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Fat in a belly is squishy.

A baby in the belly is not.

A pregnant belly is not hard from the start, but there is a baby in there... with bones. It's not squishy.

And if you're asking if you can maintain the same weight while pregnant... no. You shouldn't. A typical pregnancy requires a weight gain of 25-30 pounds. So if you started your pregnancy with a weight of 120, you should be 145 to 150 right before you deliver. Not gaining enough weight can be VERY dangerous to your baby. It's something like.. up to 5 pounds for the first three months, and a pound a week after that. (Or something very similar.)

I would be frightened for the health of the baby if the mother stayed the same weight until late in the pregnancy instead of a constant, steady weight gain.

Staying the same weight through the entire pregnancy isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you are extremely over weight then your doctor will tell you to gain very little or possibly none at all. I weighed 202 when I first found out I was pregnant. I now weigh 192 and the doctor is totally fine with me continuing to lose weight. As long you are eat a healthy diet and get everything you need and take your vitamins it should be fine.

It's only "good" if you are overweight, then of course, you really should not put weight on. Just stay on healthy diet filled with lots of protein and essential vitamins your body and baby needs. Still though even overweight mommies need to gain a little bit of weight.
However, if you're one of the skinnier ones, especially underweight, gaining weight is important and extremely necessary! If you do not gain enough pounds while pregnant that may lead to premature labor and small baby weight too.

I am 5'9" and 240 lbs. I am overweight. I have been reading, and everything is telling me not to work out if I wasn't before I got pregnant. But I've also read that being overweight is a danger to both the baby and me during pregnancy. I had just started a new diet plan to fit into my Maid of Honor dress (wedding June 5, I'm due June 3, fat chance of that!) but I don't want to diet and exercise if that is going to hurt the baby. I also read that overweight women should try to lose weight or at least maintain weight during pregnancy. Is this true? I have started eating MUCH healthier than I was, but would like to start working out again. I haven't really worked out in almost a year, but before that I did work out. I just want to do everything right! I don't see my doctor until the 29th, its only the 12th now, and I know the first trimester is the most important for the babies development. I'm drinking milk, water, eating fruits and vegetables, taking prenatal vitamins...what else do I need to do?? Can I work out? Should I be doing anything else?