2015 MARCH-MALLOWS... Due in March 2015!! Come join us!

[MrsKChicago]

I'm not sure what exactly the issue is. I was technically (barely) obese when I got pregnant, and I was still 30 or 40lbs away from the water birth limit, so it's not super duper mega strict. I'm not sure if it's a matter of being able to get you out of the tub, or just being able to reach the baby? Since I'm allowed to labor in the tub no matter what weight I am, it's hard to think of what would only come up during the pushing stage. I know my midwives and hospital are pretty careful about making sure their policies are evidence based and not just arbitrarily applied because "that's the way things are done," so there must be a reason.

I really ought to weigh myself and see where I am. At the rate I'm going, I may just break the 40 bmi limit despite having started out so far below it...

 

[MrsKChicago]

You inspired me to look it up. This is an interesting read, though obviously from a biased source (because who isn't biased when it comes to childbirth??). https://wellroundedmama.blogspot.com/2008/08/so-why-bmi-restrictions-in-waterbirth.html

 

[mommasquirrel]

I don't think being obese makes anyone high risk for pregnancy. I know plenty of obese women who gave birth without any problems and skinny ones that had issues.
For example: I have a friend who is 5'5 and 230 pounds pre-pregnancy. She gained 30 pounds in the pregnancy and her BMI was in the morbidly obese range but she had no problems and gave birth naturally.
Then on the other hand you have my friend who is super athletic and was working out during the pregnancy. She's 5-8 and pre-pregnancy weight was 150. She gained about 15 pounds in total but developed gestational diabetes and ended up being high risk because of genetics.
Personally though I am worried a bit because I am obese. I started out at 170 before trying and the fertility meds just made me gain weight like I was a starved child at an all you can eat buffet. I gained about 70 pounds in 2 years. I don't regret it at all because we finally got pregnant.
The only thing I think that would be nice is not to have to lug all this extra weight around right now. I wouldn't worry about being obese during the pregnancy or after. The weight will come off in time.
I think I gained a majority of the weight in my hips, thighs, and boobs.. DH doesn't mind at all, lol. He gained weight too just from being around me. Poor guy.

 

[mommasquirrel]

I really enjoyed the article. There are a lot of good points in there that I didn't think of.

 

[MrsKChicago]

I worry about my weight and its impact on the pregnancy, but so far everything is going well, so I'm hoping it continues that way. I know a lot of it is just paranoia because OMG fat people can't be healthy!!! I've always been in good health, even at my heaviest, so I don't see why pregnancy would be any different. There's always that nagging fear of sudden complications, though, like gestational diabetes, or blood pressure problems. The fancy blood pressure machines at the midwife's office don't read me correctly, so I hope I don't have trouble convincing them to do it manually at the hospital. I'd hate to be classed as high risk because of high blood pressure when it's not even high! The only people I know of in real life who had weight related complications were really really extremely obese and already had weight related health issues.

I'm not suffering too much from carrying extra weight around, but I lost a lot of weight in the two years leading up to getting pregnant (I was down 50lbs at one point, but gained ten or fifteen back), so I guess my body is used to it. It's getting a little harder to maneuver, but I don't think that's weight related so much as shape related.

 

[MrsKChicago]

For all my worrying, you'd think I'd have the good sense not to sit here eating whipped cream straight from the can...

 

[mommasquirrel]

you make me smile MrsK. I completely understand the fear of it all and if I had whipped cream I'd be doing the same thing. DH already consumed the whole can in two days.
Right now I am procrastinating about going to the grocers. I just want a chocolate bar and some cookies. Oh and a nice long sleep so I don't get cranky.

 

[DrMum]

Morning all. Can't sleep hence the 2am online-ness.....

I saw my OB today and am officially scheduled for c section either on or as soon as possible after February 20th! It feels very weird to know that already instead of the usual wondering when and where waters will go!

Weight wise I'm at 17lbs at 27weeks. It's more than I would have liked, but breastfeeding will shift a good amount and at this stage no matter what you do, it goes up!

My trend is the bigger baby so I can't imagine a 1lb13 baby mummy3. This ones EFW is 2lb11 already!

Anyhoo I should probably try and head back to bed... Lying there listening to DH and DS snoring just really annoys me after a while as I get really jealous I'm not asleep

 

[bumpwishes]

Haha thanks MrsK, I plucked the worst few. Thanks ladies!! I didn’t look at my bare tummy but it was so lovely to hear baby’s heartbeat again, even if it was only briefly. Everything was lovely. GP said baby was happy and kicking away .

Oh mommasquirrel your scan story was just lovely to read and baby looks soo cute! Glad it went so well. Ignore that silly lady, she doesn’t know what she is on about.

Drmum how exciting to pretty much know when LO will be arriving!

I think my bump is helping to make me feel extra excited about Christmas this year .

 

[mummy3]

My baby girl was estimated at 1lb 3oz not 1lb 13oz, its crazy to think that small! I actually do feel like she's a lot smaller than my normal but not convinced its at the <10% She's pretty violent in there for being small!!!

Foreign agent Not entirely sure what they would do with the poop, fish it out? I bet its seen all the time though, either from the mom or from the baby having early meconium or something. Likely in the moment you wont care at all but on the off chance you do then just blame baby

Missfrick, that is awful about that guys behavior!!!! I think I would have lost it at him ranting!!!

