I stopped weighing myself about 8 months into my pregnancy (it just became too depressing after awhile), but there is good reason for mothers-to-be to keep careful track of those extra pounds. The Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council reminded us in a report today that excessive weight gain during pregnancy is associated with health problems for both mom and baby. In new guidelines, they're encouraging doctors to better counsel women on their weight, and they're suggesting that women who are overweight before their pregnancy limit their weight gain to 11 to 20 pounds.
As reported by Well's Tara Parker-Pope:
"Women must bring weight gain during pregnancy into these ranges," said Kathleen M. Rasmussen, a professor of nutrition at Cornell University who led the committee that wrote the report. "For most women, this means gaining less than they currently gain."
Parker-Pope also notes that as many as 70 percent of pregnant women fail to comply with current weight guidelines.
