My first two babies were small.
I didn’t gain enough weight in the first two pregnancies so I was determined to do whatever I could do to grow a bigger baby.
I was googling “How to Grow a Bigger Baby” and nothing was coming up. I know there must be other women who have had IUGR babies, babies who were pre-term low birth weight, babies who were small for gestational age and more. I have been told so many terms, with few suggestions and little information to help me grow a larger baby.
Since becoming pregnant with my third child, I was determined to do everything I could to help my unborn child to have a higher weight at birth.
I didn’t want to just stuff my face with junk, which would surely put on loads of pounds for me and possibly for baby. I wanted to be healthy. I wanted to gain weight in a heathy way.
This was my plan.
Strategy 1: Eat More Good Stuff – Nutritious Whole Foods, raw when possible (especially greens like Kale, Spinach and Arugula). My plan was to eat at a minimum a salad with every dinner and include greens in my lunch and breakfast when possible.
Strategy 2: Eat More Calories Each Day Overall – in my first two pregnancies I only gained 20 lbs with each child, so I was on a mission to gain weight. I have learned that eating more healthy fats is a good thing – so I planned to eat more avocados as it was a food high in good fats that I really enjoy.
Strategy 3: Minimize my Exercise – I know this sounds crazy and is not what most doctors will tell you, but I worked out like crazy during my first two pregnancies and didn’t consume enough calories to offset the exercise. My plan this time was to walk each day for 30 minutes and maintain simple exercise daily (15-20 push ups, 30 sec-1 min plank).
Strategy 4: Talk to a Doctor who Specializes in Supplementation – I wanted to determine what I should take to support growing a bigger baby. I know the incredible importance of taking a high quality multivitamin which includes folic acid. But I wanted to make sure I took everything needed to fill in the gaps of my diet. I planned to take all of the supplements recommended religiously. He had a great prenatal plan which he recommends to his prenatal clients which I would be happy to share with anyone who is interested.
Strategy 5: Have a Positive Mindset – “I WILL GROW A BIGGER BABY”, visualizing a 6-10 lb baby and how we would celebrate that success. I spent a lot of time visualizing holding my baby and having my baby in my room versus in the NICU.
Strategy 6: Prayer & Daily Gratitude – Each night I would be grateful for the weight that I had gained and pray for any support possible in growing a bigger baby. Every pound was a success I would celebrate and a step toward growing my bigger baby.
Strategy 7: Minimize Extra Stress – I happen to love being busy and involved. With this attitude and this level of involvement in life sometimes comes extra stress. I know that stress can cause damage to cells in my body, so I decided to slow down in certain areas and really prioritized where I was focusing my time and energy during the important 8.5 months.
These strategies were a combination of what my family doctor suggested, my own knowledge from my training as a Prenatal Fitness Instructor, research and books on Prenatal health and more.
I believe that the combination of ALL of the 7 Strategies allowed for me to grow my biggest baby. I followed every single one of these strategies each day of my pregnancy keeping the faith that if I really focused on growing a bigger baby it would happen. And it did!!!
I gained 40lbs, my baby did not need to be in the NICU, was not IUGR at any point during the pregnancy, was not small for gestational age, etc.
She is a beautiful, healthy, thriving little sweetheart.
I truly hope this information will help you grow a bigger baby.
I wish you all the best!