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How many extra calories do I need? You do need extra food energy whilst you're pregnant but only during the second and third trimesters. Some sources say you only need to eat more during the third trimester and then only 200-300 calories. That's just equivalent to a two or three pieces of fruit or a small sandwich! But remember, if you're exercising you'll be burning up more calories so make sure you don't confuse 'not eating for two' with 'not eating enough'. How do I nourish my placenta? The placenta is a highly metabolic organ with around 60 sets of enzymes of its own. Hormones, nutrients and protein molecules such as enzymes are gathered up by the placenta and transferred into your babies' bloodstream along with life-giving oxygen. If you keep your blood fully oxygenated through exercise your baby will benefit too. How come I've put on so much pregnancy weight ....how is it made up? Typically your baby will account for only around 6-8 lbs of your additional weight. The rest can be roughly calculated as follows: Expect the placenta to weigh 0.7kg (1.5lb) The amniotic fluid weights around 0.8kg (1.8lb) The muscle layer of your uterus increases and will add around 0.9kg (2lb) to your weight Your breasts will grow in size - that extra cleavage will add around 0.4kg (0.9lbs) to your weight Pregnant women have an increase of around 50% in the volume of blood circulating in their body -and this adds another 1.2kg (2.6lb) And extra fluid adds 1.2kg (2.6lb) to your pregnancy weight Maternal fat stores: around 7lbs ready for feeding your baby after arrival! These are only average weights and will vary depending on your size and weight before your pregnancy. What is the normal weight gain in pregnancy? Most pregnant women gain between 8-14 kgs (17.5- 30lbs) - the average is around 12.5 kg (or 27.5 lbs) which is of course considerably more than your baby will weigh. Gaining too much weight during pregnancy can affect your health and increase your blood pressure, increasing the risk of complications such as gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia. It can also affect the risk of C-section deliveries and it can be more of a challenge to shift the pregnancy weight after the birth. Gaining too little weight during pregnancy can cause problems such as premature birth or a baby with a low birth weight - although plenty of naturally slim, fit and healthy women remain slim during pregnancy and produce healthy, normal weight babies. Alexandra McCabe is a founder of FittaMamma, the healthy pregnancy experts. FittaMamma is a free resource to help women enjoy an active pregnancy with workout videos, recipes and step by step yoga guides. Read here for tips on what to eat when you're pregnant, how to avoid pregnancy weight gain and recipes to include your important pregnancy vitamins
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