Bump Up That Weight!

Preggers and confused about the extra kilogrammes you should be carrying? Keep your weight gain on track with these easy tips.

- Low Lai Chow

There's never a better time to put on weight than when you've got a beautiful baby on the way. After all, you need the extra nutrition — and calories — for the bubs! But how much is enough? “Everyone is different, and in actual fact, women vary week to week how much weight is gained,” says Dr Cheryl Kam, integrative family physician of Mint Medical Centre, to Motherhood. As there is evidence to suggest that a long list of problems are associated with both low weight gain (such as low blood sugar in the baby) as well as high (such as risk of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, gestational hypertension and preterm delivery), it’s no wonder that many expecting mothers worry if they are putting on the right weight. According to Dr Paul Tseng, obstetrician and gynaecologist of TLC Gynaecology Practice, Clinic and Surgery for Women at Thomson Medical Centre, healthy weight gain for both mummy and baby naturally follows proper nutrition and regular exercise. The doctors weigh in on some guidelines to make that pregnancy journey less bumpy.

1 Your pre-pregnancy BMI hints at how much weight to gain

Whether you were underweight, of average weight or overweight before you were pregnant makes a world of difference as to how much weight you can expect to gain, says Dr Kam. A mum-to-be with normal Body Mass Index (BMI) prior to pregnancy can expect to pack on about 11-16kg in total, with even higher gains for pregnancies with twins or multiples.