Being Overweight and Pregnant - Reassurance Needed Please

[WW1]

My mw has been fine about my weight, my consultant went through the increased risks. However, she didn't say what the risks went to and from so it was all pretty meaningless! To me, telling me something increases the risks is too generic. If the risk goes from 1 in a million to 1 in 10 then I'd be concerned. If it's from 1 in a million to 1 in 999,999 then I'll ignore it! Without that info it's nonsense! My response (re the VBac, C section question) was to ask which was lower risk, what the percentage risks were, what could be done to mitigate the risks and when did the decision realistically have to made. The answers to those were actually helpful! OP - don't be afraid to tell the mw if you feel she is being unhelpful - you don't have to put up with it!

 

[Loulabear22]

So thought id add my five pence
First pregnancy age 17/18 bmi of 23.....no gd....no hb....9lb1 baby! Ouch!! Second pregnancy age 24 bmi of 27.... No hb but got severe gd....ended up insulin dependant....baby came at 38+5 weighing a healthy 7lb4oz.....third baby.....age 26....bmi 32+.....no hb.....no gd.....infact low sugar results....33 weeks currently and expecting a fairly large baby according to growth scans! Its all aload of twiddle, midwife told me I was guranteed to get gd again as I was insulin dependant last time&I'm fatter& I only left 8 months between pregnancies....well shove u missy I deffo don't have it! So don't you worry missy!! Xxx

 

[MyFavSurprise]

I was a perfect weight when I got pregnant with my son...but I couldn't handle the cravings at all and I practically lived off of doughnuts (and I don't even like doughnuts)...I gained 100lbs.. but even with all of that sugar and weight gain I had no pregnancy complications at all.. except for a stuck up nutritionist (I usually don't like them much lol... "YOU go eat some cruciferous vegetables!") I haven't lost much since and I have a bmi of 35, no problems or concerns so far and none from my midwife except to try to only gain 15lbs this pregnancy max..that way I won't be heavier after. I'm sorry you're stuck with this lady, I had a rude woman tell me that my huge ovarian cyst shouldn't hurt but I do need to "get healthy" or else I won't concieve a baby (I didn't ask about that).. turns out at that very moment in her office my little egg was being fertilized. Some people just get uncomfortable when it comes to weight.. sometimes I want to tell them I'm uncomfortable enough with my weight without you making it worse! They say so go lose some weight...well I think we all know if it was that easy we would all be exactly the weights we want to be.

 

[laurac1988]

Thank you for sharing your experiences ladies, you've really all helped me feel much better. I'm going to keep doing all I can to keep me and baby healthy, but with the knowledge that if these things happen they're not necessarily anyone's fault.

 

[Buttercup84]

I've been classed as obese for both of my pregnancies but it hasn't caused any problems. I barely gained any weight with either of my girls and was feeling fairly energetic/pain free until pretty late on, probably just lucky but i'm hoping this one is the same

 

[LaurenH2B]

Hope your pregnancy is going well! I know this is kinda an old thread but please don't panic, my BMI at booking was 39. I dont have high BP, or GD, or infact any problems at all.
They barely even weigh me at my appointments, think i've been weighed twice in this pregnancy? I've gained around 14lbs all in all. As long as you eat well, and keep as active as you can there is no need to have problems!

Good luck

 

[bathbabe]

My first pregnancy my BMI was about 37 I think. Everything was perfect and easy except a touch of sciatica. Very straight forward and easy birth except he was 4weeks early.
This time my BMI at booking was 42.5... so far everything has been fine except SPD. I always think if your gunna get it then your gunna get it no matter what your weight/height/age/race etc. Nobody knows for sure xx

 

[laurac1988]

Thanks for all the reassurance ladies. All is going well so far.

Had a few snarky comments from healthcare professionals about my weight. Getting quite tired of it to be honest

 

[mod19]

I never got gd or had high blood pressure with dd. It wasn't a normal pregnancy y by any means, but that had nothing to do with my weight. I didn't have a big baby - 6lbs 12oz. I did end up with a c section, but again, not because of my weight. She was diagonal in there and couldn't come down all the way.

 

[Nerdy]

My son was 10lbs 3oz and yes I had to have a C-section, but only because I was contracting for 2 weeks and not progressing at all. That was NO fault of my weight, but everything to do with having a giant baby and stubborn cervix.

I had NO GD. NO hypertension. NO nothing and I was treated like CRAP by my OB's office until I complained and made them feel like crap. I'm only 5'6"ish and I've been a size 18 - 26 most of my adult life. I'm more active than most itsy bitsy "straight size" women. I was still hiking the Arizona desert and mountains up through the middle of my third trimester. When not pregnant, I ride horses in several disciplines. Do I feel sorry for myself? No. I compete in plus size pageantry to spread the word that being overweight doesn't necessarily mean that someone is unhealthy, lazy, or useless!

Newsflash: Plus Size Preggos have extremely healthy babies EVERY DAY! My current OB has gone on record to say that she sees more GD in her size 2 health nut patients than in her size 14+ patients. Case? My sister developed GD which has turned into full blown Diabetes now and her son is 6 weeks younger than mine. She's a size 8-10.

So... Ignore the fear mongering and seriously work to enjoy your pregnancy. Find another OB and complain endlessly about the ones working to stress you out. Can't switch? Do what I did. Tell them "Great! Now instead of trying to fat bash me, tell me what I can do RIGHT NOW to have the healthiest pregnancy possible! Sadly I can't wiggle my nose, snap my fingers, or click my heels to magically and immediately shed the excess weight so let's stop attacking me like I can and be informative and productive, mkay? Glad we're on the same page now."

They get taken aback and shut their mouths pretty damned quickly.

 

[laurac1988]

Thanks for all the reassurance ladies.

In the end I did switch hospitals after ending up feeling so crap about it all that I was having panic attacks before appointments. The difference in the new hospital is AMAZING. So totally different.

I won't tell the full stories here, but here's the blogs I wrote...
Part one https://weforgotthesperm.wordpress....iences-and-the-journey-to-changing-hospitals/
Part two https://weforgotthesperm.wordpress....d-the-journey-to-changing-hospitals-part-two/

Everything is totally fine in my pregnancy so far. BP is fine, she's healthy and a normal size... Nothing wrong. I've put on about 8lbs since booking in.

We'll see how it goes from this point onwards, but thanks to the new hospital and the reassurance here, I know that I shouldn't blame myself for anything that may or may not arise. I'm doing my very best for this little girl