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After documenting her unbelievable pregnancy during which she seemed to have almost no visible baby bump, model Sarah Stage has continued her social media conversation by showing off her post-birth tummy. This picture was taken just four days after she'd given birth!
Read more:
The overweight pregnancy
What you need to know about pregnancy weight gain
Pregnant with no bump at 37 weeks
In case you’re doubting that she ever housed a human, she’s also shared snaps of her adorable baby. According to her Instagram account, she gained around 12.7 kilograms during pregnancy.
Sarah’s light-weight pregnancy is very unusual, so if you feel as though you’re putting on too much weight (or maybe not enough), here are some facts and tips on pregnancy weight gain from Léanda C. Retief via Parent24:
What you need to know about pregnancy weight gain
How much should I gain?
Usually a woman gains between 500g and 2kg in the first trimester, and around 500g for ever week thereafter, with a little more towards the end of pregnancy.
The main reason for the quick weight gain in the first trimester is mainly because of increased fluids. Many important changes happens during the first trimester, therefore it is very important not to deprive your baby of important nutrients.
The healthy amount of weight you should gain is measured by your weight and BMI before you fall pregnant. Any weight conscious person knows that BMI stands for Body Mass Index and it is a tool that calculates your weight to height ratio.
You can use an online BMI calculator, but you can also calculate it as follows:
Weight in kilograms / your height x2 = Your BMI.
If you were underweight when falling pregnant (BMI less than 18.5) you should gain between 13-18kg. Women of normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9) should gain 11-16kg. Overweight women (BMI 25-29.9) should gain 7-11kg and obese women (BMI 30 and above) should aim for 5-9kg.
Where does the weight go?
The good news is that not all of your pregnancy weight gain is fat. The breakdown of pregnancy weight for a woman with a normal BMI looks somewhat like this:
Blood: 1.4-1.8kg
Breasts: 500g-1,4kg
Uterus: 1 kg
Baby: 3-3.5kg
Placenta: 700g
Amniotic fluid: 1kg
Fat: 2.7-3.6kg
Retained water: 2kg
(These numbers are for women expecting single babies, it would differ somewhat for multiples.)
You will lose weight straight after giving birth but any sudden or severe weight loss or weight gain should be reported to your health care provider immediately.
How much did you gain during your last pregnancy?
