Articles
Pregnancy weight gain: What's healthy?
When you're carrying twins or other multiples
Working with your health care provider
Content
Pregnancy weight-gain guidelines
When you're pregnant with twins or other multiples
When you're overweight
When you're underweight
When you gain too much
Where does pregnancy weight gain go?
Putting on the pounds
Working with your healthcare professional
Working with your health care provider
Content
Pregnancy weight-gain guidelines
When you're pregnant with twins or other multiples
When you're overweight
When you're underweight
When you gain too much
Where does pregnancy weight gain go?
Putting on the pounds
Working with your healthcare professional
When you're overweight
Being overweight or having obesity before pregnancy raises the risk of various health conditions called pregnancy complications. These include:
- Diabetes during pregnancy, also called gestational diabetes.
- Conditions that can cause high blood pressure during pregnancy, such as preeclampsia.
- The need for healthcare professionals to deliver the baby through incisions in the stomach area and uterus, also called a C-section.
- Early birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy, also called premature birth.
- Loss of a pregnancy, including miscarriage and stillbirth.
- Health conditions present at birth, also called birth defects.
Guidelines recommend a small amount of pregnancy weight gain for people who are overweight or obese before pregnancy. Some research suggests that people who are obese can safely gain less weight than the guidelines recommend. But more research is needed.
Work with your healthcare professional to figure out how much weight you should gain during pregnancy. Your healthcare professional can offer guidance on nutrition, physical activity and other ways to manage your weight throughout pregnancy.
