I read that weight gain in the first trimester is not necessary & that 25-30lbs on average is all that is required for a healthy pregnancy. This coupled with comments from family & other pregnant friends have me believing I should not be gaining weight at this stage. However at just over 8 weeks pregnant I have gained 4lbs. I am pretty petite & don't gain weight easily so this seems substantial. I suspect this is mainly due to an increase in carbs (the only thing to make nausea bearable so far) as these were a pretty limited part of my diet previously. Am I crazy to be concerned about this? Should I just go with the flow & hope that things even out next trimester? What was your experience?
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Don't worry about it. I think I gained 4 lbs in the first trimester from being in survival mode (i.e. if poptarts made me feel okay, then poptarts it was - lots of snacks that were not part of my usual diet!). I'm petite as well so I was worried I would be enormous if I kept up at that rate. I'm only up 7 total now at 16+ weeks so I think it evens out. My doc was not remotely concerned at all!
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I had gained a good 8 pounds in my first trimester, in bloating alone. My weight gain slowed down my second semester, then sped back up in the last one. I gained about 38 pounds and had a 9 pound baby. I think everyone is different though!
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I gained 10 lb in the first trimester and was only about 5 lb over recommended weight gain until the last 2 months of pregnancy.
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I actually asked my OB about weight gain in the 1st trimester just today!
I'm 12w4d, and my weight has remained about the same (not a lot of gain or loss), but on random days when I've weighed myself, I've noticed some big jumps some days that disappeared later. This is just a lot of big ol' bloating, and I've also noticed that sodium affects me more for some reason, and I retain a lot more water.
My OB said he really doesn't worry about weight gain until about 20 weeks, because in the first trimester, you do what you have to do, and your body is going to react in it's own unique way. Some women lose weight, some gain, whatever. His laid back attitude really made me feel a lot better about weight gain. I feel like as long as you're eating sensibly and being moderately active, you're going to do just fine.
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My weight gain came a little later, but like you it was concerning to me because I have a small frame and don't gain weight easily. It's been tough seeing that number zoom up. But now that I'm in my third tri I've come to the conclusion that your body will generally do what it needs to do in order to nourish your growing baby. My OB isn't concerned - he raves about my BP and blood sugar and I figure thats all that matters!
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Totally - I lost weight in the first 8 weeks and then gained that back & then some (quite a bit!) by 12 weeks. I went over the recommended weight gain by about 3/4 kg, had a 3.5kg baby, and now 2 1/2 weeks pp I've lost all but 4kg of my pregnancy weight. Don't worry about it, eat as intuitively as you can & your body will do what it needs to!
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It's really different for everyone. I retained a lot of water first trimester, but my biggest symptom was food aversion/lack of appetite. I didn't really gain first tri, but I've been advised to gain less than the average anyway. If your doctor isn't concerned, neither should you be!
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I gained maybe 5 pounds in the first trimester-- like you, it was all carbs all the time, plus I was just really bloated (maybe from the carbs). I gained 27 pounds overall and had an 8 pound baby.
I agree with @spaniellove: your body is going to do what it needs to do to grow this baby. I didn't go nuts eating everything in sight, but I didn't worry about it too much either.
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No, I lost weight in the first trimester with both pregnancies. I had an aversion to most foods and just didn't want to eat.
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I gained 6-7 pounds in the first trimester. I'm 16 weeks today and haven't gained any additional since 12 weeks, still sitting at 6 or 7! I think it just depends! I wouldn't be worried at all about 4 pounds.
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Try not to worry! I gained a few pounds in the first trimester, but I was still right in the middle of the recommended weight gain overall. It was just a slow and steady gain throughout. And fwiw, most of it was off again within the first few weeks post partum. I think as long as you're trying to take care of yourself, your body will take care of the rest.
ETA: I think I've put on 3 pounds so far too, by the way!
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Please don't worry about this. Choose to eat mainly healthy foods and stay active and you will be totally fine. I am big believer in the idea that you body gains the amount it needs to support a healthy baby.
Also, something I didn't know before having a baby - most women gain in spurts. I had weeks where I gained 3-4 pounds all at once and weeks where I gained nothing. It's a weird cycle, and it doesn't usually follow the "1 pound/week" recommendation you will hear from doctors.
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Try not to worry! I gained 8 pds in my first trimester and gained 25 total. I had terrible nausea and the only thing that tasted good were carbs. It'll all level out, just listen to your body (I know, easier said than done!).
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I gained weight in the 1st trimester both times. I don't remember how much though. Try not to worry - your body is doing what it needs to do.
