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Originally Posted by vindemiatrix  I had a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass when I was in college. At the time, I did not want children, and did not bother researching how it might affect a pregnancy.
Ten years and 200 pounds later, my wife and I have three children (all of whom she carried) and would like to have a fourth. I would very much like to experience pregnancy, but I am uncertain about whether it's a good idea.
Has anyone here had children after WLS? If so, could you tell me about your experience?
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I'm currently six months pregnant after a duodenal switch in 2008. I made sure my labs were excellent before conceiving and I'm fanatical about taking supplements and eating enough protein. I am seeing hospital midwives and planning a hospital VBAC, and so far, everything is great. I dealt with blood pressure issues during my pre-op pregnancy, so they are watching me for that and I'm getting a little extra third trimester monitoring to make sure all is well, but my pressures have been much better behaved this time around.
If I were you, I'd start with a full set of labs and make adjustments to my vitamin regimen before TTC. What vitamins and minerals do you take? What labs have been problematic for you, if any? Are you in touch with your bariatric surgeon?
There are some good resources out there. In my experience, there are some laypeople who are as helpful as many medical professionals. I like Andrea at
WLS Vitagarten. She has had two post-op pregnancies herself. For bariatric-suitable vitamins at reasonable prices, I like
Vitalady.
Overall, post-WLS pregnancies tend to result in healthy babies and have good outcomes. It's best to get your ducks in a row nutritionally first, like I said, but once that's in control, you should be able to have a good pregnancy. Best of luck to you.
