It is important that pregnant mothers should know how much weight they can put on after becoming pregnant so that overweight does not give rise to unwanted complications during the period of pregnancy. Doctors suggest that while women of average weight should gain 25-35 pounds, women who are underweight should target a gain of 28-40 pounds to remain healthy. 15-25 pounds is what overweight women should gain.

Weight gain during pregnancy, which should be healthy and safe is gaining weight gradually during the period of pregnancy. Nutrients and balanced diet are two important factors that can help gain weight at a healthy rate. The most important question is how much extra calories do pregnant mothers need in order to stay healthy. What doctors advice is that, a pregnant woman should have on average 300 calories more per day than she had before becoming pregnant. Here are some factors that should be taken into consideration while targeting the weight gain during pregnancy, that could be healthy.

Body Mass Index – Understand your BMI (Body Mass Index) for determining how much weight you should gain during the period of pregnancy. The weight and height are the factors that can determine how much weight you can gain to stay healthy during pregnancy.

1. Keeping in mind that your baby needs a healthy supply of calories and nutrients to grow normally, you, as a mother will need to gain weight gradually. You should aim at gaining weight each week during the trimesters so as to stay healthy.
2. Prepare a plan on how much weight you should gain during the Trimesters, taking into consideration your BMI. Suggested weight gain during the first trimester is a maximum of four pounds. During this period if you are experiencing morning sickness, you should keep to that much calorie that you can withstand, leaving the balance of calories for the next trimester.
3. If you are of normal weight, you should aim at gaining a maximum of 14 pounds during the second trimester, because, it is at this time that your baby starts growing at a fast rate.
4. It is during the third trimester that your baby will be picking up weight in full steam, and that is when you should aim at gaining a maximum of 10 pounds.

Gradual weight gain is the ultimate objective that pregnant mothers should have in order to stay healthy both for self and the baby.