Let's start by debunking a very common and unfortunately often dangerous cliché, for the unborn child as much as for the future mother, namely that it is necessary to "eat for two".
Likewise, it is absolutely incorrect to place purely aesthetic concerns above one's own well-being and that of the child. It could be defined as inevitable that pregnancy involves intense changes in the woman's body; many of these, however, are completely reversible. Knowing how to accept and manage them also means being able to reverse them just as quickly, effectively and above all physiological.
(BMI) or Body Mass Index (BMI).
The BMI or BMI is a reference value that, in the context of a rating scale, offers the possibility to understand if the weight is too low. Note: obesity of 1 ° from 29.9 to 34.9, obesity of 2 ° (severe) from 35 onwards.
The formula to use is very simple: just divide the weight expressed in kilograms (kg) by the height expressed in meters (m) squared: kg / (m x m).
For example, a woman 1.7 m tall and having an initial weight of 65 kg corresponds to a BMI of 22.49 [65 / (1.7 x 1.7)], ie normal (normal weight). During the nine months of pregnancy, your weight should physiologically increase by 11.5 to 16 kg.
If the initial weight had been 50 kg, the BMI would have been lower than 18.5 (more precisely, 17.3) indicating an underweight. The subject would therefore be advised to have a weight gain in pregnancy higher than normal, between 12.5 and 18 kg.
Conversely, if the initial weight had been 85 kg, the BMI would have been higher than 24.9 (more precisely 29.4) indicating an overweight. The subject would therefore be advised to have a lower than normal weight gain in pregnancy, between 7 and 11.5 kg.
Finally, if the initial weight had been 105 kg, the BMI would have been higher than 29.9 (more precisely 36.3) indicating severe obesity. The subject would therefore be advised to gain weight in pregnancy equal to or less than 7 kg.
in pregnancy it cannot and should not be left to chance. This is as important for the well-being of the mother as it is for the baby, and therefore for the healthy development of pregnancy, childbirth and the subsequent postnatal period.
In fact, increasing excess weight during pregnancy does not only mean changing from an aesthetic point of view, but increasing the risk of possible complications that can be simple and boring lumbosciatica of the pregnant woman (in the third trimester, when posture and walking problems inevitably become more consistent) but also dangerous macrosomies of the newborn (with the risk of lacerations, fetal suffering, operative births, etc.).
Nevertheless, insufficient or incomplete feeding can cause other discomforts, such as premature births, the birth of underweight, underdeveloped babies or even miscarriages.
(including the essential one such as the breast), but also to the fetus - which at the end of gestation will weigh on the scales for about three and a half kilos - to the placenta (about 500 g), to the amniotic fluid, to the uterus, to the volume of blood etc.Many pregnant women also have to deal with problems - more or less intense - of water retention (edema and swelling) especially in the lower limbs; as annoying as they are, these represent the inevitable and necessary effect of the hormonal transformations typical of this phase.
and the puerperium
The positive datum, if we want to define it that way, concerns the post-partum period.
Obviously, the pounds due to the fetus and appendages such as the placenta will be lost immediately after the baby is born. Similarly, except for particular pathological conditions, water retention problems will be disposed of rather quickly.
Instead, the real pounds of adipose tissue accumulated during pregnancy remain to be "used". That is why a controlled gain in gestation weight will make it easier for you to recover later. On the other hand, even the recovery of post-partum physical form will have to respect very specific times and methods. Some, somewhat provocatively, even affirm that pregnancy lasts 18 months instead of nine. The first nine are used to train, develop and deliver the child; the latter, on the other hand, would serve to bring the mother back to conditions similar to pre-pregnancy ones. All in all, it is a possible goal but to be pursued in a controlled way and without risky impatience.
The puerperium and breastfeeding are delicate phases, which require - both from the food and physical activity point of view - tranquility and attention. Pregnancy and childbirth test a woman's entire body and, in particular, some of her more delicate structures such as the pelvic floor. Rashly undergoing premature and incorrect training of the abdominal muscles for example, means risking the appearance of various problems such as prolapse and urinary incontinence.
to the midwife, to the nutritionist. In any case, it will be above all the future mother who will have to document herself, then putting her awareness and responsibility to good use in everyday life.
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