Weight gain in pregnancy

Weight gain during pregnancy


Weight gain in pregnancy is healthy, natural and necessary. However, being either overweight or underweight can put your baby at risk. Find out about what’s considered the healthy amount of weight to gain during pregnancy in order support your baby’s development and give them the best start in life.

Weight gain during pregnancy

Weight gain: what’s recommended

The recommended amount of weight you should gain throughout your pregnancy can be calculated based on your body mass index (BMI).

To determine your BMI, simply divide your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in metres (or divide your weight in pounds by the square of your height in inches and then multiply the result by 703). If you’re unsure, you can use our BMI table below, or speak to your doctor who’ll be able to work it out for you.


Steady and gradual weight gain is best but as every pregnancy and every woman is different, you may gain more during some weeks than others.

Weight loss during pregnancy

Being overweight can mean you’re more at risk of developing high blood pressure, gestational diabetes and premature birth and even increase your risk of complications. However, once you become pregnant, losing weight is not recommended as it can reduce your baby’s birth weight and put them at risk. Dieting can starve you and your baby of the vital nutrients needed to help your baby develop.

A healthy, balanced diet consisting of a wide range of food groups will give your baby the vitamins and minerals they need and prevent you from putting on any unnecessary weight.

Being underweight in pregnancy

If you’re underweight and trying for a baby, putting on weight now will not only help you to have a healthier pregnancy, it can also help you to conceive. If you are already pregnant, your midwife will be able to advise you on the healthiest way to add extra calories and nutrients to your diet to ensure you gain a healthy amount of weight.

If you have any questions about weight gain in pregnancy our team of experienced mums and midwife can help – give them a call on 0800 996 1000 anytime.

38 comments

mammy2be said...

so if i am 25 pound

25 June 2010 16:09
LeahH933 said...

Im now 20weeks pregnant and i haavnt gained any weight during my pregnancy iv just lost weight

6 August 2010 20:23
81shelbay said...

I am 28 weeks pregnant and I weigh 8st 3lb not pregnant i weigh 8st the now so I have lost weight. I try to eat healthy but it would help if my partner went shopping as there is often no food in the house to eat and he has control of all the money as I don't work and he does but he works for himself and not me as long as he is all right who cares eh. (PRAT)

27 August 2010 18:11
dagmar orszulikova said...

hi ladies
i am 26 weeks and i have not put any weight yet. feeling well, eating well, all test are good and bump is growing, so i am not worried. your body tells you what you need and when. keep well! xox

8 September 2010 14:23
kittynikki said...

iam 27 weeks and i was 10st 5lb b4 i was pregnant
Iam now 9st 8lb ive got a little bump she is grown fine so iam not bothered the weight can keeping falling of me xxx

21 September 2010 15:22
jooster said...

i've just found out i'm pregnant at 11 weeks and at 39 thought my chance was all over. Am very worried as i am very overweight and have PCOS. I had been losing weight and exercising which has resulted in me falling pregnant but am still worried. Please, any words of encouragement will help?

24 September 2010 18:34
lou221 said...

i think a lot ofwomendont gain much weight 2 begin with ifthis is 1st pregnancy i didnt till after 6months but with 2nd put sum weight on and have a bigish bump.im 25 weeks and cant wait 2 hold baby and neither can 9 yr oldsis jade xx goodluck every 1

14 October 2010 12:08
jules1302 said...

Hey Jooster I am 38 and 17 weeks pregnant you will be fine !!!! xxx

19 October 2010 22:30
dianefallon said...

I'm 17 weeks and have already gained 1 stone! I'm terrified I'm gonna end up enormous!

22 October 2010 02:16
domini3 said...

I'm in week 21 and i've put on 6kg, all over! Hopefully it'll continue to be gradual and i won't become too huge making it harder to lose after! Clearly i'm not as lucky as these other posts!

20 August 2010 21:13
VictoriaYoungMummyToBe said...

I am 23 weeks now and i havent put any weight on but i am getting a bump!

13 August 2010 20:42
clarem27 said...

hi im 21 weeks and have put on nearly 2 stone ive done nothing but eat this time i only put 2 stone on through the whole pregnancy last time but this time im gonna be enormous people keep asking me if im having twins cheeky devils

26 October 2010 12:19
n1xdd said...

im 17 weeks pregnant and havent gained any weight yet glad im not the only one.

