Print Email RSS DIGG del.icio.us Stumble It!

Dealing with Pregnancy Weigh-ins

When I was pregnant with my first child I was so ecstatic I couldn't believe it was true. In fact, I did pregnancy tests three times just to make sure! It wasn't until I began my regular appointments with my OB/GYN that my anticipation and excitement would often turn to dread. The reason: the "weigh in". From my first appointment to my final appointment, I was required to get on the scale and face that ever increasing number. As a family-fitness therapist and a woman, I know the pseudo power that number can sometimes wield and how it can affect our inner and outer selves.

Nearly all my pregnant clients have echoed the same dread, "I hate getting weighed. I feel so self-conscience when I'm weighed." If a woman weighs a couple pounds extra than she thinks she should, she's afraid she's gaining weight too fast and she'll be overweight and have trouble losing the baby weight. For example, when my client Christine gained a few more pounds than she expected she was concerned that she was going to be huge by the end of her pregnancy, and it would take her forever to get the weight off. She told me "At this rate I'll probably gain 60 pounds and it will take me three years to get the weight off!" When a woman is pregnant it's really confusing because she knows she will (and should) gain weight but there is a lot of fear about gaining too much or not gaining enough.

If a woman weighs less than she thinks she should, she's afraid she is not nourishing her baby. For example, my client Jan was very athletic and small framed prior to pregnancy. She ate healthy and listened to her body's needs, but as she came close to the end of her pregnancy she took note that she would probably not gain the recommended 25-35 lbs. Although she was within 4lbs. of meeting the "ideal" low recommended weight, she stated, "I just hope my baby is getting what she needs to be healthy. I'm not sure what more to do." With either scenario pregnant women go over everything they have eaten trying to figure out what they have done "wrong". But here's the thing: the number in their mind is usually only one or two pounds different from where they thinks it should be.

Votes: 0

5 4 3 2 1  

Related Articles

• There are currently no related articles available.

Comments