Thinking of having a baby...

My husband and I have been talking about having a baby.  I had RNY Gastric Bypass almost 10 months ago and my surgeon suggests waiting 18 - 24 months.  Does anyone have any suggestions?  Should we wait or should we go ahead?

First of all welcome.  I know how hard it is to fight the "babyfever" once you get it, but I would encourage you to wait at least to 14-18 months to start trying.  ( I am NOT a Dr. or medical professional by any means, this is just my opinion.) I am basing this on the assumption that you have had no complications or other medical issues that need to be resolved and that you are taking no medication that might harm a growing baby.  That being said if you are a healthy PO RNY'er taking her vit's and all, give your body a chance to get all the nutrients it needs for a little while longer if at all possible.  Blessings to you!! -Jen Q.

I would wait at least until 18 months.  Reason being, I was perfectly fine with my RNY up until about 13 months.  Then I started getting dangerously low blood sugar.  That's also when my hair started falling out a ton!  My B-12 also plummeted around that time.  Sometimes these things happen later than expected.  I had to get that all under control before I was "allowed" to try and get pregnant.

Believe me I know it's hard to wait, but 8 months is not that long!!  Good luck!!

Karen

Please wait.

While this far out, you aren't likely to be producing dangerous ketones, your body is still undergoing a massive change that is putting it under massive amounts of stress.  The massive amount of weight loss has stressed your liver (which would be reflected by abnormal Liver Function Tests -- LFTs), possibly your kidneys, and your pancreas.

I've had two children post-op.  My first child was conceived at 13 months post-op.  In the world of WLS, that was my hardest pregnancy -- I could not keep my blood sugars stabilized at all, they kept dropping every five minutes regardless of how much I ate or WHAT I ate.  We tried a massive protein diet, a massive carb diet, I tried eating every 5 minutes, tried eating pure sugar, etc.  I was miserable.

Additionally, my iron tanked, my b-12 went into the low 200's, and I had no energy.  The massive weight loss had wrecked my body and I hadn't given it time to heal before taking even more from it by giving energy to a new life.

My 2nd pregnancy was much easier, and much more stable.  I am convinced it was because my body was healthier than it was the first time around.  I suffer from chronic pain, and still did, but my sugars were stable and my b-12 and iron never dipped as low.


Keep in mind that no matter how bad off your body is, your body will feed the baby and leave you high and dry.

For your own health, please wait.  This will be the best thing for both of you as you will have to be there for the baby AFTER the baby is born.

Thank you all so much for your info!  It really helps to hear from people who have gone through it.  I guess no matter how great I feel, my body is still going through alot.  Thank you ladies for the great advice.  I think I will wait it out.  I've waited this long 8 more months will probably fly right by.