Weight Gain

[evasimone]

Originally Posted by baby1577 I am glad your seeing a doctor soon just in case there is something going on. If it makes you feel any better, I was 3 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight when I delivered my TWINS at 33 weeks. Baby will get what he needs!! Praying you get answers soon and stop feeling so miserable.

I really hate the statement, "you don't need to worry baby will take what it needs." It's true to a small extent but a malnourished mama losing weight during pregnancy isn't great for baby or mom and can lead to pre term labor and other complications. I know its well meaning but its so dismissive of the idea that the health of the mother matters at all when it very clearly does and has an outcome on how well the baby does.

I also think you can be obese and be malnourished, its the quality of food not the quantity. I think its more troublesome when someone is losing weight and probably not getting good nutrition. I also am curious if the OP has a GI issue that may be causing malabsorption like crohns or colitis but its impossible to know from the vague description.

OP I wish you the best, I hope the GI can provide some answers.

[Mommyto2B2G]

Originally Posted by evasimone I really hate the statement, "you don't need to worry baby will take what it needs." It's true to a small extent but a malnourished mama losing weight during pregnancy isn't great for baby or mom and can lead to pre term labor and other complications. I know its well meaning but its so dismissive of the idea that the health of the mother matters at all when it very clearly does and has an outcome on how well the baby does. I also think you can be obese and be malnourished, its the quality of food not the quantity. I think its more troublesome when someone is losing weight and probably not getting good nutrition. I also am curious if the OP has a GI issue that may be causing malabsorption like crohns or colitis but its impossible to know from the vague description. OP I wish you the best, I hope the GI can provide some answers.

Thank you for all the advice given so far everyone. Yes, GI issues, I'm not going as an extra precaution I'm being sent. I've been to the ER for pains a couple times and once I was having um excuse my TMI... jellied bloody #2. I was in massive pain, worse than I have ever had while in labor and I labored with no pain relief with every baby I have. I felt like I could die. My BP was through the roof, I was very dehydrated because I was puking everything up and I was bleeding everywhere. They are looking at Crohns or Colitis but I think I have more so every symptom of IBS. I didn't really want to be dramatic and say that because it hasn't been diagnosed but that is what the ER doctor thought and set me up with a specialist for.

I wouldn't say before I was obese, I was chubby. For example, I went down a dress size this pregnancy. I went from a 14 to a 12. I eat as much as possible and mostly healthy things. I always have though. My body really can't take meat or carbs in large doses though I do try to get them in. Now that I'm pregnant my stomach literally feels sore to the touch if I eat meat (like someone punched me). One of my big issues is how sick I get on a daily basis because I have to go to the bathroom. I will literally spend half my day sick, cold sweating, having hot flashes, dry heaving ect until my body is ready to go. Then I go, maybe have to go a couple more times and then I'll feel better. I also wake up every night in the middle of the night to go through this usually too. I'm exhausted. I can go up to 6x a day, sometimes once. It is always different but always a problem.

Ok, now keep in mind I am actively trying to take care of this and getting into doctors. I haven't been diagnosed with anything so I am trying not to be overly dramatic. As much as it sounds crazy I'm used to it, I'm just worried for my baby but I am sick of it. Becoming pregnant brought these symptoms on a lot worse so I didn't become pregnant knowing I may or may not hurt my baby. I really just want to figure out what I can eat and not get sick over. I try to eat in small amounts every 2 hours. I drink at least 1/2 a gal of water a day and I do take my prenatals.

[Green Decals]

Sounds like you are on the right track and right to be worried, I hope you get some resolution soon. Bear in mind that, in the absence of a true issue (which it sounds like you have), there is a huge variation in "normal" weight gain for pregnant women, and every pregnancy can be different. Eating a well-rounded, nourishing diet is what is important - weight gain in and of itself is not.

My last 2 pregnancies I finished 20-30 pounds over my conception weight (after losing weight in the first several weeks, though I never had any vomiting or nausea). This pregnancy, at 35 weeks, I am only 4 pounds over my conception weight. Baby is growing fine and I am well-nourished.

Take care and I hope you have answers soon.

[songbird516]

Avocados are a great idea. If you can handle cheese (maybe raw milk cheese?) and high-quality whole milk yogurt, those would be great also. Coconut oil/milk might be helpful. Nutrition is important, much more important than calories. My concern would be that you're not absorbing nutrients, though. Do you take probiotics or eat fermented veggies? Have you cut out GMO foods like corn, soy, and sugar beets? Those can be very irritating to the digestive system.
I hope you figure it out!

ETA- are you drinking past thirst? It isn't good for you to drink more than you are thirsty. If you feel that you need to drink 1/2 gallon of water a day, that's fine, but don't take someone else's word for it. The recommendation to drink large amounts of water isn't based on good science.

[Fryedaddy]

You mentioned eating more calories... Are you keeping a food diary of everything you consume? I'm a personal trainer and use these with my clients and every client I have ever worked with either over under estimates what they eat. It is always an eye opener when they write every single thing they eat/drink down. Many times I've seen people be off by over 1,000 calories per day. Calories are what make pounds- 3500cals = 1 pound. If you are eating 2,000-2,500 a day you should be maintaining or gaining. The only way you could be losing is if you used to eat more than that or you are suffering from hyperthyroidism. Try the food journal and good luck!