Yet another buzzword (file alongside Drunkorexia) has found its way into the papers.
Women with pregorexia, as it has been dubbed, speak proudly of not looking pregnant when viewed from behind – while wearing ‘normal’ jeans into the second trimester has become something of a badge of honour. (src)
Apparently it’s fueled by celebrities like Nicole Kidman, who appear to stay slim during pregnancy, and fall back to a slender shape within weeks of birth.
Why it’s so bad
Pregnancy is the worst time to be embarking on a starvation diet – leaving both mother and baby malnourished.
Malnourished mothers have a greater risk of premature birth, which puts the baby more at risk for complications due to low gestational weight.
Pregnant woman who were underweight to begin with should gain between 28 to 40 pounds, to ensure the good health of the baby.
The considerable tabloid press devoted to celebrity mothers-to-be has no doubt changed attitudes toward pregnancy and body image. However, we need to balance this against health issues related to obesity and pregnancy.
Daily Calorie Needs During Pregnancy:
- First Trimester – 85 Extra Calories
- Second Trimester – 285 Extra Calories
- Third Trimester – 475 Extra Calories
See Also this Pregnancy Calculator that helps women make sure they are eating enough for a healthy baby.
Source - Prentice AM, Spaaij CJ, Goldberg GR et al. ( 1996) Energy requirements of pregnant and lactating women. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 50 ( Suppl. 1): 82- 110. Photo by mahalie / flickr.
i tottally agree
every chick in the world who has a child,hopes to be small after a child,sounds a bit like you are hating on someone who snapped back within no time. actually,if you eat veggies fruits,wheat bread 2 percent milk and other healthy choice foods,also with exercise,the weight will easily fall off,sense you ate right and worked out during and after pregnancy. if it was my job to look good,id make sure i did my damn job. dont be jealous of a celebrity who did such.
You’re absolutely right!! My mother was the same way! And you know what? She is almost 60 years old and she looks FANTASTIC. She’s 5’6″, healthy, weighs 124 lbs, and enjoys running around chasing her granddaughters. She determined that she would eat healthy and watch her weight for all of her pregnancies (SIX TOTAL!); she refused to give in to so-called “cravings.” SO KEEP IT UP! God bless you and your baby!
It’s perfectly fine for a woman to want to maintain a slender appearance during pregnancy SO LONG as she is eating the right kinds of portions of the right kinds foods. My mother had six children, and the only weight she gained was directly related to the baby and the womb. Her arms, legs, neck, and face, did not become chubbier. Anything wrong with that? Absolutely not. In fact, she had natural, fast and easy delivers (WITHOUT epidurals), and HEALTHY babies (none of us were EVER admitted to hospitals for any reason even though we lived in a third-world country). Furthermore, I think it’s VITAL that a man be directly involved in his wife’s health and body weight, pregnancies included. Having a baby is no excuse to become fat. OVER EATING is just as detrimental to the infant than under-eating.
This depends on how each woman is made… I am naturally thin. Pregnant with my second child. I eat how I am supposed to and seven months pregnant I look probably about three months pregnant. It simply depends on how each woman is designed. we are all different as long as you are eating the right amount of food, you are fine.
Carly, I know how you feel. When I was pregnant I got similar responses. I had a small bump, but when my little girl was born she was 8Ibs 2, and as healthy as she could be. I think the best thing you can do it eat a healthy, balanced diet, and take some exercise, like walking, or do an exercise DVD especially for pregnant moms. Don’t be worrying about silly comments from some random waitress. Your health and that of your baby is what’s important right now. You will be able to lose any extra weight after your baby is born, believe me, I’ve done it. Best wishes.
Ugh, I know what you mean. A lot of people tell me I look really small and I am barely showing for 6 months pregnant, but it really depends on what I am wearing. I wore a maternity shirt – you know the ones that kind of stick out at the belly a little more than usual – to dinner one night and the waitress asked me if I was having twins, or I’m gonna have one big baby. I’ve never felt more awful, embarrassed and fat than at that moment. I’ve only gained 14lbs so far at 26 weeks. Really it is less than that because in my first trimester I lost 6lbs. So net gain of only 8lbs…And now I feel like I need to start going to the gym because my belly looks bigger than it is supposed to
I couldn’t agree with you more. I run 5-6 times a week and eat the same things you listed. I just got so annoyed reading some of these posts – I’m happy I read yours.
It’s amazing to me that women feel 100% comfortable criticizing other women who are eating healthy, exercising, and as a result staying fit through a pregnancy and looking good.
For some reason no one feels comfortable criticizing women who over eat, feast on junk food, and remain inactive through their pregnancy.
I support and encourage all women to exercise throughout their pregnancy and eat as healthy as possible. You are creating a platform for your baby to operate of of. What you eat and how u treat your own body is what they will pay attention to and learn from once they are born. Why not start as early as possible? It’s a fact: women who eat veggies, whole grains and lean proteins will gain less weight than women who eat ice cream and french fries all day. Furthermore, they will look better and FEEL better throughout their pregnancy, especially if they remain active. There is no reason to get on a woman’s case for not using pregnancy as a free pass to let herself go and shove ice cream and cupcakes down her throat…
I’m almost 8 months in and have been running through my pregnancy. I have good days and bad days but I’m sure that if I didn’t run 5-6 times a week and eating as healthy as i can I’d be feeling like crap all the time…
Well currently I’m four months and I’m not trying to starve myself but many people don’t think I look pregnant any answers??
