low bmi at start of pregnancy? « Back to Group Discussions

[timesway]

Hello,

Just wondered if anyone suffered from a low bmi at the start of pregnancy? How it is affecting your pregnancy, weight gain and the amount they are worrying? I have just been told i am going to need extra scans.. I seem to be ticking nearly all the risk factor buttons on the list!! Have you tryed to gain weight during pregnancy? or have you just tryed to have a healthy balanced diet? Also how did you deal with weight gain of the pregnancy and did you worry about putting on too much weight in pregnancy and therefore worried what affect that mite have on the pregnancy?

[aHikaru]

Originally Posted by timesway 

Hello,

Just wondered if anyone suffered from a low bmi at the start of pregnancy? How it is affecting your pregnancy, weight gain and the amount they are worrying? I have just been told i am going to need extra scans.. I seem to be ticking nearly all the risk factor buttons on the list!! Have you tryed to gain weight during pregnancy? or have you just tryed to have a healthy balanced diet? Also how did you deal with weight gain of the pregnancy and did you worry about putting on too much weight in pregnancy and therefore worried what affect that mite have on the pregnancy?

I was underweight with DD and gained 28lbs (from 5-9 months of pregnancy) which is the average. Now I weight even less than I did before I had DD and I have already gained 5 lbs in 2 months, so it is true when they say every pregnancy is different :)

[timesway]

thankyou :) i feel like ive gained quite a lot tbh.. but im still considered thin.. i was all ribs and hip bones protruding loads when i first got pregnant after being in hosp and living off fortisips but at about 8 weeks the nausea changed from not even touching food to  sickness made me keep eating rather then stop as its sooo much worse if i dont eat (as i can feel right now, after not eating enough protein today.. now i cant sleep-yuk.. 

Did you have lots of scans? what advice did they say about your weight? do you have a small frame?

I'm  tall (about 5'8/9) but have the bone structure of someone who is 5ft.. and a very long spine/neck/legs.. which makes my weight i think be less generally.. my hands are tiny about the size of an 11 year old childs (not joking.. in fact i have met 11 year olds with far bigger hands) and the rest of my frame follows.. im never therefore the weight they expect me to be! I personally thought my weight was ok now.. if a bit swollen.. but apparently still the numbers say no!.. what bmi were you?
 

[CoBabyMaker]

timesaway, forgive me if this sounds rude (it is certainly not intended to be) but if i recall correctly you are in a wheelchair.  It seems that because of that you would carry significantly less muscle (and therefore weight) in your legs.  To me, that would seem to explain some of your low weight.  I am typically on the low end of the healthy range and lose a few pounds in the first trimester due to morning sickness.  I have gone on to gain 37 pounds in each of my pregnancies.  I eat, a lot, because I am constantly hungry (once MS is done).  Just focus on getting healthy fats and good nutrition. 

It's a little odd to me that they are concerned about your weight this early on.  I'd wait and see what your body will do.

[timesway]

i think because my bmi from when i was in hosp came out at 15, and even now its 16.8.. i also have osteoporosis.. which makes my bones lighter.. and so on.. but yes.. they get a bit weird about it sometimes.. (i once had a bmi of under 10 and had to be peg fed through a tube into my stomach, so this mite be partially why)
 

oh and it doesnt sound rude atall.. you are completely correct.. i have zero legs.. lol my calves look a lot like peg legs ;)

[aHikaru]

Before this pregnancy my BMI was 16 (via online calculator), i'm 5'3" and very petite, 32"B-26"-32" to be exact.

[nstewart]

I only put so much stock in BMI, as it doesn't take body type into account.  I am 5'9", slim, but am muscular and have broad shoulders and larger bones.  I have ALWAYS been heavier than you'd guess by looking at me and my BMI is thus not high, but on the high side of normal.

There has to be a better measure for you I think than BMI.  If you are concerned, you could also consider working with a nutritionist who can ensure that you are getting the right amount of calories and that they are nutritionally dense and who can better tell you if your BMI should be of concern.  Doctors are not experts when it comes to nutrition (or breastfeeding, or parenting....) but nutritionists are.

[BaileyB]

I did. I was 19 BMI when I got pregnant but was as low as 18.7 last summer. I worked all winter to try and gain 15 lbs. I ended up gaining 2, losing 2, and DH gained 10.I knew going int o this pregnancy that I would have worse MS if I didn't gain those 15 lbs and I was right. I am pretty sure I wouldn't have any this time if I had gained but I just couldn't for some reason.

As far as weight gain in pregnancy, I never worry. I mean with my first I was somewhat wondering how long it would to take to lose it all but it didn't make me consider what I was eating any. :-) So far in this pregnancy I am 12 weeks + 1 day and have gained 6 lbs. I am not actively trying to gain.

Why do they want to do extra scans? To check growth of baby?

[timesway]

Yes.. they said because bmi is so low (im also tall, about 5'9) that there could be probs with growth etc.. im not sure.. tbh i think my weight is stabalising as it had really dropped at the begginning, but it seemed to worry the midwife. i guess this is what i was wondering.. what the risks were for being underweight and did anyone else get told they were higher risk because of therehealth.