Dads-to-be gain pounds in pregnancy
New poll suggests men put on more than 6kg when expecting a baby.
Dads-to-be gain on average 6.35kg when their partner is pregnant, a poll for marketing company Onepoll has indicated. Mums-to-be have a pretty good excuse for piling on some pounds – namely, there’s a growing baby to house – but why do men appear to gain weight, too?
The Onepoll survey showed that 41% of the men questioned said there were more snacks in the house, 20% were given larger meals and 25% ate more food to make their partner feel better about her weight increase.
One fifth of dads-to-be said they realised they’d gained weight when their clothes no longer fitted them, and 19% said their friends’ jokes about their growing waistline made it pretty clear. Only one in three men then joined their partner in attempts to lose weight post-pregnancy.
The favourite ‘male pregnancy’ foods included pizza, chocolate, crisps and beer.
“Research shows that fathers’ health behaviour during pregnancy is really important, not just for themselves but because of the impact their behaviour has on the mother’s health behaviour – which can of course affect the baby’s health,” a Fatherhood Institute spokesman has said.
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