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I lost weight in the first trimester because I couldn't keep anything down. Now I'm 5 weeks pregnant with #2 and I've lost 1.5 lbs - which I attribute entirely to not drinking wine
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For my first I gained most of my weight in my 1st trimester because I had to eat to keep from getting nauseous. I think it was 15 pounds 1st trimester, and a total of 30 pounds overall.
With my second I lost 6 pounds in the first trimester because I had zero appetite (which is a lifetime first for me!). I'm slowly putting weight back on, but still down 1.8 pounds at 20 weeks.
SO different, even for each person between different pregnancies!
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I gained 12 pounds
I was throwing up most of what I ate, so I don't even know how that was possible.
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Yes! Carbs were the only thing that could get me through and I packed on the pounds. Don't worry too much about it!
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I didn't gain a lb but I made up for it in the end.
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Good heavens, I gained 15 pounds in the first trimester
It was all the carbs, and I was freaking out over it. But it slowed down a LOT in the second trimester, and even now, I'll go weeks without gaining a pound. Your body does what it needs to, so as long as you are being healthy, your baby will be fine. Everything in moderation 
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I lost weight because I was so, so sick. I more than made up for it in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters and gained 42 lbs total.
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Both times I lost during the first - I was so sick! First was 9lbs, (ended up gaining 25-30 by the end) and this time so far I'm down 8lb at 22 weeks.
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I lost weight in the first trimester, but I was overweight to begin with so that really wasn't a bad thing. I wouldn't worry about trying NOT to gain - especially during the first tri. I'm sure you're just gaining what you need for a healthy pregnancy.
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The same thing happened to me! I am also petite, and I gained 5 pounds pretty much immediately after getting pregnant. I ended up gaining 35 pounds and I lost it all within 5 months or so. I know it is almost impossible not to worry, but I would try not to stress too much about it. Your body will do what it needs to do.
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Thank you all for your posts. I feel WAY better now that I know some of you have shared my experience. Your advice is invaluable, that is what I love about this forum. I am currently making healthy choices (just with more bread involved!) so I guess this should just be my main focus. My experience so far is that there is a lot of pressure for women to not gain too much weight while pregnant but like many of you mention, as long as I remain healthy and active my body will do its thing. It is a quite an experience watching your body grow and develop, I already don’t recognize my own breasts. I think I'll be a little less harsh on myself moving forwards. Thanks again to all.
L x
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I gained 10lbs in the 1. trimester and only 25lbs total. So I guess it is totally individual.
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Just as a side note. Does anyone have a theory on why preganant women tend to crave carbs early on? I'm not a big advocate of grains and don;t think they are particularly nutritional, what is it that makes them so irresistible at this stage?
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I gained 4-5 lbs initially, but once morning sickness kicked in I ended up losing close to 15 lbs. I would not worry about what other people say, though-- the most important thing is that you are taking care of yourself.
regarding carbs, my guess is that they tend to be easier to stomach because the are mostly blander foods. When I could manage to eat it was often a simple baked potato, a piece of toast, some crackers, or plain pasta. Very simple, bland, filling foods.
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I gained a majority of my weight during the 1st trimester bc I was afraid of getting morning sickness. Probably close to 10lbs maybe and craved only carbs also. It evened out the last 2 trimesters, and I gained 25lbs total.
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I gained well over 15 pounds in the first trimester, and my weight gain has not slowed down at all. It took off like a rocket the minute the lines turned pink on the HPT. I agree with PPs, though - your body will do what it needs to do to support your growing baby. It sounds like you are making healthy choices and I'm sure that your body is just handling processing food as it needs to.
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I never had MS, and my appetite skyrocketed the second I got a bfp, so I gained around 5 pounds the first trimester. I'm not sure exactly what I started at, so it might be a pound or two more. I had a definite, recognizable bump by 12 weeks, and my boobs grew two sizes, so I don't think the amount I gained was bad at ALL, and my midwife had no issues with it. Right now if I continue as I am (17 weeks), I'll be around 30-35, which is a little on the high end but fine.
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I think I craved carbs because they were simple foods without a lot of smell or weird textures or anything. I ate a lot of toast with PB or crackers with PB. They just settled my very acidic/nauseous stomach......Plus veggies and protein sounded absolutely disgusting.
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I gained 4lbs during the first trimester and 28 total. I only had mild MS and also ate more carbs than usual to keep it at bay.
I was throwing up most of what I ate, so I don't even know how that was possible.
It was all the carbs, and I was freaking out over it. But it slowed down a LOT in the second trimester, and even now, I'll go weeks without gaining a pound. Your body does what it needs to, so as long as you are being healthy, your baby will be fine. Everything in moderation 
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