Hi ladies -- I am not new to 3FC but haven't been around in aaaages!

I am currently 19 weeks pregnant -- due in March -- we are expecting a little girl and couldn't be happier! We have a daughter, Natalie, who is 2 and she can't wait to be a big sister!

Unfortunately, I didn't wait to take off the pounds before concieving, and was at about 283 when I did. I know my doctor said I could gain up to 30 pounds, but I don't have to gain that much. I am already up 10 pounds to 293! And now I am freaking out. I really didn't want to go over 300.

Obviously I have issues with weight anyway, and I'd like to make some healthier strides if at all possible -- starting right now! I'd like not to gain too much more and need support and motivation to be strong for the second half of this pregnancy, and after the baby comes too.

I look at pictures of myself right now and I don't even recognize myself -- it's scary. Anyone else in the same boat? Help!

Hi there! I'm not pregnant right now, but I was in a similar situation as you a year ago. I had a baby in January, 2006 and another in March, 2007. I didn't take off all the weight between the two babies and my second pregnancy was pretty hard on me. I'm sure the extra weight didn't help things much.

I don't know what to tell you to do to watch your weight right now. I would ask your doctor for a referral to a nutritionist, or maybe your doctor has some healthy menus for you to follow. There are some dietary guidelines in What to Expect When You're Expecting, that might be worth a look.

I wish I could say I manged to keep my weight gain down the second time, but I didn't. But I've joined Weight Watchers and after only a month on the program, I'm about 5 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight (with baby #2--it'll be awhile before I get down to pre-preg weight with baby #1!).

So definitely talk to a doctor about your concerns, but don't add unnecessary stress to your life right now. After the baby is born, you'll have time to lose whatever you gain.

Thanks so much for your support -- I am glad to know I am not the only one. I really do need to watch it now, and for some reason I am having such a hard time keeping my eye on the ball, ya know?

I need so much to stay focused, get in some excersize a few times per week, and really keep healthy in general. I hope that coming here will help me stay focused.

Good for you for doing so great on WW! I for sure plan to join shortly after this baby arrives!! Keep up the good work -- you should be very proud!

Natalie'sMom- I am 8 weeks pregnant and I weigh 285, right now. My doctor recommended that I only gain 10 pounds or so, I am trying my best to eat healthy and stay active. It's very hard though when all you want to do is lay down!

My doctor said he by no means wants me on a diet, just to eat healthy, he stressed "the RIGHT foods"

I like you don't want to go over 300 pds! maybe we can motivate eachother

Ya I am 10 weeks pregnant and weigh 225lbs, my doc said to only gain 15 lbs. I just got back from a walk so maybe I will be able to only gain the 15.

Hi everyone,

I'm 32 weeks pregnant. With my first baby (2 years ago), I followed the Brewer Diet [I tried to paste the link in here, but I'm not allowed to yet, so it is www dot blueribbonbaby dot org] with maybe cutting out one or two of the starches. I started at 221 and gained 13 pounds total. It all came off in the first couple of weeks. Dr. Brewer was known for his amazing passion for pregnancy nutrition. His diet is endorsed by the Bradley Method people.

With this one, I got into a rut and followed the McDonald's diet for months, supplemented by lots of sugar, and gained 20 pounds in the first 7 months. I went back to the Brewer diet a few weeks ago, and then got sick, so I've lost 5 pounds (I'm sure my midwife is not going to be happy tomorrow), but I feel much much better. It's hard to eat healthy food when you don't feel like eating anything at all, but so worth it. I want to continue following his diet after I have my baby, while nursing.

For those of you who have gained a lot in the first couple of months, a lot of it is probably blood volume, etc. Just eat healthy food and it doesn't matter if you gain 5 or 35 pounds because it will come off quickly. If you eat junk (like I have), it won't come off so quickly!

I'm 8 weeks pregnant, maintaining a 100+ pound weight loss for several years now. My last pregnancy was a 60 pound gain, and I'm trying to avoid that again this time. Don't know if I'll make the 15 my OB recommended--I know myself too well, but I'm going to try to eat healthy and gain something more reasonable this time around.

Anne