Weigh In

Today, Colton and I head to the Doctor for our last bi-weekly visit, and of course that means…weigh in! Every time I step on the scale at the Doctor’s office, I feel like a fighter who has to weigh in to make sure he’s at fighting weight. Of course the Doctor gave me a goal of how much weight to gain and “not gain”. I haven’t been too bad about going over my weight limit, but we do have Thanksgiving and Christmas to get through (good thing this appointment is BEFORE Thanksgiving)!

 

It’s so funny that I find myself eating healthier on the days I visit the Doctor. One day of eating yogurt instead of a chocolate pop-tart is NOT going to make the scale read any less, but it does make me feel better. I won’t mention that I have a white chocolate Reese’s locked and loaded for after my appointment.

I find it very interesting how a woman’s body can adjust and carry extra weight for a baby. It’s simply amazing. I always had the question, “where does the extra weight go during pregnancy?”.  I mean, I know the baby carries a certain amount of that weight, but what is with all the extra we gain? After researching, (www.Webmd.com) I found the following information. Of course this range is different for every woman, and is based on average for a weight gain of 25-35 pounds.

 

 

 

8 pounds – baby

2-3 pounds – placenta

2-3 pounds – amniotic fluid

2-3 pounds – breast tissue (I wouldn’t mind for this part to stay after baby J)

4 pounds – blood supply

5-9 pounds – stored fat for delivery/breastfeeding

2-5 pounds – larger uterus

Weight is a key factor in measuring the health of mom and baby, so it is important to be aware but not to stress over it. A pregnant woman has enough to worry about during pregnancy, so weight gain shouldn’t be one of them. Of course it’s very important to stay as healthy and fit as possible, but stressing out about it won’t help. I found the easiest way to gain the “right” amount during pregnancy is to eat smaller meals throughout the day instead of large meals at once and if you’re craving something, just eat it.

Even if I am a little tired of looking at my weight, I look forward to my weigh in today because it means I get to hear our little guy’s heartbeat again and that’s something I will never, ever  get tired of.