WLS and pregnacy??

I need answers quickly ladies...yes this may seem strange considering I'm a guy but I was already stripped of my guy club card the day I married.

How long should you wait between WLS and a pregnacy this includes before and after sugery?
Should it happen sooner lets say while waiting pre-op is that bad?

If this question if for you specifically, LOL, I would think that as soon as you could function so to speak then by all means.  If you are speaking about for a woman, then the general recommendation is not to get pregnant until at least 18-24 months after surgery.  This is because this is the rapid wt loss period which could interfere with proper fetal development. 

Sharon

"If this question if for you specifically, LOL, I would think that as soon as you could function so to speak then by all means." 

Umm NO...Definitely definitely asking this question for a LADY...

What about prior to first experiencing childbirth and then having WLS? best timeline?


Thanks


**Man if the boys knew I was askin these things I wouldn't hear the end of it!!!!  LOL !!!*

I've seen people around 4 months as the earliest. But honestly that would be pushing it for me if it were after my two pregnancies and c sections. That's the earliest I've seen.

 I just had a baby by c section 4 months ago and I'm having surgery on July 5th. The only thing I'm worried about is being able to lift the baby when I get back home b/c my husband works out of town. 

Pre-op is not bad, but it will delay surgery and add some pounds and may interfere with breastfeeding.  Also obesity during pregnancy is linked with many complications such as Pregnancy induced HTN, Gestational Diabetes, Macrosomia, etc. Ideally mom should lose weight prior to conception.

Postop my suggestion would be that mom find a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist that has bariatric experience. She should meet with him preconception for a consult and to discuss a plan of care. He/She can tell her optimal time to try to conceive, run labs, etc. Most MFM's do not provide full prenatal care so she needs a regular OB as well.

This is my specialty, I work as an RN in High Risk Obstetrics.

I agree with Heather in that the risk associated with obesity are best dealt with first, if considering WLS after a pregnancy then would depend on the outcome of the delivery for example a C-section would require waiting longer to heal to then have WLS.  Also if the mom was going to breastfeed then she would want to delay WLS. 

As far as Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) doctor, I would say that the patient should seek a OB provider who has experience with bariatrics, that might be a MFM or it could be a family practice doctor, Midwife or OB who has bariatric experience who could then consult with the MFM should issues arise.  In my experience these women have very few complications but do require close monitoring throughout pregnancy.

Sharon

I have had very little luck with locating OB's in the area with bariatric experience and have really only found a few MFM's that are knowledgeable about bariatrics.

I am hoping as bariatrics increases in popularity that more OB's will realize this is stuff they need to know.

My wish is that OB's would collaborate with their patients bariatric surgeons to identify all special needs. That has not happened yet.

I am a Nurse Midwife/Family Nurse Practitioner and I practice in Northeast Montana.  I have had several bariatric patients.  I work with both the patients bariatric surgeon the MFM to assist the patient to get the best and most appropriate care.  In the cases that I have had the patients are far enough out and have stable weight so has not been a large factor in the risk and outcome of the pregnancy.  Some OB's would just rather let someone else deal with these patients, in our area even if we wanted to do this we don't have that luxury.

Sharon

That is great that you can coordinate all the appropriate care! Also your own bariatric experience I am sure helps. I know when I have bariatric mom to bes, I give them so much info that I know just from being a part of the bariatric community for so long. I think the other OB case managers are starting to get suspicious LOL (my surgery is my dirty little secret)