Intro/ Doctors appointment/vent

Ksych · April 2011

Hi everyone, I've been lurking around for a bit and have posted once, but I figured it's time to introduce myself. My name is Kasey, I work full-time and I am also a full time college student. DH and I just got married in December, In March we found out that we were expecting a surprise.Even though it wasn't planned we are both very excited (and nervous).

I had my second appointment today, and I have to say that I was not very happy about it. I would like to hear some opinions, maybe I'm just over reacting?So when I got there the appointment started off great, the doctor even found the babies hb with a doppler. After that he started grilling me about how much weight I have gained. So far I've gained a total of five pounds, which I didn't think was that bad. Everything that I have read for my height and weight says that the range I should gain should be in between 25 to 35 pounds. The doctor said I should only gain a total of 15?! This would mean that I would only be able to gain ten more pounds. I was really confused and told him that everything I've read has said 25-35 and he just blew me off. He said I needed to start exercising and counting my calories. He even made me download a calorie counting app on my phone. He just made me feel so bad about gaining five pounds. Maybe I'm overreacting but I'm really considering switching doctors.

aruiz82 · April 2011

I think some doctors are becoming more and more proactive about weight. I think its a great thing considering the obesity rate in our country and they way doctors tend to be more about the drugs and surgeries than about pushing healthy lifestyles on people. Healthy lifestyles don't make them much money. Sounds like you have a great doctor, be glad. And of course, he's right, theres no reason to gain a lot of weight.

greengirl0909 · April 2011

I don't mean to be too nosy or upset you, but are you overweight? Women who are overweight women are suggested to only gain 15 - 25 lbs during their pregnancy. Extra weight gain can cause lots of issues for the baby and for you, I'm sure you've read that. If your doc makes you uncomfortable, by all means don't keep using him but just make sure it's not because he offended you when he might have your best interest at heart! GL

InfamousQBert · April 2011

no doctor should make you feel guilty for 5 pounds. are you staying active? eating healthy? a lot of doctors still go by BMI and ignore other factors. even when your cholesterol & such are healthy, they'll assume you're not doing the right things and won't even ask you about your diet & exercise before telling you what you're doing wrong. don't obsess about your weight gain and find a different doc if you can. if you can't, tell him firmly that you don't want to hear about your weight, just if the baby is healthy. eat well and listen to what your body tells you, not what some calorie counter tells you. it's a hard thing for us to relearn in this diet obsessed world, but it's important. you need to be as relaxed and happy as possible during this pregnancy and a doctor who is stressing you out about something this small is NOT going to help with that.

smilelari · April 2011

Really whether that advice is appropriate depends. Gaining 15 lbs while pregnant might actually be a net loss (it's entirely possible for the baby + placenta + increased blood volume to weigh more than 15 lbs). But, if you are overweight or at risk for gestational diabetes, the advice may be sound.

If you are average or under weight, then 25-35 is a much more reasonable and healthy range.

RaeJ004 · April 2011

Here's my thing. Everybody gains weight differently, at different times in the pregnancy, and different rates. Even if he thought you gained too much too soon.... to have you count calories??? I say do what you feel comfortable with. If it's 25 pounds, more power to you!

iluvmylab · April 2011

I agree with the others. The amount of weight you should gain varies by how much you currently weigh. It is quite dangerous to gain a lot of weight during pregnancy (for anyone, not just those who are overweight) and it can make it harder to get back down to a healthy weight after baby comes. I don't think the doctor was trying to make you feel bad, sometimes they have to tell us what's best for us even when we don't want to hear it. If you are uncomfortable though, get a second opinion. You need to be with a doctor that you feel is looking out for you and that you can trust. Good luck!

aruiz82 · April 2011

InfamousQBert:
no doctor should make you feel guilty for 5 pounds. are you staying active? eating healthy? a lot of doctors still go by BMI and ignore other factors. even when your cholesterol & such are healthy, they'll assume you're not doing the right things and won't even ask you about your diet & exercise before telling you what you're doing wrong. don't obsess about your weight gain and find a different doc if you can. if you can't, tell him firmly that you don't want to hear about your weight, just if the baby is healthy. eat well and listen to what your body tells you, not what some calorie counter tells you. it's a hard thing for us to relearn in this diet obsessed world, but it's important. you need to be as relaxed and happy as possible during this pregnancy and a doctor who is stressing you out about something this small is NOT going to help with that.

Diet obsessed? What country do you live in?

Percentage of Americans who are obese...34%

Percentage who are overweight....34%

It all starts with an extra five pounds, remember that ladies.

