I was very overweight (technically, "obese") before pregnancy: BMI of 35.7. That's
after I lost 30 pounds so we could get pregnant ( my OB/GYN's recommendation). I understand the fears, and at the back of my mind, I have them too, but overall, I feel very confident that my weight doesn't make me any more likely to have an unhealthy pregnancy.
One of the major factors in helping me to reach that conclusion was reading the book
Big, Beautiful, and Pregnant: Expert Advice and Comforting Wisdom for the Expecting Plus-Size Woman by Cornelia van der Ziel and Jacqueline Tourville. It's exceptional, fully of information on what factors drive you to be more likely to have health problems or less, stories of women who did it at much higher weights than yours with no complications, and clear ideas about how to avoid gaining too much during pregnancy and do lots of good, safe exercise. I borrowed mine from the library and then bought my own copy (you can get one used for very cheap).
I have several friends who were overweight before getting pregnant with several pregnancies. Because they worked hard at eating healthy and exercising (with a slip-up now and then, because they are human!
), they had, in total, five healthy babies. Neither ever had gestational diabetes or any other scary stuff.
We can do this. The main point is that you should gain less than a person who was of average weight before the pregnancy. Here are the guidelines from the book:
Normal BMI (20-24.9): weight gain between 25 and 35 pounds
Overweight BMI (25-29.9): weight gain between 15 and 25 pounds
Obese BMI (above 30): weight gain of at least 15 pounds.
In
YOU: Having a Baby, they delineate the amount of weight gain this translates into for each trimester (they also list underweight and if you're having twins):
Normal weight before pregnancy (BMI of 18.5-24.9):
First: 4-6 lbs
Second 10-14 lbs
Third: 10-15 lbs
Total: 24-35 lbs
Overweight before pregnancy (BMI of 25-29.9):
First: 2-4 lbs
Second 8-13 lbs
Third: 5-8 lbs
Total: 15-25 lbs
Obese before pregnancy (BMI of 30 or above):
First: 2-4 lbs
Second 4-8 lbs
Third: 5-8 lbs
Total: 11-20 lbs
Hopefully, this helps. There's a lot of scary talk out there, but the truth is, you CAN have a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby even if you were overweight beforehand. Just don't "eat for two" and trust your beautiful body!