It is necessary to keep a check on pregnancy weight gain week by week, for preventing Excess Weight Gain during pregnancy. If your weight is too much, you will invite pregnancy complications, diabetes, and other problems in the labor room. If your weight is too less, you will suffer from malnutrition and will deliver an unhealthy baby.

Gaining too much weight during pregnancy can be dangerous not only to the mother but also to the unborn child. Women who are overweight during pregnancy are at higher risk of having babies with birth defects. Obesity increases your risk of pregnancy complications like hypertension or preeclampsia. Avoid excessive pregnancy weight gain if you want a healthy and safe pregnancy.

Recommended pregnancy weight gain is different for every pregnant woman and depends largely on your weight and general health prior to becoming pregnant. While the average recommended pregnancy weight gain is 25 to 36 pounds, those women who were overweight prior to pregnancy are normally asked to restrict pregnancy weight gain to 15 to 25 pounds. Additionally, for those women who were underweight prior to becoming pregnant, their recommended pregnancy weight gain is normally on the higher side with 28 to 48 pounds.

Here are some tips to control pregnancy weight gain:

Get the advice of your health care provider. If you are gaining too much weight, it is best to ask the advice of your doctor. Losing weight during pregnancy is not advisable but regular monitoring and check up may be necessary to control your weight. Your doctor can advise you on how to properly control pregnancy weight gain to avoid obesity. Obesity is accompanied by a lot of health risks especially when you are pregnant. It is important to gain only the required weight during pregnancy for your own health and for the development of your unborn child.

How much weight gain is necessary for you?

Pregnancy weight recommendation is different for different women depending upon the weight and health prior to becoming pregnant. Women being underweight before pregnancy should gain 28 to 40 pounds while those being overweight should gain 15 to 25 pounds. And those carrying twins should gain about 35 to 45 pounds.

Listen to your doctor. Different stages in your pregnancy required a certain weight gain and you have to listen to your doctor and follow the dietary recommendation to prevent excessive weight gain. It is easy to get lazy and eat all you want when you are pregnant but ignoring your doctor's advice especially about weight gain might be dangerous for you and your unborn child.

Meal skipping: Most moms are so pre-occupied with looking after the baby and the family that they postpone eating and often eat just once a day. Not fueling the body properly and frequently wreaks havoc on the metabolism and acts as a major detriment to losing pregnancy weight gain. The body goes into a starvation mode and conserves energy instead of burning it when you starve. Six, small healthy meals per day is the norm if you want to lose weight gain associated with pregnancy.