Newbie needs Pregnancy Advice!! Please

I am 23. My surgery is scheduled for this September 7th.

 I am not ready to have children just yet... and I know all surgeons usually say to wait 1-2 years after surgery... but I'm still curious:

For those women who have had RNY... was it difficult to get pregnant? how long did you wait? did you have complications that were from the RNY?

After the baby, did you gain back all of your pre-op weight? Were you able to maintain?

Any information would be helpful. These google sessions are just not helping.

Thanks!!

--Kaila

geeat question i was wondering the same, im also 23 and am starting my 3 month weight loss requirement now.

Congratulations to you both on this big step in life!!! I am a little over 2 years out from my surgery and am currently 18 weeks pregnant. I really didn't have much trouble getting pregnant, I stayed on Birth Control Pills until I got married in April and needless to say I got pregnant on the honeymoon!!!!  I have only gained 10 lbs since I became pregnant and hope not to gain much more. The only issue that I have had is my sugar runs low and it has been a huge issue during my pregnancy. Not everyone has this issue, so please don't let it scare you. But my OB thinks i'm headed for Gestational Diabetes which I am being tested for tomorrow!!!! I am hoping that after I deliver I will lose my weight and a little bit more!!! I had the same questions when I had surgery but you will find that this bored is really helpful and the ladies are really supportive. Hope this helps! Anything else that I can help with let me know!!!! Good Luck!!!

Granted some women still have difficulty getting pregnant due to underlying problems or issues, however you will find a HUGE majority of women who have had RNY are EXTREMELY fertile after WLS.  Most surgeons will recommend 2 forms of birth control afterwards due to this.  When you are losing the weight rapidly you are releasing huge amounts of estrogen in the fat stores of your body and will find you can become pregnant rather easily! 

The reason surgeons recommend waiting at least 12-18 months before trying to become pregnant is for a couple of reasons.  One--you want to make the most of your surgery.  Why did you have the surgery in the first place?  Two- You want to ensure that you body will be ready to nourish a developing baby nutrient wise.  

My 1st daughter was born i***** (pre-WSL).  We then tried IVF in 1999 and had no luck. I had WLS in 2004, and found out in 2006 I was pregnant!  I had my daughter in 2007.  I gained a total of 14 pounds with her.  Prior to that pregnancy, I had gained some, and actually had maintained after her.  Then, in 2008, I found out I was pregnant again with my son!  I had him in 2009!  I only gained 2 pounds with him.  They are now 4 and 2, and I am within 10 pounds of what I was when I delivered him 2 years ago.  I am still 15 pounds less than I was the day I had him! 

Hopefully, some of this information helps...stick around there is a lot of information on this board.  There are some strong advocates here to waiting at least the 12-18 months.  I am not saying that pregnancy can/doesn't happen sooner, but if you can--WAIT! 

Debbie

For MOST woman after having RNY, getting pregnant is very easy and like another poster said, it's recommended to use 2 types of birth control to prevent pregnancy.  However, you will find a few ladies on here that continue to struggle to get pregnant.  I had my RNY surgery on March 8, 2004 and had my 1st son post-op on July 25, 2008 (so over 4 years post-op) and I'm expecting my 2nd baby post-op on October 25, 2011.  They recommend you wait 12-18 months post-op before trying to get pregnant and like the other poster said, it's there for a reason.  You want to make sure you are at the healthiest point possible before getting pregnant!  Please make sure to take your surgery and what your surgeon says seriously!

I haven't had any complications from my RNY!  Considering that we are 100 pounds or more overweight before RNY, I find it would be VERY difficult to gain back all of your pre-op weight.  However, that's not to say you might find yourself struggling to loose some of the baby weight (5-30lbs tops, I would think).  I had maintained my weight loss until the birth of my last baby and then found myself to lose most of the baby weight and then gain 10-15 pounds back the next 1.5-2 years to put myself 20lbs more than my pre-pregnancy weight.  I got strict with myself again and lost those 20lbs until I went on vacation and came back and gained 5-8lbs in which I stayed that weight until I got pregnant with this baby.  With my last pregnancy I gained around 30-35lbs total and lost all but 8 of those pounds at my 6 week check up.  With this baby, I have already gained 35lbs and I'm quite concerned about loosing it....but I know I did it before, so I know I can do it again!

I hope you found my information useful and good luck on your upcoming surgery!

Thanks for all this helpfull info ! im glad to hear not everyone mutated back to their old self !

AWESOME answers!! 

Thank You!

Much appreciated