Ksych · April 2011

guppysown@yahoo.com:
I don't mean to be too nosy or upset you, but are you overweight? Women who are overweight women are suggested to only gain 15 - 25 lbs during their pregnancy. Extra weight gain can cause lots of issues for the baby and for you, I'm sure you've read that. If your doc makes you uncomfortable, by all means don't keep using him but just make sure it's not because he offended you when he might have your best interest at heart! GL

Not sure if I did the quote thing right, but my BMI is in normal range. My pre-pregnancy weight was 125. That's why I was so confused, because I fall into the "normal" category.

InfamousQBert · April 2011

Ksych:

Not sure if I did the quote thing right, but my BMI is in normal range. My pre-pregnancy weight was 125. That's why I was so confused, because I fall into the "normal" category.

find a doctor who respects you and listens to you, one who doesn't just see you as a set of numbers that aren't conforming to some chart he memorized. any decent doc understands that all bodies are different and all pregnancies are different and will talk to YOU about YOUR body and how it's changing. not about how it's diverging from everyone else's.

smilelari · April 2011

Ksych:
guppysown@yahoo.com:
I don't mean to be too nosy or upset you, but are you overweight? Women who are overweight women are suggested to only gain 15 - 25 lbs during their pregnancy. Extra weight gain can cause lots of issues for the baby and for you, I'm sure you've read that. If your doc makes you uncomfortable, by all means don't keep using him but just make sure it's not because he offended you when he might have your best interest at heart! GL

Not sure if I did the quote thing right, but my BMI is in normal range. My pre-pregnancy weight was 125. That's why I was so confused, because I fall into the "normal" category.

Honestly, if I were in the normal range and was told to only gain 15 lbs while pregnant I'd find a different doctor. That isn't healthy.

2BMrs.Carter · April 2011

Weight aside, the most important thing was that the doctor made you uncomfortable. Even if he was just trying to give you advice, it didn't go over well. During pregnancy, it is MOST important to feel comfortable with your doctor. You may want to ask around and get a referral for a new doctor.

WifeyMommy2011 · April 2011

My doctor told me ideally I should gain 6 lbs a trimester but for my body type I shouldn't gain more than 20 lbs for the whole pregnancy.

lindseymik13 · April 2011

I don't think your doctor meant any harm. You have to remember that 5lbs early can be alot. You are only 10 weeks along and he might be doing the math that if you continue gaining 5 lbs a month you would be above the recommended weight gain. Especially when you gain more towards the middle to the end of pregnancy. I do admit that 15 lbs is a little low for weight gain in my opinion. But I only gain 20 lbs with my first child.

caren5980 · April 2011

I hate the scale! Does it consider bloating to all the crazy changes! Maybe I am just hypersensitive since i gained 7lbs and it is only week 5. Not to be gross, It has been so long since a BM and I am sorry... That can add weight! Hope this post at least made you laugh a little!

skittleblu · April 2011

Ksych:
Hi everyone, I've been lurking around for a bit and have posted once, but I figured it's time to introduce myself. My name is Kasey, I work full-time and I am also a full time college student. DH and I just got married in December, In March we found out that we were expecting a surprise.Even though it wasn't planned we are both very excited (and nervous).
I had my second appointment today, and I have to say that I was not very happy about it. I would like to hear some opinions, maybe I'm just over reacting?So when I got there the appointment started off great, the doctor even found the babies hb with a doppler. After that he started grilling me about how much weight I have gained. So far I've gained a total of five pounds, which I didn't think was that bad. Everything that I have read for my height and weight says that the range I should gain should be in between 25 to 35 pounds. The doctor said I should only gain a total of 15?! This would mean that I would only be able to gain ten more pounds. I was really confused and told him that everything I've read has said 25-35 and he just blew me off. He said I needed to start exercising and counting my calories. He even made me download a calorie counting app on my phone. He just made me feel so bad about gaining five pounds. Maybe I'm overreacting but I'm really considering switching doctors.

Just curious - which calorie counting app? And how many calories did he recommend for you?

