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December 2016 Moms
JulieSmiles
member
Plus-Size Mom Thread
JulieSmiles
member
I'm hoping this can be a thread where everyone feels free to share their concerns, struggles, and joys associated with being plus size and expecting.
How are far along are you?
How are you feeling?
Have you gained weight? Are you doing anything to manage your weight?
Has your doctor expressed any concerns related to your weight? How are you feeling about this?
Have you bought any maternity clothes? Where are you finding plus-size clothes?
Anything else to add?
How are far along are you?
How are you feeling?
Have you gained weight? Are you doing anything to manage your weight?
Has your doctor expressed any concerns related to your weight? How are you feeling about this?
Have you bought any maternity clothes? Where are you finding plus-size clothes?
Anything else to add?
Re: Plus-Size Mom Thread
How are far along are you?
12 weeks and 1
How are you feeling?
Tired and good
Have you gained weight? Are you doing anything to manage your weight?
About a pound. I am a teacher so I am up a lot
Has your doctor expressed any concerns related to your weight? How are you feeling about this?
No... I plan to gain at the most 11 pounds
Have you bought any maternity clothes?
No
Where are you finding plus-size clothes?
JcPenny if I buy anything (probably will not)
Anything else to add?
this is my fifth baby and my fifth c section
How are far along are you? 13+5
How are you feeling? Pretty good - still tired though. And my back hurts if I don't sleep in the exact right position.
Have you gained weight? Are you doing anything to manage your weight? At my last appointment I'd lost 5 lbs. That was a few weeks ago and I haven't weighed myself since. I've been trying to eat healthier but I really need to start working out more, whether it's walking or swimming I just need to be more active.
Has your doctor expressed any concerns related to your weight? How are you feeling about this? All my doctor has said is that I should only gain 10 lbs during the pregnancy. I think that makes a lot of sense, I just don't know yet if it's realistic.
Have you bought any maternity clothes? Where are you finding plus-size clothes? I haven't bought anything yet. I carry a lot of weight in my stomach anyway so I'm not showing at all yet and none of my clothes are tight haha. I'm hoping I can go for a while with my normal clothes, but we'll see.
Anything else to add? Nope, not today.
How are you feeling? Better finally
Have you gained weight? Are you doing anything to manage your weight? I lost about 7 pounds, but haven't been eating great lately. I'm going to try to watch my salt intake more this pregnancy.
Has your doctor expressed any concerns related to your weight? How are you feeling about this? Nope. I was a little lighter last pregnancy, but not much. No concerns were ever brought up. I gained 30 pounds last time due to significant swelling. I'm hoping since it won't be hot when I deliver, it won't be as bad.
Have you bought any maternity clothes? Where are you finding plus-size clothes? Yes, I bought some things at JC Penney's. I just bought a few pairs of pants tonight at Motherhood. They have a BOGO sale on pants.
Anything else to add? What kinds of questions would you like to see here?
14w2d
How are you feeling?
Great!
Have you gained weight? Are you doing anything to manage your weight?
I lost about 10 lbs the first 9 weeks. I'm still down about 6.
Has your doctor expressed any concerns related to your weight? How are you feeling about this?
Yes. She has told me she wants me to cut all sugar and carbs and not to gain any weight at all. She also wants me to get a blood pressure cuff to test my bps several times a week even though my bp is not high. I understand that there are more risks to a plus size pregnancy (and to be honest I'm not just plus size, I am also AMA at 38) but I think some of these expectations are a little unrealistic.
Have you bought any maternity clothes?
Not yet. I can still wear my normal clothes though they are starting to get a little snug. I was hoping to avoid having to but maternity clothes for both summer and fall but I don't think that will actually happen. I see a lot of cute stuff at Motherhood and Kohls.
Anything else to add?
I'm a FTM and I'm really happy to have a chance to discuss any concerns that come up with a plus size pregnancy with other ladies in the same boat.
How are far along are you?
13W6D - 2nd tri starts tomorrow!
How are you feeling?
Much better. I was sick last week with something flu-like where I had a mild fever. It was aggravated by my first trimester exhaustion, but I stayed home all week. I woke up on Sunday feeling better in every way
Have you gained weight? Are you doing anything to manage your weight?
In my first appointment, I was up 5lbs. I'm haven't been doing anything really about my weight. I lost 40lbs in order for me to do IVF so I'm hoping to try to keep my diet, but i'm averse to vegetables which makes it hard
Has your doctor expressed any concerns related to your weight? How are you feeling about this?
