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Anyone concerned about weight and getting preg?

post #1 of 19
3/27/06 at 2:23pm
Thread Starter 
Dh and I are wanting to having another baby, but I am currently overweight (almost 50 lbs). I got the mirena iud after my last baby and put on thirty pounds in three months. I found out that this is common with this type of birth control and have been struggling to lose it, but not with success. I don't have the iud anymore as of last week and am so glad to be rid of it. I just don't know if haing it gone will make losing the weight easier. Does anyone think that a pregnancy with extra weight is that much harder? Would I be doing myself a disservice by not waiting until I can get thet weight off? Any advice would be good!
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post #2 of 19
3/27/06 at 4:16pm
I think you're going to have to answer this one for yourself. But from my perspective, you'll gain some weight (most likely anyway) no matter if you lose the weight first or not. However, I think pregnancy will be easier on your body if you don't start out heavier. This means though, that you'll have to lose the weight first which will take a number of months. So, I'd go for losing the weight, getting pregnant, then taking whatever weight you gain off again, rather than just getting to be 100 lbs over weight, for example.
post #3 of 19
3/27/06 at 4:49pm
I'm currently over weight and trying to concieve. However for me the decision not to attemp to lose the weight stems from the fact that I LOST 30lbs while pregnant with dd due to severe morning sickness and inability to eat and then I gained back about 15lbs still putting me under pre preg weight when I delivered. I've now gained all the weight back and am ttc. I think you have to ask yourself how out of shape are you? Can you walk a couple miles without getting winded. Did you lose any weight in prev pregnancies before starting to gain and did you gain a lot of weight during your pregnancies? I think these are all factors we have to consider, no matter how hard we try we don't all have runners bodies and we dont all gain 50lbs while pregnant.
post #4 of 19
3/27/06 at 5:17pm
Thread Starter 
I did lose weight with my last pregnancy and never gained what I should have! 10 lbs was about it. My weight gain was post partum. I suffered ppd and gained a bit of weight once on meds and then got the iud and gained quite a bit more. I've always been pretty roundish but in decent shape. I can play with my kids and walk 2.5 miles a day. I feel pretty good. I think I'll wait and see if I lose any weight over the summer and ttc this fall. Thanks for the advice!
post #5 of 19
3/28/06 at 4:13pm
I would say to get daily exercise and eat a good diet, these things alone can help you lose weight and you will want to be doing them during pregnancy anyway. Cut out sugar and simple carbs and if you lose weight great but if not at least you are starting your pregnancy with a great diet.

Keri
post #6 of 19
3/30/06 at 8:40pm
Here's a really good website on plus size pregnancy to hopefully relieve some of your fears.

There's nothing wrong with being heavier and getting pregnant, if you're healthy. If you eat well and are in decent shape (like PP said, can walk without getting to winded) you don't have anything to worry about.

That said, if you wanted to lose weight before TTC, a couple things: don't do it fast, don't diet while TTC, and even a couple points BMI drop can be an improvement, so it's not like you have to set yourself a goal of losing all the "extra" before you're "allowed" to get pregnant.
post #7 of 19
3/31/06 at 3:06pm
It looks like you're getting some great advice here. I know plenty of plus-size mamas who had perfectly healthy pregnancies, but I have been working over the past 1.5 years to lose weight (we were waiting anyway and I have had lot to lose) because I have blood-pressure problems related to my weight. The heavier I am, the higher my BP is. But if you don't have overt health complications related to weight and are still fairly fit, you may be perfectly fine. I do second Keri's suggestion about exercise and wholesome eating since both with help to prepare your body, and you may just find the scale going down, too!

Best of luck to you!
K
post #8 of 19
4/1/06 at 3:45am

I was just coming here to post this!

I am about 60 pounds overweight, and my "baby" is turning three next month. I can tell that he would really love another sibling to play with, but I just haven't been ready to get preggers again. I keep hoping that I will get my act together and lose the weight, but it just hasn't happened yet. I don't want to wait too much longer.

I know this sounds horribly petty, but I am wearing a size 18 right now, and it would just about kill me to have to move up officially to the plus sized clothing. It's just a stupid mental thing with me, but I'm able to rationalize the weight easier because I am still wearing "regular" sized clothes.

So, after all my blah, blah, blah...

Yes, I have definately let my weight keep me from getting pregnant. I just can't stand the thought of being pregnant while being so uncomfortable at my current state. :
post #9 of 19
4/4/06 at 9:25pm
: I'm 20 lbs. over my ideal weight. DH even commented that he'd prefer I was in better shape before I get preg again. But we're already TTC and if you can't try to lose while TTC (why is that, anyone know?), fuhgeddaboutit! I'm not going to add another 3-6 months onto my age trying to lose the weight. The clock is already ticking loudly, KWIM?

But alas, most of my regular pants don't fit me anymore and I refuse to buy a larger size while I'm ttc. I'd rather be buying MATERNITY pants!
post #10 of 19
4/5/06 at 12:37am
Dieting can often result in nutrient deficiencies - NOT what you want in the early stages of pregnancy! Dieting and rapid weight loss are also very hard on your body, leaving you in sub-obtimal shape going in to pregnancy, even if you weigh less. Thirdly, many toxins are stored in fat, and get "freed up" or "mobilized" (enter the maternal system) during weight loss, and can adversely affect the developing embryotic/fetal system.
post #11 of 19
4/8/06 at 2:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Willzmama
:But we're already TTC and if you can't try to lose while TTC (why is that, anyone know
You can lose weight while TTC. If you adopt the 'diet' we 'should' all have while pregnant it is likely you will lose weight naturally.

