Weight Loss Surgery Helps Obese Women Have Healthier Babies

   As reported in the New York Times:




Weight Loss Surgery Helps Obese Women Have Healthier Babies

By RONI CARYN RABIN Published: November 19, 2008

Women who become pregnant after weight-loss surgery have easier pregnancies and healthier babies than do obese women who become pregnant, researchers reported on Wednesday.

The review of 75 studies found that pregnant women who lose weight after bariatric surgery may have lower rates of complications like gestational diabetes and preeclampsia and do almost as well as non-obese women. Their babies are also healthier and may be less likely to be born prematurely or to be very small, the authors found.




Read the rest of the article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/health/research/20bariatri c.html?_r=1

I had my first after WLS but I have no doubts that this was far better than it would have been!  Thanks for sharing. 

My blood pressure in my pre-WLS pregnancy was out of control by the end of the first trimester.  I spent the rest of my time on meds, seeing a perinatologist, and talking induction and IUGR (and oddly, also had a macrosomia scare!)  I had a complicated birth of a beautiful healthy baby at 40 weeks.  I am so glad I had my daughter when I did, but it wasn't easy.  Also, OBs aren't always too kind to obese mothers.  

My blood pressure in this pregnancy, conceived a year and a half post-op, has been textbook.  I'm going to give birth with midwives and there is no chatter about induction or anything like that.  My BP runs in the 120s/70s and I feel so much better.