I'm more concerned that she was. She will probably worry more if I gain to much weight.
Have you bought any maternity clothes? Where are you finding plus-size clothes?
I bought a few pairs of maternity pants over the memorial day holiday, 2 pairs for Motherhood Maternity and one pair from target. I'm much happier with the pair from target cause pants with fake pockets tick me off. I've got serious problems with pressure on my belly when I'm gassy so even though I can button all my pants I'll glad to have maternity pants.
Anything else to add?
I'm trying to decide if I'm glad I'll show later than most or disappointed that I'll just look like I'm gaining all the weight I worked hard to lose. Showing late will means I can keep it quiet at work longer.
Exhausted. .. ALL. THE. TIME.
I've gained 3 lbs so far. I'm heavier than I was with my 1st by 20 lbs. Also, last time, I only gained 12 lbs. I'm kind of hoping for the same results this go round.
How are you feeling? Pretty good! I find myself having more RLP this pregnancy (2nd pregnancy) and being less comfortable. I'm also about 30 lbs heavier than I was with my first (womp womp) so that may be a contributing factor.
Have you gained weight? Are you doing anything to manage your weight? I have gained about 5 lbs. I'm managing my weight by eating a lot of ice cream. lol but seriously, I'm trying to make sure I'm not overindulging constantly and am eating healthy foods, too. Food aversions have made this difficult. I'm also trying to go on more walks.
Has your doctor expressed any concerns related to your weight? How are you feeling about this? She has not. While I was trying to get pregnant and taking Clomid, we did discuss the fact that losing weight would be beneficial in helping me get pregnant and we talked about increasing activity, which I had been doing (and still am). I saw a different doctor last time who expressed concern about my BP, but it was higher than normal because I had just been in an ultrasound to confirm that there was not an issue with baby, so I think that it wasn't a good indication. That doctor saw that I was induced for raised BP last time, but my BP was super low the whole pregnancy until 39+6, when it spiked only to 125/70...so I think she just was saying what she thought she should say. We had never met and she didn't know my history. Anyway, I guess you could say I'm feeling defensive about that.
Have you bought any maternity clothes? Where are you finding plus-size clothes? I have bought several shirts, a pair of jeans and some work pants. My stomach is poking out much more quickly this time and none of my pants were fitting. I have been lucky that I haven't needed to buy any plus size work pants (the band is stretchy enough right now) but I did find some plus size maternity jeans at Old Navy.
Anything else to add? I think I already wrote a novel.
12wk3d
How are you feeling?
Some days are better than others! This morning I have no symptoms. Usually in the afternoon I feel nauseous if I haven't eaten lunch yet, and my trips to the bathroom are every 45 minutes, it seems like.
Have you gained weight? Are you doing anything to manage your weight?
Lost 7 pounds since my first appointment when I was 6 weeks.
Has your doctor expressed any concerns related to your weight? How are you feeling about this?
Everything has come back good so far, but my doctor is worried that due to my weight, she wouldn't be surprised if I have to be put on bed rest during my third trimester. I think it's too soon for her to be jumping to conclusions, so I'm going to stay positive!
Have you bought any maternity clothes? Where are you finding plus-size clothes?
I bought one pair of pants from Target. They are holey jeans and super cute, and I love how comfy it is over my belly, regardless of me showing or not. It protects the bloat!
Anything else to add?
Doctor called me yesterday with NIPT results; she said that they were inconclusive, and it could be due to my weight. They couldn't find enough of the baby's blood cells in my blood, or something. So, tomorrow I'm going to another clinic that supposedly "specializes" with overweight women and I'll be getting a 3D ultrasound where hopefully they can tell me the sex, and they will do another NIPT harmony test for me.
Married DH: 4/7/2012
TTC: 2/3/2016 (Me: 31yrs DH: 35yrs)
BFP: 4/10/2016
EDD: 12/18/16
Kaynen Alexander born 12/6/16 via c-section (bicornate uterus/breech)
How are you feeling? not bad, really tired and constipated, but otherwise good
Have you gained weight? Are you doing anything to manage your weight? i was down about 8 pounds at my first appointment and up 1 pound from there at my second; i'm trying to eat healthy and keep up my exercising 3-4 times/week
Has your doctor expressed any concerns related to your weight? How are you feeling about this? i'm AMA (37) which they don't seem concerned about, but have high BP which they are concerned about; they told me to only gain 15-20 pounds, which seems doable, and i have to do a 24-hour urine test to check my kidney function so later when pre-eclampsia is a concern, they can compare against it - seems like a hassle, but makes good sense to me
Have you bought any maternity clothes? Where are you finding plus-size clothes? a couple of tank tops from target and a dress from zulily; so far my clothes all seem to fit fine and since I wear mostly dresses and skirts for work, i'm hoping that they will for a bit longer
Anything else to add? it's hard for me to figure out how much i should be eating; i'm trying to eat when i'm hungry and make good choices, but for someone who's essentially been on a diet for 20+ years, I keep thinking I'm eating too much
How are you feeling? Pretty good. Ready for a nap by 2 pm every day, but otherwise feeling pretty normal. The bloat (and nausea) is way down, too, so I'm feeling more comfortable.
