Obese & Pregnant

IrishBaby1982 · January 2016

Hi ladies-
I just got a BFP today and this will be my 3rd baby. I got pregnant in March 2015 but it was a blighted ovum and I had to have a D&C. I've always battled with my weight. I was 170 when preggers with DS1 and 190 with DS2, luckily, I only gained 12 and 9 pounds with those pregnancies. I tend to gain all my weight after I have the babies and I'm home. Now, I'm 224 and totally scared! I will have to have a c section because I've had 2 prior. I want to be healthy and I want my baby to be healthy but I'm terrified. Anyone else obese and pregnant? Any thoughts and suggestions how to be healthy during the pregnancy besides the obvious (vitamins, healthy diet and lots of water)? Thanks ladies! I hope you all are well:)

Monicagail1 · January 2016

Talk to your doctor, share your concerns. Ultimately they will be your best resource for information. The only thing I would add to your list is moderate exercise, if approved by your doctor.

Here's my experience. I have been obese for all three of my pregnancies. I'm working in the other direction though. I was at my heaviest for my first pregnancy, and started this third pregnancy at my lightest, though still at a higher weight than you. For the most part I don't think my first two pregnancy experiences were much different than any other. Overall I followed the same prenatal treatment plan as anyone else. I did develop GD with my first pregnancy. I was already at higher risk due to a family history of type 2 diabetes, weight, and being insulin resistant prior to pregnancy. Once diagnosed I followed the normal course of treatment/monitoring and had a healthy 7.13lb baby at 40 weeks. I was tested earlier in my second pregnancy for GD (twice, actually) but passed both times easily. Ironically I had a healthy 9lb baby at 37 weeks.

This time around is a whole other experience. I was diagnosed as T2 diabetes before my BFP, so I am much more closely monitored. I did a lot of research and lifestyle changes prior to BFP, and also met with a MFM doctor to discuss my condition and treatment during pregnancy. With careful monitoring, medication management, and keeping my A1C in the suggested range, which thankfully I have been able to do both before and during this pregnancy, my doctors expect I will have about as good a change at a healthy baby as the average person. So far all of my testing and u/s results support that as well

Caroline7703 · January 2016

I'm interested, too. I just found out I'm pregnant. My doctor had wanted me to lose *at least* 35 pounds before I got pregnant, but I gained 35 instead. He's not going to be happy when I see him. He did say he wanted me to lose another 35 pounds while pregnant, so I'm starting that. I would love to hear anyone's advise about losing weight and staying healthy.

bunfactory · January 2016

I am obese, and like @Monicagail1 I am insulin resistant. Just saw the MFM today and they are treating me as if I have GD for the duration of the pregnancy (I am 8w4d) to ward off complications. I am now researching to see what all this means.

nerdymama15 · January 2016

I am currently 20 weeks 7 days. I will be 21 weeks on Wednesday. I started this pregnancy off at 233lbs. I am also insulin resistant due to my PCOS and am having to take insulin shots and 2000mg of metformin daily. I also have to eat better than I did prior to my pregnancy. I now weigh 219lbs just from eating better during the pregnancy. I"m still considered obese, but so far everything is going along smoothly.

SLGILL1978 · January 2016

I was in the middle of losing weight when I got pregnant. I am also an insulin dependent diabetic. In addition to your healthy diet, exercise is also good. I walked everyday. Also, the key is moderation. I had a ton of cravings. I didn't deny myself, but just had them in moderation. The best advice my OB gave was "follow all my directions and you'll have a healthy pregnancy and baby". I did exactly that and he was right. It also might not hurt to see a nutritionist. They can give you more info on healthy meals, options so you're not stuck eating the same thing. Since I maintained control of my diet, exercise and sugars a few months before getting pregnant and during, I never had to see a specialist. I actually saw my OB on a regular schedule (like low risk) until I was 34 weeks. At that point, I saw him weekly.

