my last two appts. which were 2 weeks apart I have only gained 1/2lb.
I've always had a hard time gaining weight but now that I'm pregnant I am worried about the lack of weight gain for my babies sake.
I eat 5 to 6 small meals a day and I take my pre-natal vitamins, What else can I do to make sure I gain more weight and not get into trouble with my midwife again?!

I just wanted to add so, I'm not seeing a Doctor just a midwife. The Dr. I was seeing before treated me like I was just a number in a line of patients and his excuse for everything was "all pregnant woman go through that" but since I switched to a Midwife they have taken the time to help me a lot and had caught a Kidney infection that I had that my previous Dr. had either missed or ignored.

Answer 1

Candy and water-retention pills won't be good for either you or the baby, and won't help either of you be healthier, so you should disregard those ridiculous answers.

Anyway, relax, hon, you are fine! Gaining 23 pounds during your entire pregnancy is just fine! Most women gain far too much! Twenty to 25 pounds is an acceptable gain. Unless you were underweight to begin with, and then the doctors prefer for you to gain a bit more.

To get more calories that will actually provide nutrition to the baby, I would eat foods high in protein and calcium such as 1) meat, chicken, fish (make sure its low in mercury), cottage cheese, tofu, or other protein foods, 2) cheese, 3) whole milk, 4) whole-milk yogurt and 5) whole-grain breads, cereals, tortillas, and potatoes and brown rice.

Nuts are also very nutritious and also pack lots of calories.

Of course veggies and fruits are very important for good nutrition, but they are also very filling while being low in calories so they won't help you gain weight.

This is not the time to be filling up on junk foods or to eat ANYTHING low fat. Go for the full-calorie versions of foods.

Good luck!

Answer 2

I think you're fine. My last (viable) pregnancy, I developed gestational diabetes and wound up losing weight--I was 23lbs and lost seven pounds and my baby was a healthy 7lbs 5oz. At this point, the one gaining the weight should be your baby--about a 1/2 pound every other week, from what I've been told. Some women don't gain a lot of weight; every pregnancy is different and your midwife is simply going to have to deal with that. If you're that concerned, though, add another snack to your diet: an apple and a glass of milk or cheese and crackers, etc.; the extra calories should help you gain weight.

Answer 3

Hi Honey. The over all important thing is that you and the baby are healthy. It is true that generally speaking you need to gain about 35 pounds during the 9 months that you are pregnant. Still, every woman is different and each pregnancy is different. The same woman might gain 20 pounds with one baby and 50 with another and both babies could be perfectly healthy.
It is generally safer to gain excess weight rather than too little weight. There are some very serious complications for the baby that are associated with too little weight gain and virtually none that are associated with too much weight gain. The danger lies in having a baby with a low birth weight. Babies that weigh less that 6 pounds can have very serious complications and generally are in a higher risk group.
As far as what you can do to gain weight, I would say just use common sense. The things that will help you to gain weight are the fat in dairy products and the fat in other foods. Try drinking milk shakes instead of a normal beverage. Try Instant Breakfast in between meals. All in all you may just be a small person who is not meant to gain a great deal of weight and you may just have a relatively small baby that is perfectly healty. But, I have seen so many babies with health problems because they were too small. So....do what you can to gain some more weight. This is the point in your pregnancy when all your baby is doing is gaining weight. Everything else is done and putting on a little bit of fat is his or her only job, it is your job to help! I am sure you know what foods to eat to gain weight, we all do.
Plan on breast feeding your baby. That is the single most important thing that you can do for your baby from a health standpoint. Even if you can only do it for a short period of time, the colostrum will give your baby your immunities that will protect her from the common cold and many other common diseases. You will need to eat well and drink LOTS of fluids to do that also.
Take care of yourself and know that you are in a rather enviable position, most women deal with the knowledge that they are gaining too much weight, not too little!
Take care honey and feel free to write to me if you have any more questions, I will be happy to write back to you.
Love and Blessings
Lady Trinity~

Answer 4

if your midwife isn't worried I wouldn't be. You've gained more weight then me. I lost 12lbs early because of morning sickness and took til week 30 to gain that back. I'm now due in 3 days and I've only gained a TOTAL of 17 lbs, that counts the 12 I had to gain back. I've been told my baby is growing just fine and to not worry.

Not all women gain the same amount of weight.

Answer 5

Your midwife? What about the doctor? Did he say the baby is of normal weight? I would go by what he says about how big the baby is. Gaining a lot of weight isn`t necessarily healthy for you or the baby. Besides, the baby will put on weight in the last month, and that will increase your weight gain. You sound normal to me as by the end of the pregnancy it is recommended that your weight gain should not exceed 30lbs.

Answer 6

Relax! Just because you're not gaining weight doesn't mean that the baby isn't. I have a friend who lost 7lbs from the start of her pregnancy to the end and, she still delivered a 7lb baby. Gaining 23lbs is very good for how far along you are and, worrying will only put stress on you and your baby. If your really that concerned you can try health shakes, they make one specifically for pregnant and nursing mothers. I think it is sold near formula and baby food. Good luck!

Answer 7

Hey...... i was 140 before and 164 by the time my daughter was born. Everybodies body type is different so dont worry if you are under the weight limit. As long as you eat healthy you and your baby will be fine. You are probably just all baby! Thats a good thing. My daughter weighed 7lbs 1.5 oz!!! So dont worry.

Answer 8

I think your find hon! I only gainned 20 pounds during my entire pregnancy and my daughter was/is fine!

Answer 9

HUN, I ONLY GAINED 13 POUNDS MY ENTIRE PRENGNANCY. THAT WAS THE FIRST ONE, AND 18 POUNDS THE SECOND. AS LONG AS YOUR DOCTOR SAYS YOUR HEALTHY YOU DONT WANT TO GAIN ALOT OF WEIGHT

Answer 10

your fine with your weight i only put on 14lb and had a healthy 8lb 7oz baby .and you lose weight at the end of your pregnancy not put it on .