Weight Gain During Pregnancy

When you're pregnant, you're supposed to have weight gain during pregnancy. There's a baby in there! But that old adage about "eating for two" has misled generations of women into overindulging, and often, with lasting results.

I'm Dr. Caroline Cederquist, giving you The Skinny on Your Health.

While a pregnant woman literally is "eating for two," it's important to remember that one of those two is a really, really tiny one.

Because of the serious risks to the baby that are associated with maternal obesity or diabetes, it's best to be at a normal weight before you get pregnant.

But at any weight, it's critical during pregnancy to eat especially WELL, and that doesn't mean to eat a whole lot MORE.

The extra 300 calories a day a pregnant mom should be eating could easily be accounted for with a morning snack of yogurt and fruit, or by adding three glasses of milk to the daily intake.

It's tempting to overindulge, especially since the usual social pressures about body shape and size are alleviated somewhat when pregnant. But if a mom's not careful, she could end up with a gain that lasts much longer than her pregnancy.