BryDienta · January 2016

During the year before I got pregnant I regained about 40 pounds that I had lost after having a gastric sleeve done. Throughout my pregnancy they treated me as though I would definitely get GD and like I was a very sick person. I remained extremely active and healthy throughout my pregnancy until I had some high fluid at 34 weeks. I passed two GD tests (16 and 28 weeks) with flying colors to the surprise of my doctor. After I found out I had high fluid I went on an extremely low carb diet and my fluid levels went back to normal and I even lost a few pounds. I delivered 4 days past due date and my little man was a healthy 7lbs 13oz! My biggest advice is to take everything the doctors say with a grain of salt. Every woman recently that I know with GD is actually on the smaller side. My second piece of advice would be to just try to eat as healthy as possible, drink a TON of water, and do as much walking/light exercise as you can. Us larger ladies can have extremely healthy and successful pregnancies regardless of what the doctors like to scare us with!

ElizaAnne · January 2016

I'm so glad to hear of women considered obese who have gone on to have healthy babies. I'm 26, 5'-11" and about 275. I wear a size 20 pants/dresses and an11/12 shoe. At my thinnest ever I weighed 225, and wore a size 14/16. I'm just a REALLY BIG human. Now I just found out I'm pregnant after losing my first child to stillbirth at 25+6 last January. I had mild hypertension (usually 135/83) and out of nowhere it skyrocketed to a 192/117 and he died rather unexpectedly. The official cause of death was placental insufficiency but part of me wonders if i were "thin" if it could have been different. I'm doing things totally differently with this pregnancy (no soda, no eating out, low sodium, more veggies and fruits, 3-4 liters of water per day, taking my labetalol very carefully, etc) but I'm still scared that I'll miscarry or give birth to another stillborn child. It's good to know that with careful lifestyle it can be possible to give birth to a healthy child. Much love to all of you ladies!
Lizz

xtraumaxqueenx · July 2016

I'm way bigger than the lot of y'all (prepregnancy was 307, highest during pregnancy was 320, currently sitting at 298) and I feel like, despite a couple complications, myself and my pregnancy have been very healthy.

I was diagnosed with GD at 28wks and was immediately put on metformin and then insulin was added last week. I'm doing all kinds of testing (non-stress tests twice weekly) to monitor baby and she seems to be very happy and very healthy. My blood pressure is perfect, and with the exception of the GD, I haven't had any big problems.

They are talking about inducing me at 38wks, but I'm not convinced that's going to be necessary. We'll see what happens!

beggsyboo · August 2016

I weigh 274 and I am now 8 weeks pregnant with our first. I went on fertility medication to conceive along with also taking metformin due to insulin resistant PCOS and I have a heck of a time trying to eat better. Not that I don't like healthy foods but I hate doing dishes and going out to get a chicken salad from Taco Bell is easier. Now that I might have a few other things (high blood pressure, elevated platelets and WBC but my GD test came back good though), I know I'm going to have to be better. I've cut out caffeine (except for a sip here and there if I need something really fast) and if I do drink pop it is usually diet ginger ale or sprite because I try to get as much water in as possible. I'll take any suggestions.

karabearrr · August 2016

I am 31 years old, 6', and weigh 315. Currently 23+5 right now and haven't gained or lost, so my OB seems to be happy that I am maintaining my weight. I passed my glucose test at 15 weeks, but they are having me take it again at 27 weeks and my OB is pretty sure I will fail. We'll see; I've been eating a ton of protein and less carbs to make sure that I can pass this test, so I'm ready to prove her wrong! LOL

My only "complications" so far is that due to my weight I still haven't felt baby kick yet, and they have a hard time finding enough of the baby's DNA in my blood, even though at the anatomy scan they found no problems.

fbmandy55 · October 2016

Glad I found this thread. I am 5-10 and currently 302lbs. I was actually 304 pre-pregnancy but lowest in my adult life was 214.

Because of my PCOS, my doctor never really pushed me to lose weight before TTC. In fact, he said maintaining my weight was probably going to be my best bet. I have a son from when I was 19 and because I carried a healthy pregnancy before, he was confident I could do it again.

He is only allowing me to gain 10lbs for my whole pregnancy, which is fine with me. I've done well maintaining the first 10 weeks and actually am down 2 pound even though I'm not trying to lose. He said since the baby will make up a lot of my birth weight, I should end up about 15lbs lighter after giving birth. I was on Metformin for insulin resistance prior to pregnancy and will stay on it throughout. I also have diagnosed hypertension which I take a small dose of pregnancy-safe medication for.

