You are said to be too thin when you have a body mass index (BMI) below 18.5. BMI is obtained from the distribution of body weight in kilograms with body height in units of square meters.
The owner of BMI below normal is advised to increase body weight around 12.7-18.1 kg while pregnant. If you do not experience an increase as recommended, you may experience the following 4 bad things:
Premature birth. The risk of you giving birth to a baby earlier than the specified time will be higher. Premature birth usually occurs before your womb reaches the age of 37 weeks. Babies born prematurely may be born with abnormal health conditions such as respiratory problems, jaundice, abnormal body temperature, susceptibility to infection, metabolic disorders, or bleeding in the brain.
The size is small in gestational age (SGA). When checked through ultrasound, your fetus's weight is below the 10th percentile for gestational age. This condition is often also called intrauterine growth barrier (IUGR). If your child experiences this, he is at risk of lack of oxygen at birth, low blood sugar, increased blood viscosity because of the increased number of red blood cells, the risk of developing body defects and neurological disorders, or a caesarean birth risk.
Low birth weight babies. Generally, healthy babies are born with a body weight of around 2.9-3.6 kg. However, if you are too thin during pregnancy, your baby may be born with a body weight of less than 2.5 kg. If you are born with a low weight and prematurely born, your child can experience blood viscosity due to the large number of red blood cells, low blood sugar, coldness, susceptibility to infection, or experiencing irritation.
Miscarriage. Pregnant women who have underweight have been associated with an increased risk of miscarriage.
Let's Raise Your Weight!
To avoid these 4 things, let's fix your diet in the following ways:
Never miss meals, especially breakfast. It is recommended to eat small portions 5-6 times a day.
Always provide healthy snacks to be easily eaten at any time. Healthy snacks that you can consume are cheese, crackers, nuts, dried fruit, yogurt, or ice cream. You can consume this snack between meals.
Try to multiply foods that are high in good fats such as olive oil, avocados, nuts, or fish.
Consume fresh juices like orange juice, papaya juice, apricot juice, or grape juice. These fruits are rich in vitamin C.
Add peanut butter, butter cheese or cream cheese to your food.
Fast food can indeed make you fat fast, but this intake is not nutritious. So it is recommended to avoid these foods.
Some women also find it difficult to gain weight. That could happen because they have health problems. Sometimes, they also do not have the ability to store food due to nausea and vomiting. It is recommended to consult a doctor if you have difficulty raising weight.