What weight gain is considered normal by the end of the second trimester
You already know that the higher your BMI at the very beginning of pregnancy, the slower your weight gain should be. On average, if in the second trimester you gained 0.78-1.1 lb (350-500 g) per week, as recommended by gynecologists, then now the increase is 9.2-13.2 lb (4.2 - 6 kg) total. Of course, not all of this weight is yours: about a third of the weight is the baby, placenta and amniotic fluid. The rest is increased blood volume plus the energy reserve necessary for carrying, and after childbirth, for the production of milk [1].
Exceeding these averages is not as harmless as it might seem. If your weight increased by more than 15.4 lb (7 kg) during the second trimester, then the likelihood of gestational diabetes [2] and gestational hypertension [3] also increased with it. Moreover, if significant weight gain occurred before the 28th week, then later adjustments to diet and lifestyle will not stop the onset of these conditions, only reduce the likelihood of complications.
Moreover, excessive weight gain during pregnancy affects the expression of genes in the child and programs his tendency to chronic diseases in the future [4].
Fortunately, weight gain is a manageable risk. It doesn’t matter which of the healthy food systems you choose: Mediterranean, DASH, a low glycemic index, or just carefully counting calories — any of the options can help manage your weight better than relying on sheer will power [4] so that you can stay in a normal weight range through the last trimester.
