Step One

Importance of Healthy Weight Gain in Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a time when your body needs extra care and attention. It is a time when you need to nourish yourself and take care of what you eat. Eating well not only helps to support your energy levels, but your overall wellbeing too. 

There is a lot of very good evidence from international research that suggests that gaining a healthy amount of weight during your pregnancy will help to reduce the risks of negative health outcomes for both you and your baby. Gaining a healthy amount of weight is particularly important if you weight is higher than is considered healthy (i.e. you are overweight or obese).

Healthy weight gain can reduce the risk for:

• Gestational diabetes (diabetes in pregnancy)
• High blood pressure
• Stillbirth
• Baby being too small, or too big
• Your child being overweight or obese when they grow up

There is also a lot of very good evidence to suggest that pregnancy is a very effective time to learn healthy eating habits, and that habits learnt in pregnancy are more likely to be sustained in the longer-term (after you have had your baby).

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