Second Pregnancy and Weight Gain

Pregnancy is very often a "different" feeling being associated with many pregnancy symptoms and bodily changes in the would-be-mom. A pregnant woman has to face lot of discomforting conditions and go through this roller coaster ride of pregnancy before delivering. The most evident of all, is the weight gain which is quite expected as well. To deliver a healthy baby, requires the mom to feed on a balanced, high calorie and full diet which will nourish her as well as the baby properly. Many times, second pregnancy differences are more evident than the previous one mainly because the woman is experienced now. Almost always, women gain weight after their first pregnancy or second pregnancy or between the first and the second. The only major factor influencing this is the diet, or rather the pregnancy diet.

The normal weight gain during pregnancy is maximum in the first trimester (3-5 pounds), and up to 1-2 pounds in the second and the third. Check out the chart for better understanding.

Weight Categories	Desired Weight Gain
Underweight Women	13-18 kg
Normal Weight Women	11-16 kg
Over Weight Women	7-11 kg
Obese Women	5-9 kg

I mean it's needless to say that all, especially women, want to be in shape. A sudden weight gain during pregnancy and diversion from the diet plans would lead to irritation and would not be a pleasant experience but the prerequisite of pregnancy is being healthy. Hence, it is always advisable to eat as much as 300 calories extra per day accounting to an average of one pound increase per week resulting in second weight gain.

Another aspect to keep in mind is, not all women will face the problem of weight gain. Pregnancy largely depends on your body weight, your pregnancy diet, your fitness and health, and not to forget the hormonal changes etc. It is possible for many women to retain their original shape despite not compromising on foods. Also, it is very frequent for some women to gain weight casually because of bodily changes and perhaps the pregnancy phase. Weight gain is generally associated with obese mothers though. An overweight would-be-mom is at a higher risk of second pregnancy weight gain during or after childbirth.

Weight gain during second pregnancy is supposed to be of higher frequency in case of a baby boy than a girl. However, there is no evident proof stating this, except the statistical records till now.

Also, women going through pregnancy are not allowed to stress or exercise besides the few pregnancy exercises and power yoga. I mean, it's highly impossible for someone to hog heavily and not gain weight (unless and until you have that body type or it's hereditary)! That's what happens during pregnancy and can be considered as a second pregnancy symptom or side effect.

Perhaps, only when you are suffering from pregnancy related complications or gestational diabetes, you need to keep a check on your weight since this is a life long condition and will impact the baby inside the womb and the resulting delivery.

Some good advice for pregnant women would be to not pay heed to their second pregnancy weight gain. Weight loss can be done anytime in life and you surely cannot afford to ignore your health this time around.

Second pregnancy and weight gain is a topic of much debate and research with more and more deliveries and births every year. However, weight gain is not a matter of concern. You can flaunt your original shape and size if you have the right dedication to work out and strike a balance between personal life and health. Good luck!