If you are in your first trimester of pregnancy, congratulations!
Along with the millions of other pregnancy and baby related questions that are whizzing around your brain, the question of how much weight you should gain during your pregnancy is an important one.
Getting things right in the first trimester can set you on the right path for the rest of the pregnancy.
Gain or lose in the first trimester?
Every pregnancy will be different, so there are no definite answers when it comes to exactly when, where and how you will gain weight during pregnancy.
In fact, the same woman can gain weight in a different way in their first pregnancy to their second pregnancy, so you can’t even use your own experience as a definitive guide!
During the first trimester you don’t need to gain much weight.
If you are suffering with morning sickness that news should come as a relief.
In fact you may not gain any weight at all, or you may even lose a little (particularly if you are suffering with morning sickness or food aversions).
This should be fine, just keep an eye on your weight gain during the rest of your pregnancy and speak to your doctor or midwife if you have concerns.
I lost weight during my 1st trimester, but gained during the second trimester, so there was nothing to worry about.
If, on the other hand, you experience a lot of cravings you may see your weight creeping up more than expected. As long as you are able to get the gain back on track during the second and third trimesters, this should also not be an issue.
Weight gain in the first trimester – does your starting BMI have an impact?
Overall pregnancy weight gain recommendations vary greatly depending on your pre-pregnancy BMI.
However the amount of weight you need to gain during the first trimester is pretty much the same regardless of your starting BMI.
You don’t need to gain any weight during the first trimester, and may even lose a little.
The average is a gain of around 0.5 – 1.8 kg or 1 – 4 pounds.
If you start your pregnancy significantly overweight, your doctor may have recommendations that are different to the Institute of Medicine guidelines, so make sure to work closely with them early on in your pregnancy to come up with an action plan.
Pregnancy nutrition in the first trimester
During the first trimester you do not need to eat any additional calories.
(And in some cases, if you are very overweight, your doctor may recommend that you work with a registered dietician to bring your calorie consumption to a healthy level).
Ideal recommendations
Of course the ideal “pregnancy diet” is to make sure you eat a well-balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, pulses, legumes, lean meat and fish, and avoid junk food and unhealthy snacks, to make sure you get all the vitamins and minerals you need for a healthy pregnancy.
The problem is, many women feel nauseous, exhausted and experience food aversions during the first trimester, so what should we do?!
Real life recommendations
In real life you need to do what you can.
If the only thing that will stop your nausea is to eat bread, then eat some bread. This is what happened to me – luckily I didn’t suffer from morning sickness. But I did feel a little nauseous sometimes and I tried eating all sorts of different things to make it go away, but the only thing that worked was bread!
It is actually pretty common to crave carbohydrates during the first trimester.
Just try not to go crazy. If you do need to eat carbs to keep the nausea away, try a wholegrain option (such as wholewheat bread or pasta) and have sensible portions.
Now is not the time to get obsessive about your diet, but also don’t throw everything you know about good nutrition out the window. If there are times you are feeling OK, then have a well-balanced meal with plenty of vegetables and fruits.
Keeping your energy levels up without reaching for the candy bars
Another barrier to keeping your weight gain under control in the first trimester can be exhaustion and fatigue.
It is an incredibly common symptom during the first trimester. This certainly does not help if you are trying to keep your weight gain under control.
And now that you are trying to avoid caffeine, what can you do to keep your energy levels up?
- Exercise – this is the BEST way to increase your energy levels and make you feel better. Even if it’s just going for a walk do something to get the blood moving around the body
- Consider eating little and often – this can help to keep your energy levels a little more consistent throughout the day. Also, prevent you from swinging up and down
- Drink plenty of water – dehydration is a common cause of low energy, so make sure you stay hydrated
- Eat a piece of fruit – fruit is nature’s natural energy booster. Due to the high fibre content it releases its energy steadily. So you don’t get the sugar rush and crash effect like you do with added sugars in chocolate, biscuits, cakes, etc.
My main advice if you are feeling sluggish: try to MOVE. It may feel like the last thing you want to do, but I promise you, it works wonders.
There were SO many times during the first trimester of my pregnancy when I just wanted to curl up in a ball on the sofa in the evening. But I had my bootcamps sessions to run. So I had to pick myself up, go outside and motivate my team to work hard.
Do you know what? 5 minutes in and I had already forgotten my exhaustion. Getting the blood moving around the body and the fresh air made me feel a million times better. Thus, I always came home with much more energy and a big smile on my face.
Conclusion
During the first trimester of pregnancy you do not need to gain much, if any weight. In some cases you may even lose weight.
Every pregnancy is different, so make sure to raise any concerns you have with your health care provider.
If you can eat a well-balanced diet during the first trimester you are definitely winning. However, don’t get too hung up on your nutrition during the first trimester. You may find that there are lots of foods you can’t stomach, or you can only eat certain things to keep your nausea under control. Just do what you can and try to get as many nutrients into you as you can.
Finally, if you are struggling with fatigue: try to move. It may be the last thing you want to do, but it WILL help.
How was your first trimester of pregnancy? Did you put on any weight, did you lose weight, or did your weight go through the roof?