Healthy Weight Gain During Pregnancy
INTRODUCTION
The amount of weight you should gain during pregnancy depends on how much you weighed before you became pregnant and your overall health. Your recommended weight gain is determined by a measurement called your body mass index (BMI). BMI is an estimate of your body fat based on your height and weight. You can use an online calculator to figure out your BMI, or you can ask your health care provider to calculate it for you at your next visit.
Once you know your pre-pregnancy BMI, you can determine how much weight you can expect to gain during pregnancy. General guidelines for a healthy total weight gain during pregnancy are:
• If you are underweight (BMI of 18 or less), 28–40 lbs (12–18 kg).
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• If you are overweight (BMI between 25 and 29), 15–25 lbs (7–16 kg).
• If you are obese (BMI of 30 or higher), 11–20 lbs (5–9 kg).
These ranges may be different depending on your individual health. It may be safe to gain more weight if you are carrying more than one baby during your pregnancy, or less weight if your baby is growing and developing normally.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS?
Too much weight gain can lead to pregnancy complications, such as:
• Diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes).
• High blood pressure during pregnancy and protein in your urine (preeclampsia).
• High blood pressure during pregnancy without protein in your urine (gestational hypertension).
• Increased birth weight, leading to more difficult delivery or surgical delivery (Cesarean section).
• Weight problems or obesity after delivery.
• Having a baby that is too large.
• Increased risk that your child may have childhood obesity.
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As stated on the ChooseMyPlate website, “doctors suggest women gain weight at the following rate: 1 to 4 pounds total during the first 3 months (first trimester) and 2 to 4 pounds per month during the 4th to 9th months (second and third trimesters)” (USDA, n.d.). By calculating her weight gain in accordance with the guidelines, Pam is gaining the maximum amount of weight for a woman that is 30 weeks into her pregnancy. At 30 weeks, which is approximately 7 months along in the pregnancy, a woman can gain up to 20 pounds, which means that Pam is gaining enough
Now, to the health risks. Weight gain is obviously the most common risk associated with over-eating, however weight gain can lead to obesity which can lead on to a whole host of problems, including (according to
Nearly two-thirds of the United States population is overweight. There are several ways to determine if a person is obese or overweight. Experts say that a person’s body mass index is the best way to determine an adults weight in relation to their height. A BMI from 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2 is considered normal, adults with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 kg/m2 are considered overweight. There are exceptions with peoples BMI, an athlete can have a high BMI and not be overweight or obese. Adults with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or higher are considered obese. A person with a high BMI can have a normal amount of body fat if they have more muscle tissue. However, the risk of death and disease is increased for adults who are overweight and obese (Kolata 1)
The overall aim of this quality improvement is to provide an improved assessment for defining if individuals are truly overweight or obese though utilising BMI measurements alongside BIA measurements. For those individuals who are border lining the outlines of the BMI cut off for assisted reproduction ranges from 29.1 to 30 kg/m2, to identify if the individual is carrying excess body fat or if the individual carry’s extra lean mass or excess bone density. Which in some cases these individuals could be refused treatment due to the assumptions
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention categorizes overweight and obese people by applying the height and weight of a person to evaluate the Body Mass Index (BMI). For example, if a person's height is 5'9", weighs 124 lbs and their BMI is below 18.5, they are considered underweight. If a person with the same height (5'9) weighs 169 to 202 lbs and their BMI is 25.0 to 29.9, they are considered overweight. Lastly, an adult who is 5'9" and weighs 203 lbs or more and their BMI is higher than 30, is considered obese.
A child who is obese is automatically more likely to be exposed to a variety of health hazards throughout his or her life. It is estimated that “15 percent of children between six and nineteen suffer from obesity” (Lee and Sprague). A person who is deemed obese, is someone who has “a body fat percentage of more than 25 percent in boys and 32 percent in girls” (Lee and Sprague). Being severely overweight exposes you to more diseases than someone who is not overweight. Obese people “are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes . . . [from] being overweight” (Lee and Sprague). Some health issues, such as hypertension, heart attacks, and cancer can be obtained from being obese. There is also a great risk of “heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and other chronic illnesses” when you are obese (“Hope”). high cholesterol as well as high blood pressure. Being obes...
