Displaying items by tag: weight gain

Motherhood is a beautiful journey - from the time you come to know of your pregnancy until the birth of the baby. But, a woman can go through this journey with lots of joy, apprehension and anxiety. Many thoughts like - If she is eating enough for the growth of the baby? What is the ideal weight of the fetus? How is the fetal weight measured?

Routine antenatal care is very important to reduce maternal and fetal complications. Hypothyroidism can adversely affect the health of the baby and the mother if not identified and treated before and during pregnancy. It is very important that a woman is screened for thyroid deficiencies ideally while she is planning to get pregnant. The baby is completely dependent on the maternal thyroid hormones especially during the first three months of pregnancy. So this may put an additional strain on the mother and could lead to further deficiency if not identified and corrected promptly.

What is the calorie requirement and what is a healthy weight gain for pregnant women?  This is the question bothering many pregnant women. Well, Calorie requirement differs from person to person, depending upon several factors like age, body composition and level of physical activity and much more. The general recommendation as far as the calorie intake is concerned is that non-pregnant women require about 2000 calories per day.