[KarlaC]

I went to my ob appt yesterday & while I was waiting in line to make a new appt I looked over my charge sheet. At the bottom it had a code & 'excessive weight gain/edema' next to it.

Seriously? I know I was overweight to begin with but I've only gained 11 lbs this entire pg. I have no edema, the dr checked..11 lbs is 'excessive'?

I guess it really irks me because they asked how much I weighed before I got pg, honestly I'm just not sure so I gave them(and told the nurse so) the weight I last remembered from an appt a year before. Now I know I'd gained since then because my clothes were a good bit tighter..however that's the 'start' weight for this pg that they put on my record.

Which would make it so I gained 17 lbs instead of 11...I had no gain for almost 2 months though & only 2 lbs this last visit.

If it weren't a practice with 4 dr's & they pretty much only look at your last checkout sheet instead of your chart, I wouldn't worry about it. I hate the idea of going in & defending myself against 'you're eating like a hog' or something based on a label.

 

[Voltige]

:

Yes, this would bother me too. Especially the edema part, if you have NONE. I do not think that 17 pounds is excessive, but if they are using charts that specify "ideal" weight gain based on pre-pregnancy weight it's explainable at least. Edema, not so much. I'd bring it up and discuss it with them. You don't need any false labels interfering with your choices during labor.

 

[seafox]

because pre-preg my weight is bizarrely high (I think my BMI is 25 or 26 or so) I was also in the weird category of being told I should only gain 12-15 this pregnancy - however, the doc could tell by looking at me that BMI for me isn't a great tool (I do actually have pretty low bodyfat, just a lot of muscle) so she adjusted it so that I wouldn't accidentally be told I was gaining too much. So many people gain so differently w/ pregnancy I'm surprised that they can ever say that something is 'excessive'!

11 or 17 sounds fine to me! I'm up about 16 or 17 here at 33wks and was told that I was on the low end if anything. I'd definitely ask about it. Especially the edema, since marking that when you have none just sounds like a mistake!

 

[cygknit]

That is ridiculous! I started out a little overweight (187 at 5'6") and they told me to gain 15lbs. I'm up 11 at 31.5 weeks and have been told that's just fine. I am sorry you are being labled

Maybe you can bring it up at your next apt?

 

[myfairbabies]

Don't you know that if you are overweight you can gain no more than 5 lbs?

I've gained over 40, and I love that my midwife doesn't seem to think it's a big deal at all. It sounds like they aren't bothering you about it, so until then, just pretend you didn't see that note. Maybe they even put it on the wrong chart!

 

[rivkah]

This whole weight gain issue is bizarre. The "Charts" are obviously ridiculous. Anyone call tell from Seafox's belly pictures that she is not at all overweight, so the fact that she is put in that category relieves the arbitrariness of the whole thing.

I understand that excessive weight gain can carry risks, but I think that doc's need to spend about 5 extra minutes analyzing the situation. I know that I tend to gain a lot, especially at first. Though I don't start out overweight, the 15 or so pounds I gained during the first trimester was enough to make a MW question me. However, after talking for 5 minutes, she was comfortable with the fact that I just tend to gain a lot during pregnancy and have not had trouble losing it in the past.

I'd think taking 5 extra minutes to determine what you actual situation is should not be too much to ask.

 

[sunflwrmoonbeam]

Personally, if I were you I'd refuse to step on the scale. I haven't weighed myself since 24 weeks, and my midwife is not concerned.

The fat hate in this country is disgusting, and the fact that they use it to bully pregnant women sickens me.

 

[boscopup]

Fat phobic OBs are really making me

:.

I'm lucky that my OB is really great about my weight. I started out overweight (187... I'm 5'9"), and I'm up over 30 lbs now. My OB was actually *concerned* when I didn't gain any weight between 24-28 weeks. Not hugely concerned, but he had that concerned tone in his voice when he pointed out that I hadn't gained anything. Then this time, I lost 3 lbs (had a stomach bug last week), and the nurse was really concerned at first, but then I told her about the bug and she was ok. The OB was again mildly concerned at first until he realized I'd had a stomach bug.

