Pregnancy Weight Gain 談談懷孕中的體重增加

A reader asked me why I make a goal to put on weight when I am pregnant, and I realized- she’s right!  Here I am talking about how excited I am that I have put on 22 pounds….but why?? 

有一位讀我部落格的朋友問我，為什麼我會在懷孕中設立一個增重的目標。

我從來也沒想過這事。但是，對啊!我一直在興奮的提我重了22磅的事…為什麼?

According to my height (5’4”) and starting weight (125 pounds) the recommended weight gain for me is 25 to 35 pounds.  Your doctor usually gives you a recommendation on weight gain.  But if you are in the “normal” category, like I am, then that was my recommended weight gain.  If you are underweight, you should be gaining more, and if you are overweight, you should be gaining less. 

根據我的身高五呎四吋(約162公分)及懷孕前的體重125磅(約為56.8公斤)，懷孕期理想的體重增加應該是25到35磅 (11到16公斤左右)。醫師們通常會給一個增加體重數的建議。像我這樣大致上落入"正常體重"範圍的人，11-16公斤就是建議給我們的數字。如果妳比較瘦，妳應該要增加更多，要多於11-16公斤。如果妳原本就比較超重，可能要增加的體重就要少於11-16公斤。

 Me at starting weight
剛懷孕時

Everybody is different though and your weight, height, race, your body build, your nutritional habits, your mother’s nutritional habits when she was pregnant with you all play a role in how much weight you will gain with the children.

話雖如此，但是還是有個人差異。你的身高，體重，種族，體格，飲食習慣，妳母親懷妳時的飲食習慣都跟妳在懷孕中會增加多少重量有關。

Now when I say “weight gain” I am not talking about empty calories.  I am not eating cheeseburgers, fries, and ice cream sundaes every day to get to my goal weight.  I do give into my cravings once in a while, but greasy food and fatty, creamy desserts will only add unnecessary fat to your bodies.  If you eat a well-balanced, nutritious diet, you will accumulate enough good fat for your pregnancy.  This good fat is what protects your baby, and later on supplies your breast milk with enough fat for your newborn, to ensure healthy growth in those first few months of their lives.

首先我要澄清一下”增加體重”這件事。

我談的不只是增加卡路里帶來的體重增加。我不是每天靠著吃起司漢堡，薯條和冰淇淋聖代來增加我的體重。雖然我有時也會嘴饞。

但是油份和脂肪過高的食物及舖滿奶油的甜點只會給我們的身體不好的脂肪。如果我們吃有營養及營養均衡的食物，在懷孕的過程中就會在母親身體裡累積出足夠的好脂肪。這些對我們有益的脂肪不但可以保護我們的身體，更可以在孩子出生後供給給新生兒好品質的母乳，並確定孩子在出生的前幾個月中都能攝取到足夠的必要養份，健康的成長。

 40 weeks pregnant with Malakai
凱凱40週時的我

 40 weeks pregnant with Eli
凱弟40週時的我

Nutrition is very important during pregnancy, not only for the baby, but also for you.  It is important to have great nutrition since all your energy and all your resources are given to grow your baby.  Not only that, but after the baby is born, a healthy mother recovers faster, and is also able to produce better quality breast milk.  During my first trimester, it was very hard for me to eat anything.  I threw up everything I ate and I was only able to keep food down sometimes. This is very common among women.  I tried my best to eat what I could, but my nausea made it very difficult.  I kept taking my vitamins every single day, though, and also drank “green smoothies” in small sips whenever I could.  

足夠的營養對懷孕的婦女是非常重要的。為了孩子也是為了母親。它的重要性不只在於懷孕時母親們可以用最完全的營養及資源來滋養胎兒。同時一個健康的母親在生產後恢復的較快，也會分泌出養份高的母乳。在我懷孕第一個階段時因為害喜的厲害，所以很難去吃任何東西。我通常會吐出所有吃進肚子裡的東西，這種情況在孕婦身上非常普遍。我盡最大的力去吃，但是孕吐讓吃東西這件事變成很辛苦的差事。我只有每天吞維他命，並且喝幾口自己打的精力湯。

 A green smoothie is a smoothie made up of fruits and vegetables.  Here are a couple of my favorite combinations:

我的精力湯是用蔬菜和水果打的。以下是兩個我最喜歡的組合。

1)       

 One apple, one orange, and two handfuls of spinach

一個蘋果，一個橘子加上兩把菠菜。

2)         

One banana, one orange, half a pineapple, and two handfuls of kale

一根香蕉，一個橘子，半顆鳳梨及兩把甘藍。

I just put all of those ingredients in a blender with some ice and water.  I had to drink it very slowly, but at least I knew with one large glass of juice, I was getting the nutrients and fiber  from those fruits and vegetables.