I am so sick and tired of all these jealous and hateful women saying that I need to gain 50 pounds during pregnancy in order to be a good mother. I am 7 months pregnant and have only gained ten pounds.. I’m 5’8″ and started off at 124lbs. I eat more than my 6’3″ ex football playing husband! I eat extremely healthy and take my baby’s health very seriously. I eat all organic, NO low fat, NO low sugar, avocados, butter mayo, salmon, nuts, olive oil, veggies, fruits, pastas, steak, whole fat yogurt with no added sugar, ect ect. I don’t eat fast food or drink soda and i don’t pig out on sweets and chips all day. I walk moderately for an hour a day and research extensively on all the best things to do for my baby.. I’m doing a homebirth bc I don’t want any drugs in my baby’s system.. I will TAKE the pain, taking every precaution, meditation, etc. SO please do NOT tell me I am a bad mother bc I am not fat!! This is hurtful and ridiculous and I am just tired of people being so jealous and cruel. I don’t care what you do in your pregnancy , it is your choice so stop judging women that are naturally thin.
okay i weigh 88 pounds. i do not make myself sick or anything i just have a high metabolism.im not saying i want to have a baby but i am 18 and too young for a kid. i am just wondering at that weight is it safe or healthy to be pregnant?
Ryan, im assuming that you are a guy (ive occasionally met girl Ryans) but if you are a guy, i really think you have no right to be commenting on pregnant women’s weight issues. as far as nicole kidman goes–lets be honest, she most likely ate below the reccomended calorie intake and did not gain the reccomended weight of 35 pounds while she was pregnant–i would bet anything on that. its still possible to have a healthy baby while doing that but it does bring many risks along with it. women visibly gain weight while pregnant and there is nothing wrong with that—comments like yours that encourage remaining skinny while pregnant, or make it seem ok, honestly disgust me, esp. if its coming from a guy.
im very lean- a bmi of 16.9 and i get irregular periods, but im naturally skinny.
i think i may be pregnant but im wondering it i wont miscarriage or what?
I totally agree with you, I’m not being selfish, I’m not saying I want to diet! I just wnat to look good, eat healthy and stay fit while pregnant. I can eat an extra 300 calories by drinking 2 extra glasses of milk and a hand full of almonds rather than having a order of french fries…it’s about knowing where you want to use your calories on…doctors say if you are overweight you should only gain 11 to 15 lbs during pregnancy…how do you do that and be healthy for you and the baby??? is it by eating 1200, 1300 calories a day…i just want to be healthy for the baby and myself, and THAT IS NOT BEING SELFISH! cONGRATULATIONS TO YOU…THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR
Spectra – be sure to not start a new exercise regimen when you get pregnant. If you were into fitness exercise before pregnancy — stick to it as long as your doctor gives you the go ahead. Just remember it is not good to begin a new routine just to keep your muscles in shape during pregnancy.
What happens if you already only weigh around 110 pounds? I’m about ten weeks in and I’m concerned that I either won’t gain enough weight or that giving birth will hurt terribly. I’m only eighteen.
This isn’t fair to women who are naturally skinny and have a problem with weight gain. I am pregnant with my first, unfortunately 100 lbs, and no matter how much I eat, I can never seem to gain any weight. This isn’t because of tabloids or magazines. I couldn’t care less about what the stars are doing nowdays. Sometimes pregnant women gain later in their pregnancy, and that is O.K.
Anyone who calls me “pregorexic” can shove it up their butt because some of us can’t help the way that we naturally are.
Some people don’t “starve” themselves and still are skinny while pregnant. I am 34 weeks along in my second pregnancy and have gained a total of 28 pounds so far. I am constantly told by my doctor as well as people who I come across that I do not look like I am as far along as I actually am. My doctor even ordered ultrasounds to make sure that the baby was growing okay since I was not, and they all turned out fine to. Just because I can still squeeze into clothes I wore before pregnancy does not mean that I am starving my unborn child. Some people are lucky and stay smaller then others while pregnant.
I am naturally thin and only gained 12-15 lbs with both of my pregnancies. I wanted to gain more weight, I just couldn’t (being very nauseous didn’t help either). I ended up having a 10 lb baby and a 9 lb baby, respectively. So, just because someone is thin and pregnant doesn’t mean they are starving themselves or their baby. Trying to curb your weight during pregnancy for vanity is sad. My point: please don’t judge people by the way they look.
I am 3 and 1/2 months pregnant with my fourth child. I am only four feet 10 inches tall. Before becoming pregnant with this baby I weighed 115. I have already gained 15 lbs. Every pregnancy for me has been different. I eat healthy but I also let me self have what I want knowing that it’s o.k. With my first I gained 32 lbs, my second I gained 28 lbs, third a whopping 50lbs. With my third I did’nt gain very much at first and then my body decided it was time to gain weight. I don’t try to stay thin when I am pregnant. I am not a skinny person to begin with. I have more of a body and muscle. I will never look skinny when I am pregnant. And I don’t intend to try. I just naturally stay active playing with my children and doing chores and yard work. When I am not pregnant I exercize and eat well. I have lost my prepregnancy weight everytime. We are all different.
This idea of the attractiveness of staying thin while pregnant disgusts me. Shame on any mother who drastically restricts calories or purges in order to stay thin. While pregnant, my mom was bulemic, and sought no help–keeping it secret from her doctors and her husband for many years; this latter fact angers me much more than the fact that she had an eating disorder. She ended up with a miscarriage of her first baby at 7 months, and the extent of the damage incurred to the other three babies, including me, will never be known.
Amen, Barry.