Have you gained weight? Are you doing anything to manage your weight? I had lost 3 and then gained them back so technically I'm at the same weight I started with. So far the extreme nausea has done a great job keeping my weight down. Now I'm just trying to eat reasonable portion sizes and not go overboard on anything. It helps that eating more than a tiny bit at a time makes me feel over full.
Has your doctor expressed any concerns related to your weight? How are you feeling about this? My doctor hasn't said anything. The intake nurse said that based on my BMI I should only gain between 11 and 20 lb. so I'm shooting for that. I gained 30 with both my previous and 5 of that was in the first tri so I feel like 11-20 is doable.
Have you bought any maternity clothes? Where are you finding plus-size clothes? Heck yeah. I needed new (bigger. lame) pants this time around so I got those early and have been wearing them since like 8 weeks. SO comfy, I'm loving it. Ha. I got some new shirts, too, but am mostly wearing normal shirts now that the bloat has gone down. I got pants at motherhood maternity since they were the only reasonably priced bootcut work pants with pockets I could find (must. have. pockets) but all my shirts are from ebay. I need a pair of jeans, but don't want to shell out the money since this is definitely my last pregnancy. I may cave, though.
Anything else to add? I think I said enough
How are you feeling? After throwing up three times a day for the past 2+ months, I haven't thrown up since Saturday. Fingers crossed the worst of it is finally over!
Have you gained weight? Are you doing anything to manage your weight? I've lost 17 pounds because of the morning sickness. I usually lose a lot of weight in the first trimester. My last pregnancy I only gained 4 pounds overall. I'm not doing anything special to manage my weight. I might adjust my diet some in the final month or so in order to not have another giant baby.
Has your doctor expressed any concerns related to your weight? How are you feeling about this? My midwife doesn't have any concerns.
Have you bought any maternity clothes? Where are you finding plus-size clothes? I still have my maternity clothes from my last pregnancy four years ago so I've only bought a few things. JcPenney.com and motherhoodmaternity.com are the best places I've found.
Anything else to add?
DD1 EDD 08/18/01, born 08/03/2001 ~ 9lbs 10oz, 21.5 in
DS1 EDD 4/30/2004, born 05/04/2004 ~ 10lbs, 22 in
mc 02/14/12 @ 5 weeks
DD2 EDD 12/25/12, born 12/30/12 ~ 10lbs 11oz, 21.25 in
mc 12/05/15 @ 12 weeks
Cautiously expecting 12/02/16
How are you feeling? Throwing up basically all day, also pretty painful cramps on left side where the baby is, so I think that's just RLP.
Have you gained weight? Are you doing anything to manage your weight? I lost 6 pounds from weighing myself at home to my first appointment, and then I lost another five between the first OB appointment and a nutritionist appointment. Funny thing is my pants feel so much tighter and my boobs feel a lot bigger so I don't know where I'm losing the weight from.
Has your doctor expressed any concerns related to your weight? How are you feeling about this? My doctor and her nurse haven't said anything, but I have only had one appointment with her so I think they'll address it at my next appointment based on if I've gained/lost. I feel like I'm not as healthy as I could be for this pregnancy which makes me sad because I want to enjoy it as much as I can.
Have you bought any maternity clothes? Where are you finding plus-size clothes? Just for some background on me, I'm a size 14 and 4'11". It's hard for me to find things big enough in the waist and short enough. Not impossible, just hard. I always have to go to several stores and try everything on to make sure it fits right, and it gets to be a little exhausting. I liked H&M's maternity stuff, but they didn't carry anything bigger than a 14. I stay home while FI works so it's not like I need a ton of stuff, I mostly wear athletic shorts and leggings, which are fine for now.
Anything else to add? I might be losing weight from chasing our brand new kitten Sophie all around the house. We've had her about a month and she's 12 weeks old now and so full of energy!
