There’s a lot of talk among pregnant women about how much weight to gain when expecting.  While some moms-to-be are too strict with their calories, others throw caution to the wind, expecting to drop the extra baby pounds soon after delivery. (Which, by the way, rarely happens.)

There’s no one magical number of pregnancy pounds that every woman should gain, so it doesn’t pay to compare your weight gain to another woman’s.  Here’s what’s best for you and your baby: starting pregnancy at a healthy weight and putting on pounds within ranges  recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Suggested weight gain ranges during pregnancy are based on your prepregnancy Body Mass Index (BMI).

Experts, like the IOM panel, don’t pull their weight gain guidelines out of thin air. They spend a lot of time reviewing the research about how prepregnancy body weight, weight gain during pregnancy, and a combination of the two, affect your health when pregnant, and your child’s short-term, and long-term health, too.

Here’s what the IOM suggests for weight gain, based on prepregnancy BMI. Visit www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi to figure your BMI. It takes about 10 seconds.

Prepregnancy BMI:        Gain (single baby):               Gain (twins):

<18.5                                        28 to 40 pounds                          no data available to make a recommendation

18.5 - 24.9                               25 to 35 pounds                           37 to 54 pounds

25.0 - 29.9                              15 to 25 pounds                            31 to 50 pounds

≥ 30                                                       11 to 20 pounds                            25 to 42 pounds

Source: IOM, 2009

For more on weight gain during pregnancy, read this article I wrote for WebMD.com at www.webmd.com/baby/guide/pregnancy-weight-gain-guidelines

Have you seen my other blog at USAToday.com?  It features tips for feeding your family healthy foods, and offers a weekly recipe that I prepare with my children as part of Cooking With My Kids.  This week’s recipe is Asian Express Beef Lettuce Wraps. They’re delicious, and they’re on the table in well under 30 minutes! Check out the recipe at http://tinyurl.com/4×2e5x.