In pregnancy of twins, the woman fattens about 10 to 18 kg, which means that they are 3 to 6 kg more than in a single fetus pregnancy. Despite the increase in weight gain, the twins should be born with 2.4 to 2.7 kg on average, weight slightly below the 3 kg desired when the birth is of a single baby.
When the pregnancy is of triplets, the average case of total weight should be of 22 to 27 kg, being important to reach the gain of 16 kg until the 24th week of gestation to avoid complications for the babies, as low weight and low length at born.
Weekly Weight Gain Chart
The weekly weight gain during pregnancy of twins varies according to the woman's BMI before gestation, and varies confirm shown in the following table:
| BMI | 0-20 weeks | 20-28 weeks | 28 weeks until delivery |
| Low BMI | 0.57 to 0.79 kg / week | 0.68 to 0.79 kg / week | 0.57 kg / week |
| Normal BMI | 0.45 to 0.68 kg / week | 0.57 to 0.79 kg / week | 0.45 kg / week |
| Overweight | 0.45 to 0.57 kg / week | 0.45 to 0.68 kg / week | 0.45 kg / week |
| Obesity | 0.34 at 0.45 kg / week | 0.34 to 0.57 kg / week | 0.34 kg / week |
To find out what your BMI was before you became pregnant, enter your data into our IMC calculator:
It is also important to remember that the more fetuses there are in pregnancy, the greater the weight gain of a woman.
Because proper weight gain is important
Adequate weight gain is important in any pregnancy, but it becomes even more worrying in twin pregnancies due to the increased risk of preterm birth and the birth of babies with low weight and low length, which compromises the health of the children.
In addition, special attention should be given to gaining weight properly by the 24th week, as adequate gain reduces the chances of preterm delivery. On average, in twin pregnancies the woman should gain about 10.8 kg by the 24th week, and in triplet pregnancies this gain should be 16 kg.
Dangers of excess weight gain
Despite having to gain more weight than in a single fetus pregnancy, during pregnancy of twins should also be careful not to gain much weight as it increases the risk of complications such as:
- Pre-eclampsia, which is the increase in blood pressure;
- Gestational diabetes;
- Need for cesarean delivery;
- One of the babies have a lot more weight than the other, or both are very heavy, leading to a very premature delivery.
Thus, to avoid these complications it is important to have close follow up with the obstetrician doctor, who will indicate if the weight gain for the gestational period is adequate.
Find out what care should be taken during the pregnancy of twins.
