Metro North Hospital and Health Service
Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital
Congratulations
Pregnancy is an exciting time for you and your family. It is a great
time to focus on your health. Weight gain is an important part of
any healthy pregnancy. Gaining too much weight or not enough
weight can affect your health and the health of your baby, not just
during pregnancy but also for many years to come.
Monitoring your weight during pregnancy can help keep you on
track for a healthy weight gain. This weight gain chart can be
customised just for you. Bring this chart with you to each visit to
discuss with your health care provider what your weight gain
goals for this pregnancy should be and to monitor your progress.
Pregnancy weight gain chart for BMI < 25kg/m
2
Why your weight is important?
Women who are underweight or do not gain enough weight have a risk of preterm
birth and a baby small for its gestational age. Women who are overweight or gain too
much weight during pregnancy have a higher risk of:
• high blood pressure
• gestational diabetes
• a large baby (macrosomia)
• caesarean sections
• difficulty losing weight after their baby is born. This can also increase your
long-term risk of diabetes, heart disease and some cancers
• a baby who is overweight in childhood and as an adult.
How much weight gain is recommended?
The weight you should aim to gain depends on what your weight
(and body mass index - BMI) was before you became pregnant.
BMI is the number used to work out the recommended amount of
weight gain for you. If you were given a handheld record from
antenatal clinic you may find your pre-pregnancy BMI in here. If not
ask your health care provider to help you work it out.
Following is the recommended amount of weight to gain based on
BMI numbers. Choose the weight gain range that matches your
pre-pregnancy BMI.
If you are having twins or triplets the recommendations are a bit more.
Talk with your health care provider about how much is right for you.
How to use this tracker:
Every pregnancy is different. What worked for you last pregnancy or
for your mum may not work for this pregnancy. This tracker will help
you work with your health care provider to customise a weight gain
plan that is right for you.
Write down your weight before pregnancy in the two spaces
provided- first in the box inside the chart and second at the
starting point at the left hand side of the chart
Ask your health care provider two things- your height, and your
pre-pregnancy BMI- you can work this out yourself using a BMI
calculator found online at http://www.health.gov.au/internet/
healthyactive/publishing.nsf/Content/your-bmi
Starting from your pre-pregnancy weight add 1kg and write this
number on the line above where you wrote your pre-pregnancy
weight, follow this pattern until you reach the top of the chart
and all the empty lines are filled.
Start recording your weight as early as you can. Place a dot at
your current weight and your week gestation. Connect the dots
every week to track and compare your weight with the
recommended weight gain chart lines for you.
Discuss your progress when you have a health care visit. If you
are falling above or below the chart turn over for some quick tips
to get back on track.
a
n
2.5 to 18
Ga
1.5 to 16
Pre-pregnancy BMI
Less than 18.5 kg/m²
Pre-pregnancy BMI
18.5 to 24.9 kg/m²
linical Multimedia Nov’ 14 0726_
k
Great state. Great opportunity.
And a plan for the future.
Adapted and reprinted with permission from the National Academy of Sciences, Courtesy of the National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.
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0 2 4 6 810121416182022242628303234363840
Weeks of Pregnancy
Weight in Kilograms
L
aine
___________________
Pre-pregnancy Weight
___________________
Height
___________________
BMI
Write your
pre-pregnancy
weight here
Healthy range for BMI
less than 18.5 kg/m
2
Healthy range for BMI
18.5 to 24.9 kg/m
2
Version: 1 Effective date: 12/2014 Review date: 11/2017
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