6 month diet and pregnancy

So, I am trying to strategically plan my bariatric surgery with a pregnancy. My husband is very against pregnancy after the surgery, and just doesn't think the baby will get enough nutrition.

So my question is, does anybody know if surgeons/clinics/insurance co. allow the 6 month required supervised diet assisted months to be done while pregnant? I was reading my requirements and it just says that 6 months must be completed within the same year following up to surgery... Anybody in this same predicament or do the same? Like I said, hoping to get prego the end of 2014 or early in 2015, do my 6 months of the supervised diet and then have surgery a few months after I've given birth - all in the same year.

Comments and responses are appreciated.

Thank you!

You cannot safely diet while pregnant.  However, you will likely have a safer, healthier pregnancy after losing weight.  Have you talked to your surgeon and/or OB about it?  Perhaps your husband would be more in favor of pregnancy after surgery if he had the facts.  If you get your labs done and take your vitamins, your baby will get enough nutrition and so will you.

I'm planning to get pregnant next year, about 18 months after my surgery. My surgeon and gyno have both given the thumbs up, and my surgeon has had many patients go on to have healthy pregnancies post-op; the key is to be careful about what you eat in order to make sure you (and the baby) get good nutrition.

I would be leery of having surgery soon after giving birth.  Most people report feeling quite tired and run-down for the first few months, and when you have an infant at home-- especially before the little one is on a regular sleep schedule-- that could be very rough!

Perhaps it would be helpful to bring your husband to an appointment with your surgeon so he can get some information about potential timelines and you can all get on the same page.

If I understand you, you're wanting to get pregnant NOW, then go on a six-month diet while carrying a child? No no no!!!

If you take care of yourself---eat right, take your vitamins and supplements, etc.---you can have a safe and healthy pregnancy post-op. However, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you wait a minimum of 18 months after WLS to get pregnant. Your body needs that time to recover and reach a stable weight.

I think you need to do a lot more research before you move ahead with either WLS or pregnancy.

I understand your concern but trust me you want to wait. The baby will get plenty and will do great. I had mine when I was about 3 years out and gained maybe 20 pounds and lost that at the hospital! She healthy and perfect. I was actually able to eat more and my tolerance to sugar and fried foods weren't as bad (unfortunallty!) but soon after she was born all went back to normal. You will feel better at healthy weight than being overweight. 

Thanks Ladies...

Would definitely recommend speaking with your medical team regarding pregnancy after WLS or while on a supervised diet. And, I would definitely recommend consulting your OBGYN as well. There are a lot of tests that need to be done to also qualify for WLS that may not be suitable while pregnant or soon after birth. If you are also planning on breast feeding, you need to be really careful about what you are putting into your body.

These are definitely questions that need to be addressed by medical professionals, not general forums.

In regard to your husband's view, keep him included in the conversations with your medical team. The more knowledge he has the better.

Good luck to you with any decision you make!

I was not allowed to start my 6m diet until I weaned my baby so there is NO way they would have let me do it while still pregnant.

(this was a clinic rule - not sure what insurance would have said about it)

Seeing a dietician while obese and pregnant is a good thing to manage your weight while being healthy, but dieting while pregnant is NOT ok.  If you get pregnant now, I would suggest asking to see the dietician who would manage a gestational diabetes patient for tips on not gaining too much while still maintaining a good healthy balance for the baby - but a 6m pre-op diet while pregnant is not a good idea.

I chose to have 2 kids before WLS b/c of our ages - those pregnancies at 350+ pounds were not fun, a little risky, and caused me to have high blood pressure and be on meds with LOTS of doctor's appointments.  Everything turned out great, but if I had the option to wait to be pregnant at a healthier weight - I would wait and be pregnant at a closer to normal weight to save my body and baby from the stress it could encounter in an obese pregnancy.