Pregnancy! Half the time you're too queasy to think about eating, the rest of the time you're trying to resist the urge to polish off a family size bar of Dairy Milk.
Or two.
Either way, you're probably wondering how much you really need to eat, how much weight you should be putting on, and how on earth your ever going to get back into a pair of trousers that doesn't have an elastic belly panel.
Wonder no more, here are the answers.
EASY AS 1, 2, 3 You are going to put on weight during pregnancy, but you don't need to gain as much as you might think.
As a rough guide, the 1-2-3 rule is recommended.
This means if you were overweight before you became pregnant, you should aim to gain about 6 kg (1st), if you were in the healthy weight range, aim for 13 kg (2 st), and if you were underweight, try to gain around 19 kg (3 st).
' If you're not sure whether or not you were at your ideal weight pre pregnancy, check your Body Mass Index (BMI).
If your BMI is below 20, you were underweight, between 20 and 25, you were a healthy weight, and over 25, you were overweight.
Most of your pregnancy weight will come from your baby (around 3 kg/7 lb), your placenta (about 0.
7 kg/1.
5 lb) and extra fluid in your tissues and amniotic fluid (around 2.
3 kg/5 lb).
You will lay down excess fat, which gives your body energy for breastfeeding, but this should only be around 2.
3 kg (5 lb) of your total weight gain.
But if you're happy to work at shifting that extra weight once your baby's born, does it really matter if you pile on the pounds during pregnancy? Well yes, if you're overweight during pregnancy, you're more likely to develop complications such as high blood pressure and gestational diabetes, and the extra weight could also impede your ability to have a vaginal birth, as chances are your baby would be larger than usual.
All of these can have serious implications for both you and your unborn child.
But being underweight during pregnancy carries risks too.
The most obvious is that your more likely to have a low birth weight baby.
Small babies often fail to thrive, and have health complications later on.
Being underweight can also increase the risk of miscarriage or stillbirth.
EXTRA HELPING? There's no truth in the old tale that you should be eating for two.
In fact experts agree you only need an additional 200-300 calories a day when you're expecting, and that's only in the final trimester.
It's only during the final trimester, when your baby is developing rapidly and putting on weight, that you need the extra calories.
While you can probably get those from a Mars bar, its important to eat a well balanced diet.
Your meals should be sensibly sized, aim for 6-10 servings of carbs a day (one serving = one slice of bread), a total of 150 g lean meat, fish or vegetarian protein such as Tofu, and at least five 80 g servings of fruit and veg.
For calcium, you should also have around three servings of dairy products, including yoghurt (one serving = one pot), milk (150 ml glass) and cheese (matchbox sized piece).
It's fine to go for the low-fat versions, as they contain just as much calcium.
It's also recommended to choose whole grain breads and cereals, brown rice and whole wheat pasta.
These foods have extra fibre, so will fill you up more than the white alternatives and keep you satisfied for longer.
CRAVING MAD But what about those sudden urges to polish off a whole tub of ice cream? Does a healthy diet have to mean resisting all of your pregnancy cravings? Pregnancy is not a time to be dieting, but do ask yourself if it's a true craving.
True cravings tend to be a bit weird, like the proverbial ice cream and pickle.
No one's sure why women get these peculiar urges, but most scientists believe cravings, as well as temporary aversions to certain foods, are simply the result of pregnancy hormones, which can affect the way foods smell and taste.
And in some cases, they're.
Whether you're too sick to eat, or too hungry to stray more than ten feet from the fridge, here are the facts on pregnancy weight gain thought to be you're body's way of signalling that you're lacking certain nutrients - for instance, a craving for steak has been linked to iron deficiency.