Losing weight takes more than just desire it also takes commitment and a well-thought-out plan. Deciding to lose weight, changing your lifestyle, and becoming healthier are the first big steps. You must be cleared as to what you want to get out of this lifestyle. Do you want to live a longer healthier life? If your family has a history of diseases, is your goal to lower the risk of developing the diseases? Will losing weight make you feel better about yourself and have a more positive outlook on life? These are things that a person wanting to lose weight should ask themselves. In this case, weight needs to be lost at a healthy pace without losing any muscle mass after pregnancy and an injury.
Bulimia nervosa is frequent episodes of consuming large amounts of food. This disorder makes people overweight. There are other rare cases of obesity due to medical condition. Psychological condition is one of the factors in weight gain, like stress, depression, emotional attachments, and fights. Some children eat more to cope with problems which leads to obesity.
Obesity is characterized by comparing height and weight measurement to determine a Body Mass Index as normal, overweight or obese. African- American women maintain the highest rates of obesity, infant mortality and pre-term births in comparison to non-Hispanic Caucasian women (Isaac & Thomas, 2013). According to the text Race, Ethnicity and Health, obesity rates for African-American women between ages two to nineteen was 24%, and obesity rates for Caucasians was 14%. Considering these facts, many women are unaware of the adverse effects that becoming pregnant with high BMI indexes or gaining too much weight during pregnancy can have on the fetus and the mother. It is important for women to understand what a healthy amount of weight to gain based on their personal proportions. “The recommended gain for women of normal size (BMI 19.8- 26) is 11.5- 16kg; for women with low BMI (below 19.8), the recommended gain is 12.5- 18 kg; where, for women with a high BMI (above 26-29), it is 7-11.5 kg. The target gain for obese women (BMI above 29) is at least 6.8 kg” (Hickey, 1997). Also not gaining enough weight can have adverse effects on the fetus. The high prevalence of gestational obesity in the African American community would be beneficial to educate women on the detrimental life span idiopathic diseases that affect infants, complicate pregnancies and deliveries through individual readiness plans at a local community health center.
Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. Although it usually goes away after the baby is born, it does bring health risks for both the mother and baby. When you’re pregnant, pregnancy hormones make it harder for insulin to move glucose from your blood into the cells. If your body can’t produce enough insulin to overcome the effects of insulin resistance, you’ll develop gestational diabetes. (IHC, 2013)
Being obese puts the person at risk of developing sicknesses and diseases like, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes (type 2), and some forms of cancer (prostate, breast and bowel.)
It causes heart diseases from high cholesterol and high blood pressure, asthma, and type 2 diabetes, and other health conditions. Obese children can have weight related health problems all the way into adulthood. This is something we need to resolve not only does it because physical pains but also psychological issues. Obese children tend to have low self-esteem and other social problems because of their weight. This is caused from the discrimination that overweight children and adults can face in their life.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Ask your health care provider for help managing weight gain during pregnancy.
What is stress? Stress is state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. Stress can from depression, work, and much more. One doctor says, “Stress is a silent disease.”
The first health probably from being overweight is Coronary Heart Disease. When a person’s body weight rises so does there risk for coronary heart diseases or CHD. CHD is a condition when a waxy substance called plaque starts to build up inside of the coronary arteries. The coronary arteries supply oxygen filled blood to the heart. Plaque will narrow or block these arteries which will reduce blood flow to the heart and muscles. This could cause a heart attack in person and being obese can also lead to heart failure. This is a very serious condition where your heart can’t pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs. The next thing is high blood pressure and this is when the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood. If this pressure on the walls of the arteries stays too high over time it will damage the body in many ways. So if a person is overweight then they have a higher change of having high blood pressure. When a person is obese it can lead to a build of plaque in your arteries and if one of these areas of plaque rupture it can cause a blood clot to form. Hopefully this clot is not by a person’s brain because if it is it can block the flow of blood to your brain and cause a stroke. You also could get type two Diabetes which is a disease when the body’s blood glucose, or blood sugar, level is way too high. Usually the body will break down food into glucose,