I gained 7 lbs in two weeks at around 34 weeks. I think it was a mix of growth spurt and swelling...though it wasn't very visible swelling, except at night. Yes, it can be normal. If your doctor isn't worried, I wouldn't be either. I start of pretty light, and I have gained up to 50 lbs in a pregnancy...then it comes back off pretty quickly. Within 1.5 weeks, about 30 lbs of it is gone. I think my babies weigh a lot...hehe (actually, they really do! my son was 10 lbs 11 oz!).
Oh, and it was just a few weeks ago that I gained the 7 lbs. I decided to start eating a LOT of fruit. I lost a pound by two weeks later and the swelling went way down. I am now a big believer in fruit. And by saying I ate a lot of it, here's an example of a day for me:
- Eat grapefruit in the morning (a little salt sprinkled on it).
- About 15-20 minutes later, eat a banana with peanut butter (need the protein).
- For a snack later on, I eat 3-4 celery with peanut butter (again, need the protein! Otherwise I have no endurance).
- Eat a lunch of protein - such as a ham sandwich.
- Eat a snack of fruit - apple or mango or grapefruit
- Eat dinner of protein and some other types of carbs
- Eat a night snack of avocado (has tomatoes, cilantro, onion, lemon juice in it).
I have had SO MUCH MORE energy when eating like this. I feel surprisingly good. If people ate fruit, they wouldn't need coffee! You just have to find a nice balance with protein to be sure to get the endurance. The fruit/veggies offer energy...the protein offers the endurance.
I don't eat crappy carbs, except rarely.
Good luck!