Chloe is concerned about the amount of weight that she will gain during pregnancy. She doesn't want to get "too fat

Question

" She has heard of women who gain only 10 pounds while pregnant and they wear their pre-maternity clothes home from the hospital. What can you tell Chloe about weight gain during pregnancy?
What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A good answer will be similar to the following:
Chloe should not try to keep her weight gain to only 10 pounds. Pregnant women should increase their caloric intake by about 10 to 20 percent. Assuming that Chloe is an average-weight woman, she should plan to gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy. Even a woman who is overweight before becoming pregnant should gain 15 pounds. Approximately one-third of the weight gained reflects the weight of the baby, placenta, and amniotic fluid; another third reflects an increase in the woman's fat stores; and the final third comes from increased blood volume, breast size, and uterus size. Remind Chloe that a healthy full-term baby weighs between seven and eight pounds. In other words, Chloe should plan to gain more than 10 pounds, even if it means that she can't wear her pre-pregnancy clothes home from the hospital.