My doctor said due to my weight, I probably won't feel the baby kick for a while, and tummy ultrasounds may be difficult to get a good picture of hear the heartbeat. My first two appointments they did transvaginal ultrasounds and the picture was clear. Then yesterday they referred me to another office with "better equipment", and they did an ultrasound over my stomach/pelvis, and it came out just fine.
Married DH: 4/7/2012
TTC: 2/3/2016 (Me: 31yrs DH: 35yrs)
BFP: 4/10/2016
EDD: 12/18/16
Kaynen Alexander born 12/6/16 via c-section (bicornate uterus/breech)
How are you feeling? Better now, but a few weeks ago was pretty horrible.
Have you gained weight? Are you doing anything to manage your weight? I don't honestly know if I have gained or lost. In my second month I was eating very little and definitely lost some, but I may have gained it back already/ I think my weight is shifting around. I have always carried it low in my stomach and I feel the roundest a little higher up now.
Has your doctor expressed any concerns related to your weight? How are you feeling about this? I was taking Letrazole to get pregnant and when we decided on that treatment she expressed some feelings about me losing some weight before conceiving. I really did try and I think I lost a bit, but things happened pretty quickly and I work a desk job. Being told by someone else that you need to shed some pounds is always hard, but I also very conscious of the fact myself. My hope is that I will gain very little and be able to use not working after Baby comes as an easy excuse to get out and walk if nothing else.
Have you bought any maternity clothes? Where are you finding plus-size clothes? I Bought two shirts this weekend and I am hoping they will transition through summer and fall with me. Motherhood has the best selection that I have found in terms of plus size, but I have also seen some at Thyme.
Anything else to add? We announced to our family and friends this weekend and it was a whole different experience than I was expecting.
Married DH: 4/7/2012
TTC: 2/3/2016 (Me: 31yrs DH: 35yrs)
BFP: 4/10/2016
EDD: 12/18/16
Kaynen Alexander born 12/6/16 via c-section (bicornate uterus/breech)
How are you feeling? Generally pretty good, but can't wait for that second trimester energy to kick-in!
Have you gained weight? Are you doing anything to manage your weight? I gained a few pounds early in the first trimester and haven't gained any since. My doctor did express that I should really try not to gain more that 10-15 pounds by the end of my third trimester so I've been watching what I eat and trying to do extra walking (not very successfully). A little nervous about my weigh-in at today's appointment.
Has your doctor expressed any concerns related to your weight? How are you feeling about this? Her primary concern was about gestational diabetes and preeclampsia based on what I eat. It's a little frustrating to feel like I have to be restricted, but I know in the long run healthy eating is a benefit to me and the baby. Doing my best, but some days I'm a lot better at than others.
Have you bought any maternity clothes? Where are you finding plus-size clothes? I haven't wanted to spend a ton of money on maternity clothes so early in my pregnancy and found a few pieces at Marshall's and Burlington Coat factory. It's a little tough to find in my size but a friend just turned me on to PinkBlush, an online store with a plus sized section that's been awesome. Their stuff is cute and not outrageously priced. I might still wait until I'm a little further along and pick some intentional pieces (i.e. stuff to wear to work) from there.
Anything else to add? Appreciate creating a plus sized community for to check-in on. Can't wait for my baby bump to really pop. Right now I'm looking more like a B belly instead of a D and it looks like I've just had too much pizza and ice cream lately
Edit: for anyone interested, here's the link to PinkBlush: https://www.shoppinkblush.com/n-70-maternity-plus.aspx
Married DH: 4/7/2012
TTC: 2/3/2016 (Me: 31yrs DH: 35yrs)
BFP: 4/10/2016
EDD: 12/18/16
Kaynen Alexander born 12/6/16 via c-section (bicornate uterus/breech)
How are far along are you?
21 weeks 4 days
How are you feeling?
Big! (but happy to be having a baby.) Back pains!
Have you gained weight? Are you doing anything to manage your weight?
Gained around 5 (looks like 15) Me and my husband go for walks with our fur baby
Has your doctor expressed any concerns related to your weight? How are you feeling about this?
not as of now.
Have you bought any maternity clothes? Where are you finding plus-size clothes?
only jeans...everything is so expensive!
Anything else to add?
@karabearrr - I have been feeling movement since week 16, despite the what several PPs have said about their doctors saying that overweight women won't be able to feel it as soon... sorry, can you tell I'm a little bitter about all this! Lol.
