Becoming more fit during pregnancy

I went to the midwife yesterday, and discovered that I've gained 8lb (3-4kg?) in the past 4 weeks! :redface: Too much snacking and big meals over the Easter weekend! My weight gain thus far isn't too terrible - 19 lb (9kg?), but I don't want to gain much more than 30 all together, if I can help it. Plus, I could really use a little exercise.
So here's my plan: I'm going to try to cut back a bit on snacking (which I've been doing too much), eat normal, healthy meals (as I have been all along), drink more water (I hate water!), and go for a 20 minute walk every morning before DH leaves for work (been spending too much time on my bum!).
Now, I have a feeling that I may stop gaining weight for a while if I manage to actually do this, or possibly even lose a bit. Trust me, I'm NOT going to try to lose weight or "diet" or anything while pregnant, just be a little more fit! Will I be putting my baby at risk if my weight gain stops or drops? Even if I continue to eat properly?

OMG I've really stacked on the weight this pregnancy. My aim now is not to put too much more on rather than trying to lose any.
Last pregnancy I found going to the swimming centre and doing laps helped a lot. At first I couldnt do many but by the end was swimming for ages - felt great and not out of breath, thought it would do wonders for labour (Then ended up having a c/s anyway - bugga) I tried to do that again this time around but somehow sprained my right arm so that was the end of that.
I eat healthily but eat a few too many 'extras" I think.

On the other hand - I tend to put on 20kgs a pregnancy whatever I do. whether I stress over eating the 'right' things all the time, whether I exercise or not etc, It sounds like a lot but it does seem to be the 'norm' for me. Even with the twins I gained 20kgs to the dot.

Some things that work well for getting fitter are walking/waddling (he he he;)) and swimming.
Goodluck.:D

I am usually a bit of a fitness freak - 3-4 times a week to the gym or I feel like I am gong nuts. BUT of course once pregnant that all had to change.

I am high risk for pre-term labor and small baby so OBGYN is a bit strict with me. She has given me the following guidelines;
# can maintain but NOT increase fitness during pregnancy
# can go to gym but only take heart rate to 130 beats min not the usual 180-190 that I was doing (I have a heart rate monitor so easy for me to tell). Basically it s a warm up for me and not a workout -no puffing or sweating.
# no swimming and definitely not in a heated pool

So really I go for walks - stop when I get out of breath, go on the treadmill or stationary bike at the gym with my HR monitor on and so a weights program designed by my personal trainer that works muscles and doesnt put a strain on my tummy or back - NO tummy crunches for me any more! Boo Hoo. :doh:

I still get to the gym but only 2 week now an it is not so enjoyable for me - I love to work out hard and feel really exhilarated by it.

I have put on nearly 5 kgs so far and I am nearly halfway through the pregnancy. Its mostly tummy and boobs but I think my bum is getting bigger too! I also notice the lack of muscle tone in my bum and legs which is a bit depressing. Looking forward to getting back to my personal trainer and gym program when I am up to it after bubs comes.

Actually I sound a bit obsessed having written all that up...not a nutter really! :D

I am just lurking and spotted this thread which I hope will one day be relevant to me.

RommysMummy - why no swimming - I thought that was suppose to be one of the safest pregnancy exercises?

Just no swimming for me. I had a high risk (baby with heart disease) and complicated (pre-term labour, irrirtable uterus, two vessel umbilial cord, failure to thrive baby and reversal of flow along the umbilical cord) pregnancy.:doh:

So for me the swimming is out because it works my body and belly too much. I am 50/50 chance of having the same preg complications this time around so OB being very cautious with my care. Last time I was on a combination of home and hospital rest from 24 weeks on so wanting to minimise the chances of that happening again!

I believe with a low risk normal pregnancy (oh that would be nice!) swimming and pregnancy aqua aerobics are considered idea.

Good luck!

RM - Thanks for explaining. You certainly have been through a lot. I wish you the best of luck with your pregnancy - I hope it is as stress-free as possible.

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Back to your original question Cricket....(hint hint hijackers!!) I don't think you are doing bubs any harm if yoiur weight gain slows down and you are eating very well. Last preg I was putting on a bit much weight and my midwife (who I saw for appts) told me not to put anything in my mouth that wasn't excellent for bubs (easy for her to say!) Also that bubs will thrive even if my weight gain is very minimal as I was quite restricted in the end to only gaining another kilo in the final weeks (as in it being the baby's weight increasing and not mine). She said that excess weight gain is not good (which I knew) and that slowing my weight gain was fine. Having said that, that all related to me personally as I think I put on 20 kilos which was too much for me. This time round I am going to do what you are doing- walking when morning sickness goes ang eating really healthily once the morning sickness goes and I can get beyond bread, butter and vegemite. You sound like you are taking a really sensible approach.

Thanks! That's sort of what I was looking for Katie. I figured I would be OK going this route, but I just wanted to double check with other mums who have been in this spot.
I don't mind the topic wandering a bit, BTW - no worries. But it's nice to get an answer too. :)

Sorry. I removed my question. I am seeing my pre-natal dietitian today and will enquire about your question, Cricket and will hopefully get a professional answer for you by this afternoon :)

Hi Cricket

As promised, I asked my dietitian this morning about your situation (which is fairly similar to mine) and she said the following (of which I am sure you know a fair bit already):

First of all, she said that 20 mins of walking every day is just fine for the pregnancy and is really great for both yours and bub's health.

She then said that weight gain in pregnancy is usually between 10 and 20kg's with the average being between 13 and 15kgs. She said that it is not of great importance when you put the weight on, but rather that by the end of your nine months you have gained about 13kgs. This is not only for bub's growth, it is also so that your body is prepared for breast feeding at the end.

I told her that we had both gained about 9kgs so far and she said that that is fine and very normal. When I asked her if staying at 9kg's or even losing a kg or 2, she said that if you do so is fine AS LONG AS you still reach around 13kg's by the end of the pregnancy. She said that if you were to stay at 9kg's or even lose one or two then it really is not that great for bubs. Obviously some women cannot put of weight and remain under the requirement, but she stated this about average female pregnancy weight gain.

I got some pregnancy kilojoule intake requirement from her that I guess isn't really related to your question, but I found it quite interesting to see just how much we should be eating! 1st tri daily intake is 9660kj, 2nd tri is 10000-11000kj and 3rd tri is 12000. She also gave me a sample menu of what an average daily intake should be which helped me realise that even with my snacking and occasional lolly-guzzling, I was still well within the recommended daily intake for my stage in pregnancy, whereas I thought I was eating far too much! If you are interested in seeing a typical daily meal plan then PM me and I can send it to you.

Disclaimer: Given that I am just relaying information that I received from a professional, I would rather not debate the facts and figures because I am certainly not qualified to do so. So I totally understand if some of you have received different information or do not agree with what I have written, but I really am in no position to defend it.

I hope this helps, Cricket :) x

Thanks for all the info Sambo! That's really great! Very reassuring. :) Thank you so much for mentioning me to the dietician.