31 October 2010 19:42
TriciaWelsh said...

Hi, I'm 30 weeks pregnant and have put on 10lbs. I lost two stone before trying to get pregnant so I wouldn't have so much to loose after but was still 1.5 over weight. My BMI is 28 so I'm still in the 'normal weight gain' zone. I have eaten loads while being pregnant, surprised I haven't put on much more. Everyone keeps commenting how neat my bump is - not after dinner it isn't!

2 November 2010 22:30
Ginger79 said...

Hiya, I'm 29 weeks and 4 days pregnant today. Feeling good. This is my first baby and I haven't got any particular cravings for anything unusual, though trying to eat healthily as much as possible. I have been told that being pregnant suits me and I've been told I'm looking well. Not touching weighing scales at the moment though, think it best to just concentrate on the here and now and staying healthy. I'm doing aquanantal and also swimming once or twice a week.

28 November 2010 15:57
Ginger79 said...

Hiya, I'm 29 weeks and 4 days pregnant today. Feeling good. This is my first baby and I haven't got any particular cravings for anything unusual, though trying to eat healthily as much as possible. I have been told that being pregnant suits me and I've been told I'm looking well. Not touching weighing scales at the moment though, think it best to just concentrate on the here and now and staying healthy. I'm doing aquanantal and also swimming once or twice a week.

28 November 2010 15:57
Ginger79 said...

Only time I do get weighed actually, is when i see my midwife, but apart from that ......... no lol

28 November 2010 15:59
squirts mummy said...

my weight has gone up and down since i fell pregnant am 19 weeks now sometimes bump is big other times there is nothing there x

22 October 2010 20:18
teresa28 said...

im 15 weeks and weigh 11stone ive put on about 6lb and not likin it i keep tellin myself it will be worth it in the end at the begin i was losin weight now i should be so lucky,

7 October 2010 09:56
gothicmum said...

I am 11 wks and I've lost alittle weight but I've been told its ok as my BMI is 27 so I've got alittle extra on my body, I take Pregnacare plus which I was told by midwife and by doctor is good for me, but I am alittle worried as I have an eating problem and only eat one meal a day, but sometimes will eat alittle more and its all healthly food too. At least with the multi-vitamin is giving my baby what it needs and my midwife is keeping an eye on me.

17 September 2010 20:15
lilspixie said...

I'm 22 weeks, and i lost nearly a stone when i fell on, but i've slowly gone back up to my starting weight over the last month. However, after weighing myself this morning, it appears i've very suddenly gained half a stone!!!

Has this happened to anyone else or i my body just really weird :s

3 January 2011 17:54
Nicole Harvey said...

I am at week 37 and have put on 28lb eek!!, lots of walking for me once little man arrives

27 August 2010 13:05
Firefly2105 said...

My BMI to start was 19.5, and I've fluctuated between my starting weight and 2-4lbs weight gain. It yo-yos from week to week. I'm 12 weeks, and should have put at least a few pounds on by now? I have no idea why it keeps disappearing - I have a healthy diet, and I'm not exactly ignoring my cravings. Is anyone else struggling like this?

23 January 2011 18:05
dixy said...

i'm 13 weeks pregnant with my 7th baby and had not lost the weight i'd gained of the 6th he is 6 months i'm now 13st witha bmi of 33 and i'm very concerned about this pregnancy i've always been a healthy weight when i'm pregnant and am terrified how big i'll go and what could happen with the baby now i'm big. i'm trying to watch what i eat but i don't want this one to go without

26 October 2010 06:02
natzk said...

im just gone 31 weeks and have put on 2 and a half, almost three stone!! its my first baby and im realy worried ive put on too much weight :( , keep getting asked if im having twins, its embarassing.

