Tuesday, May 10, 2005

a weighty matter

Apparently it's no longer routine to get weighed during midwife visits. After reading in this book and that, that I can expect to put on about 10 kgs more up to the moment of childbirth, I've been extremely curious as to how I compare.

I don't own any scales at home. I never saw any point in knowing my weight when I could tell very easily by the fit of my jeans whether I'd been overindulging from the bakery section at Pak'n'Save. Pregnancy's different though, because supposedly all the weight I put on is weight I'm meant to put on. During pregnancy, there is no such thing as overindulging. There is only the act of keeping up one's blood sugar levels.

So I asked the midwife today whether I could weigh myself on her scales. I've put on about 6kgs. Doesn't sound like a heck of a lot, does it? But then, I was no lightweight to start with; the books say that you put on more, the lighter you were to start with. The midwife assured me that regardless of how much I put on, it will all come off after the birth and a bit of breastfeeding. Right then, I could think of several women who, a year or more after giving birth, still had a pregnancy tummy. I'll believe her, but thousands wouldn't.

6 comments:

Amanda said...

People vary of course but the common view among women I have talked to- all older mothers- is that it takes about 2 years for your body to return to normal. I'm still about 3 kgs over my pre pregnancy weight.

And the woman losing weight through breast feeding one is actually controversial (though never in pro breast feeding publications). I've known a few women who say they put on weight/failed to lose weight while breast feeding due to having to eat so much.

Jon said...

I have one of those fancy scales that measures your body fat when you enter in your height and I never use it. It was on special, so I bought when I moved in to my currrent place. I should have spent the money on kitchen supplies at IKEA ;)

Somehow, I don't see you getting fat, Violet.

Violet said...

eb: so all you need is one of those super-corsets I saw on What not to wear...

mtnw: I'm not surprise if it takes longer for mothers over 35. It's just the kind of thing I expect Mother Nature to put us older ones through.

lbp: that's quite encouraging, but it looks like I'm gonna have to take up pole-dancing or something as well (believe it or not, it's been recommended for post-pregnancy shape-regaining).

Jon: I don't see how those scales work unless they come with skin calipers or something. And how do you know I'm not already the size of a small planet? ;-)

Frances said...

I never owned scales when I was pregnant either, but out of curiousity's sake, I'd weigh myself every few weeks at my mum's house.

I ended up putting on 20kg, for both of my pregnancies. Friends of mine put on 30kg.

I lost it all, thank goodness. Didn't have to do anything special to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight - it took about a year. But as for pre-pregnancy SHAPE, now that's a whole different story. I'm the same weight as I was pre-children, but my stomach will never be the same.

LK said...

Well I'm too shy to write figures down after reading all of your stories. Violet, 6 kg is nothing and most pregnant women would be incredibly jealous of you.

Violet said...

cesca: 20 and 30kgs respectively? That's truly mind-boggling! I bet you were both pretty skinny to start with though.

llcoffee: Well, 6 kgs at the time of writing. Apparently there's plent of time to stack on a lot more, including that infamous water retention which I've so far escaped.