Expectant moms should not eat for two

New US guidelines encourage women of childbearing age to achieve a healthy weight before getting pregnant in order to reduce both mother and baby complications. Pregnant women had long been encouraged to eat more to adequately nourish the unborn and protect them against malnutrition. In modern life, however, where nearly two-thirds of American women of childbearing age are overweight and the other one-third qualify as obese, weight gain before and during pregnancy can increase the risk of several serious health complications for both mother and child. Healthy weight gain during pregnancy therefore not only lowers the risk of pregnancy-related high blood pressure or diabetes or the need for a C-section, but is also associated with fewer complications in the baby. According to the first national recommendations on pregnancy weight released by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), expectant moms should get to a healthy weight before conceiving, stressing that pregnancy is not a time to lose weight. Once they get pregnant, these women are recommended to keep their weight gain within certain limits, based on what their body mass index (BMI) was before pregnancy. IOM guidelines said that obese women with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher at conception should limit their weight gain to 11 to 20 pounds. As for those who are underweight, normal weight or even overweight at conception; however, the guidelines remain unchanged from the original 1990 standards. In the second and third trimesters, Underweight and normal-weight mothers should put on a pound per week for proper fetal growth, the guidelines say. The overweight and obese need about half a pound a week. Women with a healthy BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 are advised to gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy. Overweight women with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 should gain less, up to 25 pounds. Underweight women, with a BMI less than 18, should gain more, up to 40 pounds during this time. The new guidelines also urged expectant mothers to safely exercise up to 30 minutes a day throughout their entire pregnancy.