I'm definitely in the range of "you're supposed to only gain 15 lbs" because of my starting weight, but my OB and my midwife both want me to gain more than that, I think. And neither one has ever mentioned BMI. I think BMI is a really stupid thing to look at in a pregnant woman.

A friend of mine sees a fat phobic OB, and my friend started out UNDERWEIGHT and usually gains about 50-60 lbs during pregnancy (she gains what she needs to be normal weight, then the normal 35 lbs on top of that). Her OB was chastising her in early pregnancy for her weight gain.

: She's not even fat!!!! I mean, the girl could barely wear a Beco baby carrier prior to pregnancy because the waist strap almost doesn't go small enough!!!!

 

[KarlaC]

Yeah I've never been given an amt to gain or not gain is the really screwed up part. I plan on bringing the paper & bringing up the label on it at my next visit.

I'm okay with being weighed since they claim my GD puts me into the pre-e risk group but going off a year old weight as my 'start weight' then claiming I'm gaining too much from day one of my pg when we don't HAVE that #(and I've told them that) just...

If the 'you've gained too much' is going to keep on though they can bite me..I'll stop weighing in. I don't need that kind of headache at this point.

 

[sunflwrmoonbeam]

"GD puts me into the pre-e risk group"

There are many other ways to tell if you have pre-e. As I said above, I'm not weighed, but I pay attention to my swelling (all within normal), and my midwife will check my BP and urine at every visit. Last I checked, OBs do all those things too, which really makes me wonder why the heck they care about weight. Weight gain can be caused by any number of things and is usually normal. Elevated BP, excessive swelling, and protein in the urine = bad. Seems to me to make more sense to pay attention to the signs that could actually be bad.

The other thing that amazed me is that when I was seeing an OB she was very fat friendly, despite being extremely thin herself (she probably wore a size 2). I hearted her, but hated her staff, and thus left.

 

[WeasleyMum]

Weird. I've gained more than 35 pounds already (at 34 weeks!) and my docs haven't said a word nor made any notes on my chart about it. That would really annoy me if they did!

 

[Erinz]

I could see if you were grossly overweight to begin with and had added 50 pounds or something so far (I mean, being super big and out of shape does add complications and reduces your chances of having a normal birth) --- their standards sound ridiculous to me. I wonder if they did mark the wrong chart, esp if you don't have any swelling and edema is SEVERE swelling. I'd totally ask. Esp if your bp goes a little high one appt, if they see edema coupled with that they could start thinking of pre-e, kwim?

 

[because]

Was it coding for insurance or something? I know sometimes they just need to call stuff *something* and there isn't always an exact code so maybe....? I dunno. I does seem like they should try to be more accurate and I would definitely be irked at that on a personal level.

 

[KarlaC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by because Was it coding for insurance or something? I know sometimes they just need to call stuff *something* and there isn't always an exact code so maybe....? I dunno. I does seem like they should try to be more accurate and I would definitely be irked at that on a personal level.

Idk I've been going there for 5 months & I just skimmed my other receipts, there was no code there.

I'm not really irritated on a personal level, I worked in health care for over a decade & I have huge issues with charting that is inaccurate. I've seen it turn out badly for the patient more than once.

 

[maxwill129]

Ugh. So sorry!!! I've gained 40 pounds already and my OB just said that it's so easy to gain weight in the winter when you're not as active and she knows I can work it off anyway. I think it's sick that 11 pounds is excessive. I don't care how overweight you are to begin with...11 pounds is not very much weight at all and NO ONE should tell a pregnant woman she's overweight! It's not like you can do anything about it anyway!!!

 

[Alohamelly]

I'm getting crap for my weight gain. I'm not usually overweight, but I have already gained 50lbs this pregnancy, maybe more but it's been like this for all of my pregnancies. This is just the first time I'm getting lectured about it.

 

[ameliasmama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunflwrmoonbeam Personally, if I were you I'd refuse to step on the scale. I haven't weighed myself since 24 weeks, and my midwife is not concerned. .

I also don't get weighed. I gained close to 50 lbs last time and the nurse at my ob would give me such a hard time-and I have food/weight issues anyway! My midwife completely understood that it was one less thing for me to stress about during this pregnancy if I didn't have to get weighed!