It is always best of have a high protein/no surgar diet whilst pregnant as well as getting plenty of exercise. For most of us cutting out all sugar, eating less processed foods, more green leafys, water and good protein as well as regular exercise will help us lose weight. I think by 'dieting' most people mean cutting out too many calories or taking any supplements to increase metabolism.

I am certainly not pefect but have cut out almost all sugar and am trying to adopt the pregnant diet before I get pregnant so that I can lose a few pounds and so that once I get pregnant I will already be used to the 'diet' I know my MW will ask of me.

No harm in losing a few lbs while TTC as long as you follow a healthy regime

Keri
post #12 of 19
4/18/06 at 8:33pm

I'm not TTC

I have about 20-30 pounds to lose and I refuse to become pregnant before attaining a healthy weight. Why? Because with preg #1 I had no pain or discomfort (and was a healthy weight), and preg #2 I was 20-30 lbs overweight and had horrible back pain. Plus, I felt uncomfortable with my body and it was harder to move at 9 mos pregnant (or 6 for that matter!) with an extra 20-30 pounds to carry. I will wait as long as it takes!
post #13 of 19
4/21/06 at 2:00pm
my doula was telling me about a client that was overweight, though her pregnancy was a healthy one her midwife had a hard time palpating the baby. Because the woman was heavier they also estimated the babies weight to be much bigger then it was. it kind of put a negative spin on her labor and she ended up with a c/s. i think its best to start out in the best shape possible because i know in my experience i dont keep up aerobic activities much while i'm pregnant. so being in good shape to start with is the best way i can prepare for labor and all the hard work during delivery. you dont want to give midwifes and doctors any reason to think you have an unhealthy pregnancy.
post #14 of 19
4/21/06 at 5:41pm
That's what we call a fat-unfriendly midwife - the best way I can stay healthy and have a good birth is to find a fat-friendly midwife, and birth-trusting one. Any birth care provider who thinks that palpatation is a good way to judge the size of a baby and that the size of a baby determines the outcome of birth is NOT birth trusting, and I would avoid her/him anyway, fat or not.

Exercise, no matter your weight, is also important during pregnancy. Whether or not one carries a lot of fat, exercise during pregnancy - or rather, a lack thereof - is one of the more important determinates of birth or pregnancy outcome. A fat woman who enjoys a lot of movement during pregnancy is, probably, going to be healthier and better prepared physically for labor and birth than a skinny woman who doesn't.

I think getting as healthy as possible before getting pregnant is wonderful, and really important. I just don't think the number on a scale is a particularly good indicator of that health. It may be one facet, but not the most important, and certainly not the only.
post #15 of 19
4/21/06 at 11:38pm
When I got pregnant with ds I was a normal weight and gained 45 pounds during the pregnancy. I lost 30 right after the birth, but kept the other 15. I was still fine, and pretty psyched that I lost 30 with birth, but I never lost that 15. When ds was 2 i got pregnant again and was still 15 pounds over my normal weight. I again gained 45, and lost about 30 after delivery, but this time I was left 30 pounds over and to me that was a problem. I have now lost the 15 pounds and all the weight from pregnancy #2, but I am still 15 pounds over what I weighed before pregnancy #1 and my youngest is almost 3. I guess for me, if I wanted a third, it would be really hard to go through that again. I would make an effort to get back to normal, but it is hard because obviously a baby is more important than weight, but it can be so hard to feel overweight. I've also started working out very seriously for the first time in my post college life, and I am really worried about losing that. It is funny for me to even say this, because I really am not that kind of a person who cares about weight that much, but finally getting healthy and in shape has been such a long struggle that it would be hard to give that up.
post #16 of 19
4/27/06 at 12:33am

pregnancy and weight

Hi All,

I couldn't help but say hello and chime in. DH a few years back commented I either needed to "renovate it in or extend it out" when talking about my decision to either get fit and lose the belly, or turn it into a baby bump.

It has been a very stressful year with changing jobs, moving house, deaths in the family and as a result, I have lost a lot of weight. My normally regular cycle has gone a little wacky and I've become irregular for the first time in my life.

I couldn't help but think that at my larger size, not only were my periods regular, but if I did concieve, there would be some reserves in case of weight loss due to severe morning sickness.
post #17 of 19
4/28/06 at 7:30am
I was 15lbs over my ideal weight when I got pregnant with dd and gained 35lbs it was so hard to lose that weight. It took 20months and 40lbs later im still trying to lose the last 10lbs before we try again. I do not want to heavy when we get pregnant again its a personal choice.
post #18 of 19
4/30/06 at 2:23am
I agree with Arwyn... great advice!

I was VERY overweight with both my pregnancies. First one I was 300 when I got pregnant... second one I was 247 when I got pregnant. Both of them were picture perfect, no complications during pregnancy or birth. I had midwives for both pregnancies (1 for the first, and a team of 3, main, apprentice, and student, for the second) and none of them had ANY difficulties palpating for position. Once you're far enough along to have the position really make a difference then your belly is pretty stretched out anyway, even if you started out overweight, so the baby is easier to feel.

Healthy does NOT equal a number on the scale... eat healthy and exercise and (as long as you don't have any pre-existing health conditions) you'll be fine.
post #19 of 19
4/30/06 at 11:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by amydidit
Healthy does NOT equal a number on the scale
Yeah that! But as you can see from my siggy, weight and body acceptance is a passion of mine.

I was definitely plus-sized with my pregnancy, but I had been exercising regularly for months, around an hour a day. I felt really good and had been eating healthily.

Being overweight can definitely affect how you feel and can cause some complications. But remember that being skinny isn't the same as being healthy, and being fat isn't the same as being unhealthy. You can have some extra weight and still eat healthy and exercise and be in good shape.

As amydidit says, healthy does not equal a number on the scale. There is a lot more to it than that.
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