So far I feel really good. My only concerns are getting more winded when have to do brisk exercises (could also be BP medication) and having a hard time reaching my shoes/feet already!

samgirl22 · October 2016

Hi Ladies! I'm also obese. I'm 24 weeks 4 days. When I got pregnant I was 330 and now I am 320. I've had a great pregnancy so far just worried about having a csection if I have to have one.

elplocho · October 2016

My regular obstetrician has felt that the stress of trying to stay in strict guidelines is more likely to have negative effects, and that should a problem arise, we'll cross that bridge then. He said to do my best to stay healthy. Eat well, exercise when possible, and don't over exert yourself.

If you're worried about complications after a c section, talk to your OB. Mine said that if it was necessary that he'd make the incision higher up, so it would be less likely to get infected.

My specialist however, is super doom and gloom. I'm struggling to shake off the stress of possibly losing the baby late into the pregnancy.

Wildflowers and Ferns · November 2016

I'm also obese and pregnant, but yet my doctor cautioned me against restricting/dieting or trying to lose weight during the pregnancy, although if I lose slightly due to morning sickness or switching to healthier eating habits, that's fine and normal. She suggested that I should maintain the same weight in the first trimester, and then gain about 10-15lbs in the remainder of the pregnancy. She has some concern because of my high BMI but said that plenty of people in worse health than I have gone on to have healthy babies, so I am hopeful but cautious.

I was told to lose weight before becoming pregnant, which I managed to lose around 15lbs (a drop in the bucket, I am overweight by around 60) but immediately packed it back on once I stopped dieting severely and started TTC.

So far I am 12w today and have gained about 1lb, which I am not convinced is actual weight and not bloating, so I feel like hopefully I am on track.

I will have an early test for GD since I'm borderline prediabetic on my latest bloodwork. I was not at my last physical prepregnancy, but that was long enough ago that I'm not really sure if it's all pregnancy related or just a change in general. (And my doctor's response was that it's basically not relevant, just do the test early.)

karabearrr · November 2016

Wildflowers and Ferns said:

I'm also obese and pregnant, but yet my doctor cautioned me against restricting/dieting or trying to lose weight during the pregnancy, although if I lose slightly due to morning sickness or switching to healthier eating habits, that's fine and normal. She suggested that I should maintain the same weight in the first trimester, and then gain about 10-15lbs in the remainder of the pregnancy. She has some concern because of my high BMI but said that plenty of people in worse health than I have gone on to have healthy babies, so I am hopeful but cautious.

I was told to lose weight before becoming pregnant, which I managed to lose around 15lbs (a drop in the bucket, I am overweight by around 60) but immediately packed it back on once I stopped dieting severely and started TTC.

So far I am 12w today and have gained about 1lb, which I am not convinced is actual weight and not bloating, so I feel like hopefully I am on track.

I will have an early test for GD since I'm borderline prediabetic on my latest bloodwork. I was not at my last physical prepregnancy, but that was long enough ago that I'm not really sure if it's all pregnancy related or just a change in general. (And my doctor's response was that it's basically not relevant, just do the test early.)

I had to do the test early at 15 weeks, I think. I passed with a 135, and the cut off was 139. And then they made me take it again at 25 weeks and my doctor was confident that I would fail..haha. I passed again, my levels at 135 once more. Just make sure to eat lots of protein if you can!

beggsyboo · November 2016

I will be 20 weeks this Wednesday and I am a FTM. I'm insulin resistant like a few of you are so they've watched my weight pretty carefully. I'm lucky because while they will occasionally mention it, the doctors don't act as though my weight is a death sentence. No sugars or proteins have showed up in the urine and my blood pressure has been very steady since I was 8 weeks pregnant. My weight has fluctuated a bit due to morning sickness but I am pretty much what I weighed pre pregnancy (276 then at 8 weeks I was 270 and I've been back at 275 since then and stayed steady). My regular ob has sent me to a high risk doctor but not specifically for my weight but more so because I am epileptic and my medication can cause birth defects (last ultrasound saw no signs of one and my downs test came back 1 in 10,000 chance) but I will be seeing another doctor to test the baby's heart because while it sounds strong they didn't see as much as they would like due to my size as well as my anti-seizure medication. I'm also anemic and have a high platelet count in previous blood work so I take a chewable aspirin and an iron supplement now to up the iron and reduce my risk of clots.
Doctors really like to scare people I think. I have like 5 doctors: my regular OB, my hematologist, my neurologist(I saw him before though), the high risk OB, and the cardiologist who will do the echocardiogram of the baby's heart.

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