Questions About Pregnancy & Lap Band - Can Anyone Help?

Hi everyone! I am new to this board, but not to OH. I had lap band last August and I've been doing very well. My husband and I decided that we will start "trying" next month for our first. We're very excited but of course, I have a TON of questions!!! I made an appointment with my surgeon in a few weeks, but I wanted to start doing some research here as well.


1. Did you have to have a complete unfill as soon as you knew you were pregnant? Or is that something they can do gradually as the pregnancy progresses?

2. Just how noticable is your port once your belly starts to get really big? There are many people, especially at work, that don't know about my surgery. I'm wondering how the heck I'm going to explain THAT! Any advice?


Thanks in advance! 

1. NO, and don't let them make you do it. Some people don't unfill at all. I had a slight unfill during the worst of my morning sickness and then we actually put it back in once I felt better. You can get an unfill at any point, they just won't do it with flouroscopy.

2. Depends where yours is and how much fat you still have over it. I noticed a sligtly prominent area over my port, which is just above and a couple inches to the left of my belly button. I still have some fat over mine, so it really wasn't noticeable. If I wore something very clingy, I could see it a bit, but that is mainly because I'm looking down from above, someone seeing you straight on has a different perspective and likely won't notice. Also, your belly has to get pretty big before the "bump" area reaches the level of your port.

Hello -

Whether or not you get an unfill is up to you and your doctors...both your surgeon and your OB.  Some surgeons will want to unfill automatically, some will work with you about what you want.  

At the time that I got pregnant, my band was pretty tight and eating had become a stressful thing for me.  That wasn't something I wanted to deal with while pregnant.  I wanted to make sure I could eat easily, wouldn't PB and could eat what I wanted.  So, I had most of my fill removed.  I thought it would leave me some restriction, but it didn't.  I gained about 25 lbs during my pregancy, mostly at the end.  I will say, though, that I have had a hard time getting my band back to the "sweet spot" and losing weight after my baby was born.  She's 15 months old and I've been on a real roller coaster band/weight wise. 

I think your port protruding is going to depend on how much fat you still have and the location of your port.  Docs put them in different places.  I know some are down by the belly button so I would think that would show more. Mine is higher up, toward the middle and it didn't show.  I also had a healthy layer of fat on top of it, though!

Thanks so much for your input!

I will definitely ask my surgeon what their protocol is when I see him.

I don't think I will have TOO much of a problem with my port. Mine is also still covered with PLENTY of fat...LOL! It actually seems to be positioned right under a skin roll too, so right now you can't see it at all. You really have to feel around (and I have to be laying down) to find it. So I should be fine until the very end, I would think.

My aunt, who also had lapband about 4 years ago, also recommended wearing patterned tops instead of solid colors if it really becomes that much of an issue. She thought the pattern would conceal the bump a little better (the port bump, not the baby bump!).

I didn't get an unfill until AFTER I delivered.  I was too tight, but just sorta toughed it out.  Then after delivery, I got really bad and had to have 2 ccs out. But throughout the pregnancy, I kept my fill.  As for the port question, mine wasn't noticeable at all.  Good luck!