OMG I'm PREGNANT!!

I just found out yesterday that I am pregnant.  I had the DS 16 months ago and am still in a state of shock.  This isn't a planned pregnancy so I'm scared, nervous, happy, elated, and terrified.  I don't have an OB/GYN (used my PCP) so I'm not sure if I need to immediately seek out a high risk OB or just a regular OB.
Any advice on how to adjust my eating and my vitamin regimine?  I'm not at my goal weight, but I'm about close...about 4 pounds away from my Dr's goal.  I have made an appointment to see my surgeon next week.  Any advice from anyone would be great!  I'm freaking a little.  I am 4 weeks and 2 days pregnant.
Thanks!!

OK... first... breathe!  And congrats!  I would definitely talk to your bari surgeon and ask him/her to recommend an OB that has experience with WLS - especially the DS (which is not the most common WLS.)  Just because you had WLS does not automatically mean that your pregnancy is a high risk pregnancy.  You may be high risk, but just the WLS wouldn't automatically put you in that category. 

What you can do right off the bat is add a good prenatal vitamin to ur regimine and at least 800mc folic acid.  Make sure you are getting at least 1500 mg of calcium citrate (not carbonate) daily.  And then when you see ur bari surgeon next week he may shift that a little based on your specific needs.

And CONGRATS on losing all that weight!  that's fantastic!  Hope you have a happy and healthy 40 wks.

Congratulations!

Congrats! You should be fine for your pregnancy. I was not exactly labeled high risk but I did get extra U/S's to check on the baby's growth. Your OB might or might not feel that is needed. My little boy was on the low side being born at 6lbs 8oz but there is a family history of babies born in the 6lb range and I think that more the cause than WLS.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 40 wks!

What form of vitamin A are you taking and how much?

I would advise you to stop taking the A right now an then get blood work done next week.  Too much A can cause birth defects.  My doctor wants to to half my A consumption now,  and i am not even trying yet.  She will test more often and then we can adjust accordingly.

CNC

congrats!!!! add some carbs to your diet... and do NOT stop taking a vitiman... just replace your multi with a prenatal and keep all your other vitimans the same...the multi will have the correct form of vitiman a... your not a high risk patient just because you had wls... your ob will prob have you come in at 8 weeks and treat you like any other patient

 You did realieze that some Ds'ers take 25,000 iu of vitamin A a day?  Ds'ers supplement at very high levels, and the recommended daily intake of vitamin A  for pregnant women is 10,000 iu per day. 

She needs to stop taking a sperate Vitamin A and have her levels tested to see where they are, before continuing. Her present levels of Vit A need to determine her dose,  not what is in the prenatal.

I know you mean well but please make sure you understand all the supplemental issues before making recommendations.

Thanks

CNC

I personally wouldn't drop vitamin A until labs were performed.  Then it might be worth it to cut the dose in half if one is taking a huge amoununtil getting results and then resume normal dosing if labs are normal range. 

Remember that a DSer taking 25K IUs A daily is not absorbing 25K and may well be absorbing a quarter of that.

I've seen some DSers who were taken off A entirely when pregnant and that seems extreme to me.

you do realize she hasnt had blood work yet and there is no baseline level to where she is at... stopping a vitiman that is needed in such great amounts to remain normal is a bad idea...  she should prob get her levels takin first before adjusting it... just because your dr said to do something doesnt mean hers will tell her to do the same... again like you stated im sure you mean well but everything needs to be laid out before a decision should be made... there is malabsorbtion as well... and just because she takes x amount doesnt mean she absorbs it... if that was true.. there would be no deficits in vitiman levels..

I took 25,000 IUs vitamin A daily through pregnancy and that kept me in the low normal range. I would NOT drop your A completely in any case, because lack of A can cause fetal blindness. I was also almost a year and a half post-DS when I got pregnant.  Have your levels checked ASAP - you might not have to adjust much of anything.  My labs mostly behaved in pregnancy taking my usual routine.  My ferritin tanked, but it recovered all right postpartum.