Gestational diabetes and weight gain:

Mom has become a little tensed after she found out today that there has been a decrease in weight by approx 1kg.
The main thing is she is maintaining a proper diet control and doing regular exercises due to gestational diabetes.
Is it due to this that she is gradually losing part of her weight?.. who knows!
Dr. will be able to judge this better.

Actually Dr. Vidya Desai, mom's gynecologist explained to her that she has even seen many patients gaining total of 5kgs during her pregnancy and has delivered healthy 3kg babies. Hence in gestational diabetes weight gain calculations is done little differently. No need to worry as long as my growth and weight gain is ok. But it is very difficult for mom to understand how much of weight is gained and me and how how much she is losing due to diet control . Mom give me a weighing scale ..i want to measure my weights here inside you and tell you every week :)

Lets see what experts have to say regarding weight gain for gestational diabetic moms..

How much weight should I gain?

Of all questions asked by pregnant women, this is the most common. The answer is particularly important for women with gestational diabetes. The weight that you gain is a rough indication of how much nutrition is available to the fetus for growth. An inadequate weight gain may result in a small baby who lacks protective calorie reserves at birth. This baby may have more illness during the first year of life. An excessive weight gain during pregnancy, however, has an insulin­resistant effect, just like the hormones produced by the placenta, and will make your blood sugar level higher.

The “optimal” weight to gain depends on the weight that you are before becoming pregnant. Your pre-pregnancy weight is also a rough indication of how well-nourished you are before becoming pregnant. If you are at a desirable weight for your body size before you become pregnant, a weight gain of 24 to 27 pounds is recommended. If you are approximately 20 pounds or more above your desirable weight before pregnancy, a weight gain of 24 pounds is recommended. Many overweight women, however, have healthy babies and gain only 20 pounds. If you become pregnant when you are underweight, you need to gain more weight during the pregnancy to give your baby the extra nutrition he or she needs for the first year. You should gain 28 to 36 pounds, depending on how underweight you are before becoming pregnant. Table 3 shows whether your pre-pregnancy weight is considered underweight, normal weight, or overweight. Your nutrition advisor or health care provider can recommend an appropriate weight gain. How your weight gain is distributed is illustrated here.

Pre­Pregnancy Weight

Use this chart to determine if your pre­pregnancy weight is normal, underweight, or overweight.

Heigth without shoes	Underweight if you weighed this or less	Normal weight *Range	Overweight if you weight this or more
4'10"	88	89-108	109
4'11"	91	92-112	113
5'	94	95-115	116
5'1"	99	100-121	122
5'2"	104	105-127	128
5'3"	108	109-132	133
5'4"	113	114-138	139
5'5"	118	119-144	145
5'6"	123	124-150	151
5'7"	127	128-155	156
5'8"	132	133-161	162
5'9"	137	138-167	168
5'10"	142	143-173	174
5'11"	146	147-178	179
6'	151	152-184	185

*Normal weight for “thin-boned” women will be closer to the lower end of this range. For “big-boned” women, it will be closer to the higher end.

Total recommended weight gain is often not as helpful as a weekly rate of gain. Most women gain 3 to 5 pounds during the first trimester (first 3 months) of pregnancy. During the second and third trimesters, a good rate of weight gain is about three­quarters of a pound to one pound per week. Gaining too much weight (2 or more pounds per week) results in putting on too much body fat. This extra body fat produces an insulin-resistant effect which requires the body to produce more insulin to keep blood sugar levels normal. An inability to produce more insulin, as in gestational diabetes, causes your blood sugar levels to rise above acceptable levels. If weight gain has been excessive, often limiting weight gain to approximately three-quarters of a pound per week (3 pounds per month) can return blood sugar levels to normal. Fetal growth and development depend on proper nourishment and will be placed at risk by drastically reducing calories. However, you can limit weight gain by cutting back on excessive calories and by eating a nutritionally-sound diet that meets your needs and the needs of your baby.

Remember that dieting and severely cutting back on weight gain may increase the risk of delivering prematurely. If blood sugar levels continue to go up and you are not gaining excessive weight or eating improperly, the safest therapy for the well-being of the fetus is insulin.
Occasionally, your weight may go up rapidly in the last trimester (after 28 weeks) and you may notice an increase in water retention, such as swelling in the feet, fingers, and face. If there is any question as to whether the rapid weight gain is due to eating too many calories or too much water retention, keeping records of how much food you eat and your exercise patterns at this time will be very helpful. In addition, by examining your legs and body for signs of fluid retention, your physician can help you to determine the cause of your weight gain. If your weight gain is due to water retention, cutting back drastically on calories may actually cause more fluid retention. Bed rest and resting on your side will help you to lose the build-up of fluid. Limit your intake of salt (sodium chloride) and very salty foods, as they tend to contribute to water retention.

Marked fluid retention when combined with an increase in blood pressure and possibly protein in the urine are the symptoms of pre-eclampsia. This is a disorder of pregnancy that can be harmful to both the mother and baby. Inform your obstetrician of any rapid weight gain, especially if you are eating moderately and gaining more than 2 pounds per week. Should you develop pre-eclampsia, be especially careful to eat a well-balanced diet with adequate calories.
After being diagnosed as having gestational diabetes, many women notice a slower weight gain as they start cutting the various sources of sugar out of their diet. This seems to be harmless and lasts only 1 or 2 weeks. It may be that sweets were contributing a substantial amount of calories to the diet.

http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/articles/pregnancy/gestationaldiet/index.php