Do you think your experience being obese helped you cope with late pregnancy?

I do. 

I hadn't reached goal when I got pregnant and had gained some back after my miscarriage so I was about 100lbs down from my pre-lapband weight when I got my BFP.  Now I'm up about 20lbs from there so still about 80lbs less than I weighed before surgery.

I see so many ladies on other boards in my same week who seem like they can barely function with the extra weight and I can't really relate.  I'm not feeling as comfortable as I did when I was at my lowest weight but I feel a heck of a lot better than I did when I was hauling around another 100 pounds. 

I can't help but wonder if having experience hauling a lot of weight around is part of why I've had a reasonably easy time of it in my third trimester.  

Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself! 

What a great topic Sarah! I can't wait to read all the responses. I am not the best canidate for feedback only because I am 7 weeks pregnant tomorrow, so its all still pretty new to me. Knowing I have lost 180 pounds I am trying to mentally prepare myself for an ideal 25 pound weight gain...and I think my body will do fine I am just worried about my head.

I feel the same exact way!

Sure, I can tell that I have gained 20 pounds so far this pregnancy (I weigh 184 now).� But it is NOTHING compared to how it use to feel being 364 pounds!

My back hurts a wee little bit now...� but again, nothing like the lower back ache associated with morbid obesity.� That was a constant pain.

I already had stretch marks so I don't care there!

My boobs were already saggy from losing over 200 pounds, so bring on the breast feeding!

My body aching during the night from sleeping in one position too long is identical to how it used to feel when I would try to sleep as an obese person.

I can still fit through small spots, but now it's funny when I think I can and everything except the baby bump makes it through the squeeze!� (A big difference from the total embarrassment of not being able to sit in seats at restaurants, not being able to fit through turn-styles, not being able to walk between cars parked too close to one another, etc.)

I guess the outlook on gaining weight, and the way your body feels/handles it really depends on where you have come from!� I know that even pre-pregnancy, I didn't ever stress about those 5-10 pounds that all the other women I work with seemed to fret over so much.� I was always like, "Thank the Lord it's only 10 pounds!"

Also, I've noticed the same thing with clothing sizes.� I got down to a size 10, and was totally ecstatic about it.� That was my goal size!� My sister had a baby (she was a size 2 before pregnancy) and then after the baby (at 3 months post-part-um) she was a "HUGE" size 8.� She was always talking about how big and fat and gross she felt she looked.� (Talk about a slap in my face!� lol)� Oh well.� I personally think she was just made to be a bit bigger than a size 2, and it is just very hard for her to come to terms with it.

Anyways, long answer short:� yes I do think previous obesity has helped me cope with the weight & body aspects of pregnancy.� I hope it will continue through my 3rd trimester!� =)

The only difficulty has been the "head issues". I have been using cognitive therapy by telling myself, "this weight gain is for a very good & healthy reason and I will lose the excess when the time is right." I learned that from my counselor, who actually sees several post-WLSers who have had babies. Some of them have had problems allowing themselves to gain the needed weight. I have not, but not by luck... I work hard on my head issues so that they are no longer an issue!

I totally agree. I am 30 weeks with twins, which is like 36 with a singleton. I have fewer aches and pains than I did with my first pregnancy, and even pre-op. I noticed that I hardly retain much water- that was a big problem my first pregnancy. In fact, that caused a lot of post partum complications and was a result of being so heavy. I think it is great to reflect on the similarities, because I find these days that I am easily out of breath, like I would be before, only not pregnant. I actually have to take the elevator now, and I had a hard time adjusting to that because I thought, "People will think I'm lazy and fat" even though I am obviously pregnant and people probably never cared before anyway, but things like that stick. I have a hard time getting comfy at night too, and getting up off the couch/chairs. This is a lot like the obesity experience, and it helps motivate me to not go back! 

Carrie

I don't have a pre-op pregnancy to compare it to but this is nothing compared to being 327 pounds! I was down to 198 pre-pregnancy and have gained 11 pounds at 34 weeks. I have the same lower back issues I had pre-pregnancy (not caused by baby but occasionally aggravated by it). The only thing I notice, or I've forgotten in the last 3 years is that I am HOT!! It has been in the upper 80's here the last few days and I am roasting!

I do think it's helped. I was at 380 at my heaviest and got down to 260 when I found out I was pregnant. I'm noticing as I'm getting closer to the end that I'm starting to feel like I did when I was heavier, tired, can't fit into smaller places (boothes, etc.), but I also know that I can handle it cause I've been much heavier. My ankles used to swell just a crazy amount when I was 380 and now even being pregnant, the swelling isn't even close to how much it was before. When I was pregnant with my first, I started that pregnancy at 325 and got up to about 370 or more. However, just before I became pregnant I had lost 45 lbs, so I again had been heavier and knew what it felt like. I do remember with that pregnancy though, people didn't know I was pregnant until around 9 months along. People knew this time around 4 or 5 months! Also my feet and hips would KILL me during my first pregnancy, this time my feet don't hurt at all (yet, knock on wood) and my hips hurt some but not as bad. It does make me wonder what my pregnancy may be like if I was at goal weight.

I do think it makes it easier.  I've read post about pregnant women not being able to tie their shoes or shave their legs.   I just kind of giggle.  I had a hard time doing those things before I lost weight, but not while pregnant.  I also think part of the complaining from the other girls is because they've gained so much weight.  If you only weigh 120 pounds when you get pregnant and you gain 60 pounds that's a huge percentage of weight gain.  Of course your back is going to hurt.  It would hurt from gaining that much weight even if you weren't pregnant! 

BTW, You've done great with your weight gain. 

<<--------- doesn't tie her own shoes or trim her own toenails... but mostly because I love it when my hubby babies me. I won't say how long it's been since I shaved, but that's out of pure laziness and the fact that my leg hair is super fine and blonde so you can't see unless you look sort of close and you can't feel it. Now that I'm breaking out the capris I'll shave pretty soon lol.

It helped me in a few ways, but not anything to do with being comfortable or feeling good. When I was at my biggest, my extra 100lbs was pretty equally spread around my body. I wasn't pear shaped or apple shaped with thin legs, I was curvy and big all around. Now I'm huge in just one place and it's brutal. My hips hurt day and night. I actually limp when I first get out of bed in the AM because there's this one spot in my back that kills me. Every time I get up from my desk, I'm walking like a granny for the first 20-30 feet... it's like I've gotta build momentum and work the kinks out every time I get up lol.

Yes!
A lot of people mentioned that, even though I got to be pretty big, I never developed the pregnancy "waddle." I would always joke that I was used to carrying around a LOT MORE.