ABSTRACT
Defined as the number of births per 1000 individuals, the birth rate has decreased from 16.7 in
Appropriate weight gain during pregnancy has been associated with outcome. Weight gain com-
placenta. More than 30 years ago, researchers [2] reported that the average weight gain during pregnancy for healthy primigravadas was 12.5 kg, a value still accepted as the norm. They estimated that
blood volume expansion (1450 g), increased extracellular and extravascular water (1480 g), uterus (970 g), mammary tissue (405 g), and maternal fat (3345 g) [2].
