Most times, weight gain during pregnancy is perfectly normal and healthy, and is necessary for the healthy development and growth of your child. Unfortunately this has led many women to let go of themselves during pregnancy and cause a downward spiral as they then find it increasingly difficult to return to their pre-pregnancy weight after giving birth.
Doctors and physicians have for years warned against the deliberate weight loss undertaken by women during pregnancy. When wondering is it safe to lose weight during pregnancy, it pays to look at the possible side effects and dangers and figure out whether they really outweigh the benefits.
However, pregnancy is still no excuse to eat the house. What should really be your focus is an intention to control weight gain and maintain it at acceptable, healthy levels.
Your doctor will be able to identify your best weight at the various different stages of your pregnancy.
Obesity Is No Exception To Weight Gain During Pregnancy
Even obese women are expected to gain at least another 12 pounds during their pregnancy, so obesity is no immediate reason to go out and start trying to lose weight during pregnancy.
Sadly however, studies have shown that obese women who give birth are at a higher risk of having a child with congenital heart defects or other serious complications.
Obese women also find those extra pounds are harder to shift after the baby is born, which could trigger all sorts of health complications further down the road.
Therefore some physicians now consider that obese women trying to lose weight during pregnancy may be beneficial, or at least the lesser of two evils.
No Strict Diets Or Diet Pills
Many women wonder if it’s safe to diet to lose weight during pregnancy, or even worse consider taking diet pills.
Let me stress that pregnancy is NOT the time to be going on strict diets or diet regimes – you will be depriving your baby of essential food and nutrients, and is a definite No-No.
Please don’t be taken in by unscrupulous peddlers of diet pills and the like that claim to work safely during pregnancy…they are really not worth it, trust me.
No doctor worth their salt would ever recommend them. Your baby is far more important than the extra few pounds you may have put on.
By following simple natural steps you can control your weight gain and have a happier, healthier pregnancy and birth.
Slimming and diet pills often contain high amounts of caffeine and sometimes amphetamines and even cocaine.
The dangers of these substances to you and especially your developing child are obvious, and can result in premature births, undue stress on the heart and circulatory systems, and even the baby being born with a dependence on such substances.
Please avoid these types of methods, they are extremely unsafe.