Overeating While Pregnant

Pregnant women understand the importance of taking good care of themselves and watching what they put into their bodies during their pregnancy. We are cautioned to take great care to avoid alcohol, bad foods, drugs, cigarettes, certain prescription medications and anything that could cause problems for the baby. Many women, however, use being pregnant as an excuse to overeat unfortunately. You have probably heard or even used the expression "eating for two." The truth, though, is a little different. When tempted to overindulge, remember that you are not actually eating for two full sized adults and overeating during pregnancy can lead to a number of issues.

There are many health issues that women experience during pregnancy and overeating can contribute to making some of them worse. Back pain is a common problem that many expectant women deal with and one that is certainly exacerbated by gaining an unhealthy amount of weight due to overeating. Similarly, heartburn is something a lot of pregnant women are susceptible too and again overeating can make it much worse. It is often difficult to get a good night's sleep and if your stomach is churning from indigestion caused by eating too much then tossing and turning is virtually guaranteed. The delivery and losing the excess weight following delivery can both be made more difficult by overeating as well.

So what is a normal amount of pregnancy weight gain and what can be considered overdoing it? Most doctors and dietitians cite twenty five pounds as the expectation for the average woman. If you are underweight to start you may gain more and likewise if you are overweight when you get pregnant you may gain less. During your first trimester, you do not need to take in a great deal of additional calories. You may only gain five pounds during your first trimester. During the second and third trimesters, one pound a week is normal and two pounds a week is acceptable. Gaining more than two pounds a week could be an indication that you are overeating.

Some women experience cravings while others report feeling hungry almost constantly. Neither one of these feelings are a reason to overeat, however. We all have different dietary habits and metabolisms, but these issues can be combated by making slight changes to the way we eat. Eating more frequent smaller meals and getting some regular, light exercise are ways to avoid hunger. You can still eat the foods you crave and work them into a healthy eating plan as long as you do not overindulge.

We all know how important it is to watch what we put in our bodies while we are pregnant. Overeating though is something that all too often is overlooked. Talk to you doctor about eating healthy and expected weight gain. Take care not to overdo it so your pregnancy and your delivery can be as comfortable and as smooth as possible.