Mmmmm steak Good luck for the diabetes test!!

Miommasquirral, that is a beautiful story, what a special scan

People can be so rude about pregnant ladies!!! I've had both sides, being slimmer and being in the overweight side, both get comments. Its like a bump or pregnancy comment is an open invitation My sliimer pregnancies have been the least healthy so who knows, if you're healthy beforehand then no need to worry more

Why would they do it as a end of pregnancy weight restriction? That doesn't seem fair!!

 

[bucherwurm]

I am back from another midwife appointment. It went well.
My GT test came back fine, which is good.
We talked about birth places again. I'm still not sure where I want to have baby.
Everything seems fine with baby. I have another appointment in two weeks, to get checked up before the holidays.

 

[Teilana]

Did my GTT on Monday. Had a midwife appointment yesterday. I passed my test They also said that even though my iron and platelets were good, they were on the low end so they want me to drink more and take iron and chlorophyll supplements. Next appointment is in 3 weeks, December 22

 

[missfrick]

You inspired me to look it up. This is an interesting read, though obviously from a biased source (because who isn't biased when it comes to childbirth??). https://wellroundedmama.blogspot.com/2008/08/so-why-bmi-restrictions-in-waterbirth.html

Interesting read. "The fear of getting a fat woman out of water" kinda made me chuckle, if the "fat woman" fainted on the ground and required surgery someone would have to pick her up anyhow... In any case, I hope you stay under your limit. I definitely know the perils of weight loss and gain, I've struggled with mine for my entire life, have "successfully" done weight watchers twice (I say it like this because I eventually gained at least 50% of it back, the first time I gained 100% + 20lbs. I started doing intense workouts 2 weeks before finding out I was preggo and then had to stop (it was a lot of pushing myself which is not recommended during pregnancy).

As of this morning I am up 25 lbs and quite happy with it. My mom came over for lunch and hanging out with me for my birthday, and she felt the baby move 3 times! She's the second person to feel the baby, and even DH only felt her on one occasion. How exciting!

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes!

 

[MrsKChicago]

Happy birthday, MissFrick!

Glad to hear about appointments going well I can't wait for Tuesday's ultrasound.

Maybe it's harder to handle a wet, slippery fat chick? I could see the edges of the tub being an obstacle, too. But it still seems like an odd concern. I'm sure hospitals deal with moving heavy patients all the time and have protocols in place.

Mummy3, I haven't asked if they go by bmi at the start or end of pregnancy, but if it is an issue of not wanting to get a heavy mom out of the pool, it makes sense that it would be current weight. Some women lose, some gain 100lbs, so there's going to be a lot of variation in the end result of a 200lb woman getting pregnant. One of these days I do need to talk to the midwife about water birth, so I'll report back when I do. I'm keeping an open mind on what will be most comfortable at the time, but I'd like to have the option.

What are you ladies planning to wear for the birth? Everything I've heard says to bring your own comfy clothes and that it can make a big difference for the type of birth I'm aiming for, because you put the hospital gown on and it makes you feel like a sick patient, not a mother just doing what mothers have been doing for millennia. It all makes sense, but the laundry! I don't want to clean up after birth, and it feels wasteful to buy something that's going to be thrown out because it's covered in grossness. So impractical. The instructor at the hospital orientation talked about it last night and now DH is really gung ho about me bringing something with me, and said he'd take care of cleaning whatever I wear. I have good stuff for after the birth, at least. Lots of my roomy comfy nightgowns would be good for nursing.

 

[MrsKChicago]

Oh, and by B&B standards, I'm in the third trimester today! I wish the various countries and websites would make up their minds and just pick one exact day to switch trimesters! The limbo week is kind of weird.

 

[mkyerby16]

I'm very uneducated about water births but I can say if a person falls out on the floor it's actually a perfect place to preform cpr (heaven forbid). If it's in a tub they'd most likely need to figure out a way to get you out first.

 

[MrsKChicago]

That makes a lot of sense, Mykerby. They'd have to haul me off the floor eventually, but I can see how they could do a lot more with me right where I am if I fainted on dry land.

 

[missfrick]

I'm planning on going to WalMart/Target and buying a nice, loose nightie for my birth that is under $20 and I can throw away after. Everyone always says "oh but what about monitoring" but I want as low-intervention as possible and they can put a monitor on me to check, but since I'm not planning (hopefully) on an epidural there would be no reason for me to be constantly hooked up to the monitor.

 

[MrsKChicago]

Aside from a 20 minute monitoring session in triage, they just check in now and then with the doppler at my hospital, unless I have complications. They don't even have the regular strapped on monitors or epidurals available in the natural birth fancy rooms, I'd have to move to a regular delivery room. So it seems like I could just wear whatever. I may get something with easy access just in case, though. You never know what will happen, and then I wouldn't have to change into the hospital gown if I did need monitoring.

 

[LilFooshFoosh]

I have 3 black cotton night shirts from when I was pregnant with DS. I never got to use them because the birth didn't go as planned and I needed to be hooked up to all kinds of stuff! After everything was said and done I was able to change into one of them and was more comfortable, I felt more normal I guess. When I was in labour I don't really remember thinking or feeling anything at all about what I was wearing though, I could have been naked and I don't think I would have given it a second thought.

This time I will do the same thing I think, just wear the gown until after the baby is born and then change into something comfy afterwards.