13 December 2010 19:24
mimzy25 said...

Hi im 18 weeks pregnant gained no weight at all up to 12 weeks had no morning sickness at all, have gained 9lbs which I think is ok I wasnt skinny to start and I seem to be all bump at the moment good lcuk everyone xx

9 February 2011 00:39
n ahmad said...

i am 26 weeks pregnant.enjoying every moment as i plan this to be my last pregnancy ,fingers crossed ...ha ha ....and i want to lose all the unnecessary weight and fat after the baby hopefully .i cant wait to have my child as my other 2 children are so excited about it .wish u all the very best of luck .have a wonderful time

19 December 2010 20:21
sweetchicks said...

can anyone tell me whens it best n how far would you consider going to the aqua natal as i didnt do this with my first and put on bout 6 stones from pregnancy to present i also breast fed my lil girl til she was 13 months and that didnt help get my pre pregnacy fogure back so contenplating on not doing the breastfeeding second time round just giving the aptimal as its the next best thing to it anyone help me x

20 March 2011 06:53
phelanbird said...

Hi all, really good to know there are others out there with similar stories to mine! I was really concerned to start with about how much weight i should be gaining and when as i had the mis-conception that you didnt gain much till the third trimester! i have since read in many different places that between weeks 15-20 its not unusal to very quickly gain between 5-15lbs! Im now 19 weeks and have only gained 4lbs so far so i feel alot better about it. I also already have quite a substantial bump but then when my mum was pregnant with me and my sister she had a very big bump too so i was expecting that! I havent had morning sickness at all thank god and i also haven't been ignorning my cravings for sweets very much! I generally eat quite healthily though with lots of fruit and veg and cereal and yoghurt every morning for brekkie. It's hard not to worry about the amount of weight your putting on, especially after working really hard to loose 2 1/2 stone last year, but i don't think there is a huge amount you can do about it anyway so just try and eat healthy and get some gentle exercise going and don't stress too much about it! Hope all goes well for everyone x

5 May 2011 12:51
rootzgal said...

I am 17 weeks and have put on (at least) 13 kilos (28+ lb) since conception.. I wasnt a skinny girl before I got pregnant but this is RIDICULOUS!!!! Think the point is - as long as the doctors are happy (or should I say UNconcerned) with your progress/gain/loss then dont worry about it..!! :)

15 January 2011 02:05
Anita Pow said...

Hi, im 23 weeks and i've lost a stone since becoming pregnant from sickness but it stopped @ 20wks. I still haven't gained any weight even though i am now eating a healthy diet but my bump is massive compared to this stage i was at with my first but i was exactly the same when i was pregnant with my son. I gained 1stone 4lb with my first by the end, just eat healthy and dont over eat cause it is so hard to lose it after and its not good for the baby etc. Enjoy ladies xxx

27 January 2011 19:48
cj81 said...

I'm 14 weeks and I've put on about half a stone so far. It is my first so I was a bit worried when I started showing at 6 weeks. I went for a scan at the EPU and they assured me there was only 1 baby & that everything was fine. When I finally had my 12 week scan most people in work said they'd known for ages as it was so obvious. One woman even assumed it was my 20 week scan! It certainly took all the fun out of telling everyone. I hope bump doesn't get too huge as I'm worried it will mean a more difficult labour.

9 October 2011 07:53
Jinny said...

I am 7 weeks and just found out from EPU that im expecting TWINS!!!! Didnt expect that. Ive always been quite slim but have a small bump already is this normal? With my son I only put a stone on in total and you couldnt really tell i was pregnant until 5/6 months. Getting concerned

3 February 2011 17:42
RamRaj said...

Good article

1 December 2010 08:14
US2UKMommy2be said...

I am 19 weeks tomorrow and I am overweight but have lost 50 pounds since getting pregnant. I eat healthy, the only change I have done since being pregnant is cut out most sugary drinks. I always eat fresh fruit and veg, I did suffer from morning sickness up until 18 weeks, I have learned to eat much less in a meal and eat much slower or else I get sick even still. The doctor doesn't seem to be overly concerned about the weigh loss due to other complications but I'm not starving myself so i am wondering why i am still loosing weight.

13 February 2011 10:48
loulou75 said...

Hi all!!
I am just over twelve weeks with my first baby and Ive put on a stone already making me 12st 3lb. Im not too worried as I have given up smoking for the first time in my life so I am very pleased with myself and feel loads better for it. My midwife said this is fine as its mostly fluid and big boobs that are making up most of the extra weight!!!!!

19 June 2011 15:22
3munchkins said...

hi im 17 weeks and 4 days and so far i have put on 11lb. this is my third pregnancy and am more worried about weight gain this time around compared with my other 2. with my last 2 pregnancies i gained around 3 stone. i am carrying all front so bump is quite big. im just hoping my bump isnt going to be huge!

11 January 2012 19:52
zyrien said...

Hi I'm 36 weeks and I have put on weight 13 kilos is that still ok.

13 September 2011 09:14

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