October photo

"At our last big ultrasound I was at 21 weeks, and had gained a total of eight pounds. Bucky, at that time, was measuring in around 22-plus weeks and almost one pound.

Now it's October. I am at 23 weeks (aka six months) and I'm definitely looking bigger than I did two weeks ago, not to mention a month ago.

This has me thinking... if in five-and-a-half months I've gained eight pounds, Bucky accounting for one of those pounds, and if the average woman gains a total of 20-30 pounds, the average baby accounting for seven to eight of those pounds, what is going to happen to me in the next four-and-a-half months? How much bigger am I going to get?

The rate of weight gain for both of us will be exponential since apparently those 20 to 30 pounds (some doctors say it should be 25 to 35) get distributed as follows:

Baby: seven to eight pounds
Placenta: one to two pounds
Amniotic fluid: two pounds
Breast tissue: one to two pounds
Uterus: two pounds
Extra blood: three to four pounds
Increase in body fluids: three pounds
'Maternal stores' (extra fat to serve as protection for the baby and act as a source of energy for the mother): five to twelve pounds

If you add it all up you can get from 14 to 35 pounds."
--Clare, 10/1/05