我把這些材料都放在我的調理機裡，加上冰塊及水。我只能喝的非常慢，但是至少我知道我可以從這杯精力湯裡拿到一些從蔬果來的纖維和營養素。

 Malakai making the smoothie with me
凱凱跟我一起做精力湯

 Eli eating my smoothie!!
凱弟吃我做的精力湯

Dieting and not eating a well-balanced diet during pregnancy can potentially be harmful to your baby.  Being too skinny and being deficient of important things such as fats and carbohydrates causes the protein in the mother’s body to  all be used to feed the mother, and not the baby, which can cause problems in the developments of the baby.

如果在懷孕中節食或不吃均衡營養的飲食有可能會傷到孩子。太瘦或缺乏必要的營養，例如脂肪和碳水化合物就會造成母親身體裡的蛋白質全部用來維持媽媽的身體而胎兒就會得不到足夠的養份的情形。這樣會影響胎兒的正常發育。

For me, it is very important to put on the right amount of weight.  Eating nutritiously and exercising (if capable) will result in babies with healthy birth weights.  Babies that are at a healthy birth weight are able to handle stress during labor and delivery better, and they also have fewer complications in their newborn months.   Malakai was 8 lbs. 8oz, and Eli was 8lbs.

我認為增加適當的重量對我來說是非常重要的。吃營養的食物和適當的運動可以讓孩子在出生時有一個理想的重量。有理想重量的孩子在出生時比較能應付生產過程中的壓力，生產過程中也較少發生問題。同時孩子在剛出生的幾個月也比較不會出現健康上的狀況。

凱凱出生時是8磅8盎司(約4000克)，凱弟是8磅(約3600克)。

 Malakai at 3 months
凱凱滿三個月時

 Eli at 3 months
凱弟滿三個月時

I want to have babies that are at a healthy birth weight, but aren’t just fat.  I want muscular and lean babies, which means they are heavier, but their body composition is not just fat.  Research has shown that babies who are muscular and lean are more active and healthy the rest of their lives, and also have greater mental capacity to learn, and are less prone to diseases.  In order to have muscular and lean babies, the mother needs to put on the right amount of weight correctly, by eating well, and exercising if she is capable.

 

我希望我的孩子能夠有理想的體重，但不是胖。我希望能給他們有肌肉的良好體格。這表示他們夠重但不是來自肥肉。研究調查顯示有良好體格的孩子比較活躍，而且在未來會是比較健康的大人，學習能力較高，少生病。

為了要給baby一個好的體格，母親需要好好的攝取營養，可能的話做些運動，正確的去增加體重。

Well, this was very long.  I’m sorry!  But this entry is really what I’m talking about when I named this blog “I Am Your Mommy.”  I strongly feel that when we choose to have a child, we need to do what we can to give them the best- including during the pregnancy and during breastfeeding, to give them the best head start they can possibly have.

一個不小心寫太長了。抱歉!但是這篇文章是我在取這個部落格的名字”我是你媽媽”時真正的想法。

我非常強烈的覺得當我們決定要有孩子時，就應該決定好盡能力給孩子最好的。包括最好的懷孕過程及最好的哺乳期。讓他們開始在一個好的起跑點上。

If for whatever reason you were not able to get adequate nutrition during your pregnancy (perhaps you were too sick to eat, had other complications, or maybe you didn't know you were pregnant for the first few months) it is still okay.  Giving your children the best nutrition at any stage in their life is incredibly beneficial for their growth.  There are also lots of preventative medicine, and countless solutions to worries you may have about your children.  There really isn't a need to be worried.  As long as we are trying our best, they will grow up to be healthy, beautiful children!

如果因為任何原因無法在懷孕中吸收適當的營養(也許是太不舒服吃不下，有其他健康上的狀況或在懷孕的前幾個月不知道自己已經懷孕了)沒有關係。在孩子的任何年齡都可以開始給他們營養健康的好食物幫助他們健康成長。

同時現在有許多先進的預防醫學措施和數不盡的解決方法可以幫助我們。所以不需要擔心。

只要盡力而為，孩子自然會被我們養的健康，快樂。