I read a lot of things about heavier women not being able to feel baby move as much or whatever. And I gotta say that must be a myth. I think it goes on a case by case basis with all women on what you feel and how soon. I was feeling flutters super early like 14.5-15 weeks and I was afraid to mention it in case someone tried to argue with me. I know what I felt and it wasn't gas. I'm heavy too, and two days ago my husband felt my baby kicking from the outside.
So far my OB has been amazing. I've only had one mention of my weight thus far and it was just that they wouldn't be able to measure my tummy as accurately because of "extra tissue" and would thus need a few more ultrasounds.
My blood pressure was higher than yours at 122/70 at the doctor last week, and the nurse said "not bad, not bad at all." So stay vigilant on yours, it sounds like you had good numbers.
@karabearrr: I probably started feeling movement around 20 to 22 weeks. It started super subtle for me, like pulses in my lower abdomen (below my belly button).
@Knottie29389287: I'm 25 weeks and still in the in "is she gaining or pregnant" phase. You have to remember too that some people carry pregnancy differently. I think I may never have a really classic baby bump and may be carrying a little more all around than just in my belly.
@KatieJo1205: Sorry to hear about your frustrating OB. My regular doctor mentioned a few concerns early on, but since noticing that BP has been good, I haven't had an issue with my glucose testing too high, and no protein in my urine, she's gotten a lot better. That being said, I had to reschedule an appointment about 2 weeks ago and had to see a different OB in the same practice. He was not so forgiving. Without a lot of knowledge about my medical history he was quick to emphasize the risks I face with the BMI I started with before pregnancy. He also encouraged me to exercise more and push myself as much as I am comfortable with and felt the need to remind me that women who are overweight are more likely to need a C-section, which shouldn't be something I want. Honestly, as frustrating as that appointment was, I took it with a grain of salt. You know your body best, you know how you've been feeling, and all the things you're doing right. Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself come L&D time, you're your best advocate and just stay educated on the process. Coming into my appointments armed with information has really helped improve the relationship I have with my regular OB. Good luck and hang in there!
@Knottie29389287: It's so true what they about how all women carry differently. I'm about 25.5 weeks and I'm barely starting to feel like my bump looks like a baby's on the way and not like I ate too much pizza. That being said my family swears I've looked pregnant for the last month, but I just haven't felt that way. I wish I felt sexy with my bumpy curve, but honestly, I just feel so large! You're not alone, and I will say by about week 24 I did start feeling more like I popped. Be patient with yourself and your body, you are working on a little miracle after all :-)
Today a customer at my job made a comment about my bump (or lack thereof) and it struck a serious cord. Despite being significantly overweight, I haven't "popped" yet. He's still tucked really far back, and down in my pelvis, and therefore I look really small for 30 weeks 5days. Customer said that there was no way I'm pregnant, and that I shouldn't pretend to be pregnant just because I'm fat. I cried. I definitely know he's there, he's a very active boy, but I didn't even know what to say. Encouragement would be so appreciated right now.
Me: 40 | DH: 45 | together 14 years
TTC since 9/2015
We trust and pray that God will continue to bless us with a full-term, smooth pregnancy and the delivery of a healthy baby.
27W 5D
How are you feeling?
Tired, limping around, back pain, heart burn.
Have you gained weight? Are you doing anything to manage your weight?
I think I'm still down about 5 lbs overall from my start weight. My appetite isn't what is used to be so I haven't been overeating this entire pregnancy. Some days I wonder if I've eaten enough.
Has your doctor expressed any concerns related to your weight? How are you feeling about this?
In the beginning he said he didn't want me gaining weight. He hasn't brought it up since our first meeting, it's me that does, asking if the weight loss is ok. He said baby is developing as he should on schedule so it's fine.
Have you bought any maternity clothes? Where are you finding plus-size clothes?
Not specifically maternity clothes but a few months ago I bought some clothes a size larger when there was a $5 sale at Penningtons. At this rate I'm not sure I'll get to wear anything other than a tank top and the pyjamas I got. I'm still in my regular clothes.
Anything else to add?
I ended up being diagnosed recently with a blood clot in my upper calf in my left leg. I now have to inject Fragmin twice a day which I hate but not treating is is not a risk I can take so...
Also I just failed my first 1 hour glucose test and will be doing the longer one in a few days. Not happy about this, not sure how this will effect the rest of my pregnancy. Makes me scared. I see my OB on tuesday so hopefully he will put me at ease and not increase my worries.