Twin Pregnancy Weight Gain
Twin pregnancy weight gain… Find out here what’s considered healthy.
Discovered you are having twins with a million questions running through your head. A common concern is how much weight will I gain and what’s normal weight gain during a twin pregnancy?
Twin Pregnancy Weight Gain
It is important to gain weight steadily, during the first trimester this will help with the development of the placenta or placentas if there are two. It’s especially important between 20 – 24 weeks of pregnancy which can even reduce your chance of preterm labor and low birth weight in babies.
You will gain more weight when having twins than with a single baby pregnancy. As a guide only, during the first trimester you may gain up to 7 pounds and then on average between 1 and 2 pounds every week in the second and third trimesters.
Everyone mother-to-be is different and factors like pre-pregnancy weight, height and body type are all factors with how much you should gain. On average overall pregnancy weight gain with twins is about 35 – 45 pounds.
Don’t worry too much if you gain more, always talk to your doctor if you are concerned and importantly don’t try to lose weight when pregnant. You can do that after your babies are born. This is a time you can eat more and not really worry about it, mostly healthy choices of course. So Enjoy!
Other Factors to Consider
Remember there are other things that contribute to your weight gain, things like:
- Your blood volume will increase
- You're growing twin babies
- A placenta or two
- The amniotic fluid surrounding your babies
- Your uterus
- Your breasts will increase in size and add to weight gain
- Maternal fat stores for energy breastfeeding after the birth
- There are extra fluids in the maternal tissues
With each appointment you will be weighed to track you weight gain, your health care provider will advise you from there. The amount of calories you will need really depends on where you are in your pregnancy and what’s right if you. But on average, during the first trimester it’s generally about 300 calories extra working your way up to 500 calories extra a day in your third trimester.
See here – what to include for a Healthy Pregnancy Diet.
Always to talk to your healthcare professional to see what is right for you.
Have you got any further questions, then check out our FAQs for a Twin Pregnancy