Lonepiper, how many months along are you? I didn't gain any weight either for the first 3 months, I actually lost weight too. Then 4-5 months, I had only gained around ten pounds. By the time I was 7 months though, I had gained 30. Owch! Listen to your doctor, unless you have other concerns with his advice. We're all individuals, as long as your baby is healthy I think there shouldn't be any worry about actual poundage gained. Some people don't hardly gain any weight. Some get as big as a house.

The main thing to remember is that your baby is taking from you everything they need. Good nutrition is important for the baby, yes, but the baby will take what it needs from you. You need to replinish your supply for your health, so the baby will have more to take and not leave you depleted.

Baby Center says:

How much weight should I gain during my pregnancy?
It depends on your height and weight, or body mass index (BMI), before you conceived. You can calculate your BMI here.

If pre-pregnancy weight was in the healthy range for your height according to your healthcare provider (a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9), you should gain between 25 and 35 pounds, gaining 2 to 5 pounds in the first trimester and about 1 pound per week for the rest of your pregnancy for the optimal growth of your baby.

If you were underweight for your height at conception (a BMI below 18.5), you should gain 28 to 40 pounds. If you were overweight for your height (a BMI of 25 to 29.9), you should gain 15 to 25 pounds. If you were obese (a BMI of 30 or higher), you should gain no more than 15 pounds. If you're having twins you should gain about 35 to 45 pounds. If you fall into any of these four categories, talk to your healthcare provider about how much you should gain each month.

lonepiper.......Silversword has give you an excellent reply and congratulations my dear!!!! You're growing a baby! How wonderful!

Thank you both for your responses! I'm 7 1/2 months (due at the very end of November). My doctor seems very calm about the issue, however, everything on the internet seems to be saying I should have gained approximately 20 - 40 pounds (it varies depending upon the source). Sometimes information found on the internet pales in comparison to experience! Thanks again!!

Lonepiper, that is so great! You must be really excited to meet your baby!

How much weight have you gained? Do you feel healthy? (no swelling, really bad back pain, etc)

I have friends who literally kept wearing the same clothes throughout, just unbuttoned their top button and kept on going, then had 7lb babies! We all wondered where they kept them! One of my friends mom was pregnant with twins and didn't know it until they were born. She gained 20lbs, and they were both 6lbs. How she did it, I don't know.

What with all this talk about Sarah Palin and her pregnancy pictures, all I can say is it's possible to have two completely different pregnancies. Look at how different siblings can be!

If your doctor is calm, be thankful. Many I've spoken with are inflamatory and would rather look at the bad than the good.

Keep eating fresh, healthy meals, getting exercise and thinking positive. :)

As long as you feel good, and your dr has no concerns, you should relax & not worry so much. I lost weight in the early stages of my pregnancies, and didn't even think of maternity clothes until I well into my 6th month, but by the time the baby born, I had always gained between 20 & 30 pounds, and gave birth to 10 & 11 pound babies. Your child will gain the majority of it's weight during the last 10 weeks of your pregnancy, and that is when you will start feeling your pants tighten up! Congrats!!:-)

I only gained 14 pounds with my first child and 16 with my second. I too was worried that I wasn't gaining "enough" according to the guidelines. My doctor reassured me that, as long as I was eating healthy, the baby would get the nutrients it needed, from me. That means your body will be depleted by the pregnancy. That makes it very important that you eat well, so the baby can get what it needs. My first baby was 7.5 pounds and the second was almost 8 pounds, both healthy weights.

My advice, since you are concerned about the weight situation, is to give yourself license to splurge a little. Conventional wisdom is that you need an extra 300 calories a day to support the pregnancy. Try eating nuts, avocados, other things that are higher in fats (but still healthy). And a little ice cream never hurt you either. Try breaking it up into several small meals a day, which are easier to "stomach" when you are pregnant.

Congratulations on the baby!