diff --git a/pkg/internal/export/otel/metrics_proc.go b/pkg/internal/export/otel/metrics_proc.go
index 06ab78d87..71d69c704 100644
--- a/pkg/internal/export/otel/metrics_proc.go
+++ b/pkg/internal/export/otel/metrics_proc.go
@@ -303,10 +303,10 @@ func (me *procMetricsExporter) observeMetric(reporter *procMetrics, s *process.S
 	me.cpuUtilisationObserver(me.ctx, reporter, s)
 
 	mem, attrs := reporter.memory.ForRecord(s)
-	mem.Add(me.ctx, s.MemoryRSSBytes, metric2.WithAttributeSet(attrs))
+	mem.Add(me.ctx, s.MemoryRSSBytesDelta, metric2.WithAttributeSet(attrs))
 
 	vmem, attrs := reporter.memoryVirtual.ForRecord(s)
-	vmem.Add(me.ctx, s.MemoryVMSBytes, metric2.WithAttributeSet(attrs))
+	vmem.Add(me.ctx, s.MemoryVMSBytesDelta, metric2.WithAttributeSet(attrs))
 
 	me.diskObserver(me.ctx, reporter, s)
 	me.netObserver(me.ctx, reporter, s)
diff --git a/pkg/internal/infraolly/process/harvest.go b/pkg/internal/infraolly/process/harvest.go
index 6c7cf11fa..2c95923b8 100644
--- a/pkg/internal/infraolly/process/harvest.go
+++ b/pkg/internal/infraolly/process/harvest.go
@@ -110,6 +110,9 @@ func (ps *Harvester) Harvest(svcID *svc.ID) (*Status, error) {
 
 	ps.populateNetworkInfo(status, cached)
 
+	// current stats will be used in the next iteration to calculate some delta values
+	cached.prevStats = cached.stats
+
 	return status, nil
 }
 
@@ -139,14 +142,18 @@ func (ps *Harvester) populateGauges(status *Status, process *linuxProcess) error
 	var err error
 
 	// Calculate CPU metrics from current and previous user/system/wait time
-	status.CPUTimeSystemDelta = process.stats.cpu.SystemTime - process.previousCPUStats.SystemTime
-	status.CPUTimeUserDelta = process.stats.cpu.UserTime - process.previousCPUStats.UserTime
-	status.CPUTimeWaitDelta = process.stats.cpu.WaitTime - process.previousCPUStats.WaitTime
-
-	delta := process.measureTime.Sub(process.previousMeasureTime).Seconds() * float64(runtime.NumCPU())
-	status.CPUUtilisationSystem = (process.stats.cpu.SystemTime - process.previousCPUStats.SystemTime) / delta
-	status.CPUUtilisationUser = (process.stats.cpu.UserTime - process.previousCPUStats.UserTime) / delta
-	status.CPUUtilisationWait = (process.stats.cpu.WaitTime - process.previousCPUStats.WaitTime) / delta
+	var zero CPUInfo
+	// we only calculate CPU deltas and utilization time from the second sample onwards
+	if process.prevStats.cpu != zero {
+		status.CPUTimeSystemDelta = process.stats.cpu.SystemTime - process.prevStats.cpu.SystemTime
+		status.CPUTimeUserDelta = process.stats.cpu.UserTime - process.prevStats.cpu.UserTime
+		status.CPUTimeWaitDelta = process.stats.cpu.WaitTime - process.prevStats.cpu.WaitTime
+
+		delta := process.measureTime.Sub(process.previousMeasureTime).Seconds() * float64(runtime.NumCPU())
+		status.CPUUtilisationSystem = (process.stats.cpu.SystemTime - process.prevStats.cpu.SystemTime) / delta
+		status.CPUUtilisationUser = (process.stats.cpu.UserTime - process.prevStats.cpu.UserTime) / delta
+		status.CPUUtilisationWait = (process.stats.cpu.WaitTime - process.prevStats.cpu.WaitTime) / delta
+	}
 
 	if ps.privileged {
 		status.FdCount, err = process.NumFDs()
@@ -159,7 +166,9 @@ func (ps *Harvester) populateGauges(status *Status, process *linuxProcess) error
 	status.Status = process.stats.state
 	status.ThreadCount = process.stats.numThreads
 	status.MemoryVMSBytes = process.stats.vmSize
+	status.MemoryVMSBytesDelta = process.stats.vmSize - process.prevStats.vmSize
 	status.MemoryRSSBytes = process.stats.vmRSS
+	status.MemoryRSSBytesDelta = process.stats.vmRSS - process.prevStats.vmRSS
 
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/internal/infraolly/process/snapshot.go b/pkg/internal/infraolly/process/snapshot.go
index 6dd418d82..4185d442d 100644
--- a/pkg/internal/infraolly/process/snapshot.go
+++ b/pkg/internal/infraolly/process/snapshot.go
@@ -52,10 +52,10 @@ type linuxProcess struct {
 
 	measureTime time.Time
 	stats       procStats
+	prevStats   procStats
 	process     *process.Process
 
 	// used to calculate CPU utilization ratios
-	previousCPUStats    CPUInfo
 	previousMeasureTime time.Time
 	previousIOCounters  *process.IOCountersStat
 	previousNetRx       int64
@@ -131,13 +131,11 @@ func getLinuxProcess(cachedCopy *linuxProcess, procFSRoot string, pid int32, pri
 			stats:               currentStats,
 			measureTime:         measureTime,
 			previousMeasureTime: measureTime,
-			previousCPUStats:    currentStats.cpu,
 			procFSRoot:          procFSRoot,
 		}, nil
 	}
 
 	// Otherwise, instead of creating a new process snapshot, we just reuse the cachedCopy one, with updated data
-	cachedCopy.previousCPUStats = cachedCopy.stats.cpu
 	cachedCopy.previousMeasureTime = cachedCopy.measureTime
 	cachedCopy.stats = currentStats
 	cachedCopy.measureTime = measureTime
diff --git a/pkg/internal/infraolly/process/status.go b/pkg/internal/infraolly/process/status.go
index 35ac96659..8795b48fa 100644
--- a/pkg/internal/infraolly/process/status.go
+++ b/pkg/internal/infraolly/process/status.go
@@ -37,8 +37,12 @@ type Status struct {
 	CPUUtilisationUser   float64
 	CPUUtilisationWait   float64
 
-	MemoryRSSBytes  int64
-	MemoryVMSBytes  int64
+	// delta values are used in OTEL UpDownCounters while absolute values are used in Prometheus gauges
+	MemoryRSSBytes      int64
+	MemoryVMSBytes      int64
+	MemoryRSSBytesDelta int64
+	MemoryVMSBytesDelta int64
+
 	Status          string
 	ParentProcessID int32
 	ThreadCount     int32