Ksych · April 2011

skittleblu:
Ksych:
Hi everyone, I've been lurking around for a bit and have posted once, but I figured it's time to introduce myself. My name is Kasey, I work full-time and I am also a full time college student. DH and I just got married in December, In March we found out that we were expecting a surprise.Even though it wasn't planned we are both very excited (and nervous).
I had my second appointment today, and I have to say that I was not very happy about it. I would like to hear some opinions, maybe I'm just over reacting?So when I got there the appointment started off great, the doctor even found the babies hb with a doppler. After that he started grilling me about how much weight I have gained. So far I've gained a total of five pounds, which I didn't think was that bad. Everything that I have read for my height and weight says that the range I should gain should be in between 25 to 35 pounds. The doctor said I should only gain a total of 15?! This would mean that I would only be able to gain ten more pounds. I was really confused and told him that everything I've read has said 25-35 and he just blew me off. He said I needed to start exercising and counting my calories. He even made me download a calorie counting app on my phone. He just made me feel so bad about gaining five pounds. Maybe I'm overreacting but I'm really considering switching doctors.

Just curious - which calorie counting app? And how many calories did he recommend for you?

It's called calorie counter and the picture is a scale with two footprints on it. He recommended 1200 calories, which I think sounds a little bit low, but I could be wrong. Like I've posted above I'm not overweight, I'm just confused on why he has given me such low number for everything.

ChasSCBlondie · April 2011

Weighing 125 you really should be safe gaining 25 lbs. 5 lbs can be considered a lot in the first trimester, but everyone gains weight differently during pregnancy. A lot of my friends have gained more than that at the beginning and ended with healthy pregnancy weights. If you do not mesh well with you doctor, now is a good time change. You would still have most of your pregnancy to get a good relationship with a new doctor.

ChasSCBlondie · April 2011

I do not think that a 1200 calorie diet is enough. I am 5'5" and 125 lbs myself. I was already working with a nutritionist before I got pregnant due to needing to gain weight after losing so much from a bad Crohns Disease flare up. Once I had reached 125 she had me maintaining with a 1300 calorie diet and that was not being pregnant. She told me to continue that and add in an extra healthy snack now that I am pregnant.

cottonlily84 · April 2011

Ok, all this sounds so wrong... First off unless you're 3 ft tall you are in a very healthy weight range. Secondly 15 lbs is recommended, according to everything I've read and heard, for overweight women which you are not. For healthy women 25-30 lbs is average. Plus, you might gain 5 lbs now and lose 10 next trimester! You never know how your appetite is going to be. And I certainly don't think 1200 calories is enough for a pregnant woman. Aren't normal nutritional guidelines based on a 2000 calorie a day diet? And at this stage you should be consuming at extra 300 calories per day for the baby.

And lastly 5 lbs is just 5 lbs. It is NOT necessarily the beginning of being obese and dying from heart disease. Some women can gain 5 lbs of fluid retention weight with their period! And then it's lost within a week. 5 lbs is vanity weight, and vanity has no place in discussions of sound medical advice from your dr. If he's concerned you might gain too much overall, that's understandable. Treating you so coldly with no bedside manner isn't appropriate, imo.

katykat17 · April 2011

I ended up LOSING a little weight in the 3rd tri during both my pregnancies (maybe 3 lbs) because my stomach was so smooshed I couldn't get much down. My dr told me this was completely normal and I was technically overweight when I was pregnant. Bottom line is if you feel uncomfortable find a different Dr.

smilelari · April 2011

1200 calories is insane. Do you know at what calorie level you normally maintain at? For me it's somewhere around 1700. So, if I were counting (and I'm not) I'd be shooting for 1700 in the first tri (maintenance) and 2000 in the second and third (maintenance + 300).

b.heather · April 2011

Just an FYI for folks - the USDA makes a really cool food pyramid that gives you calorie counts and a breakdown of recommendations for food intake for pregnant and nursing women that is customized to your age, height, weight, and trimester.

For comparison, for the sake the discussion in this thread, I am 5ft4in and 139 (healthy BMI) and it indicated I needed 2000 cals in first tri, 2200 in second tri, and 2400 in thrid tri.

Here's the linky: https://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramidmoms/pyramidmoms_plan.aspx#

Ksych · April 2011

b.heather:
Just an FYI for folks - the USDA makes a really cool food pyramid that gives you calorie counts and a breakdown of recommendations for food intake for pregnant and nursing women that is customized to your age, height, weight, and trimester.
For comparison, for the sake the discussion in this thread, I am 5ft4in and 139 (healthy BMI) and it indicated I needed 2000 cals in first tri, 2200 in second tri, and 2400 in thrid tri.
Here's the linky: https://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramidmoms/pyramidmoms_plan.aspx#

Thanks for the link.I've checked it out and it has made me feel so much better. It indicates the same for me 2000 in first tri, 2200 in second and 2400 in third.Now I'm definitely sure that y doctor had screwed something up. 1200 is really far from 2000.

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