To conceive or not to conceive...

for you women who have had babies, did you gain weight? were you able to lose it? Did you have a lot to lose in the first place? Im 6 mo. out, down 97 but still have 120 give or take a few lbs left to lose for my own personal goal. I have two kids but would love another baby. I am so afraid that i will have gone through this just to go and get pregnant again and to just gain it back. Part of me wonders if I get pregnant now, if I'll have an easier time losing the rest of the weight after the pregnancy than if I wait until that 18 month mark. Any suggestions?

I gained 40-45 lbs while pregnant. Alot of others on here gain almost nothing. I was 10-15lbs til I hit my personal goal (165-170ish) when I got pregnant. I lost all but 15 lbs so far and my son is not yet 4 months. I also did not BF long and I had a C-section and a 2nd surgery right afterwards so no exercising beyond walking so far. To me my son is worth it. I'll get those 15lbs sooner or later. But this is my first baby, so maybe I see it differently. I have wanted him for so long that even if I never lose the 15lbs it is worth it.

If age is not a factor I'd wait til at least a year out from surgery though. Just from a medical standpoint of vitamins and being able to eat what you need to for yourself and the baby. There is also the mental aspect of just getting into those sexy clothes you have had your eye on and then losing that for 9+ months because you are pregnant. It can freak you ou****ching that scale go up.

That's my 2 cents

You can expect to gain weight while pregnant and each person is different.  Some girls actually loose weight, some gain little to no weight and others (like myself) gain 30 or more pounds.  It seems like the pattern is that the earlier your out from having surgery and getting pregnant, the less you gain or even possibly loose.  I'm over 7 years post-op.  With my last baby post-op, I gained 30-35lbs during my pregnancy and lost all but 8lbs at my 6 week check up.  Over the next 1.5 years I gained an additioanl 12 pounds (to put me 20lbs over my lowest post-op weight).  I got strict with myself and lost those additional pounds and now pregnant with this baby.  With this pregnancy I have gained over 35lbs so far and I'm 35 weeks tomorrow.  Gaining weight is scary, but I know I'm capable of loosing it!  Keep in mind, that you already have lost a ton of weight and you wont gain ALL that weight back!  That being said, your only 6 months out from surgery and still have a lot of weight to loose (even more than you lost already).  I would not even consider getting pregnant now!  Give yourself that additional 6-12 months that the doctors recommend you wait before trying to conceive.  You will be much closer to your goal (if you haven't reached it by then) and you will be much healthier to carry a pregnancy.  I don't see how you getting pregnant now would help you to loose the weight easier after the pregnancy then waiting until your 12-18 months post-op to try and get pregnant.  If your weight loss hasn't started slowing down now, you will find over the next few months that it will, but you will still continue to loose weight!  Don't rush to get pregnant now, just because you want another baby now.  Think about the reasons why you had the surgery to begin with and focus on that.  I don't know your age, but for me, age is just a number and it wouldn't scare me to wait a few months longer before trying to conceive (for your info I'm 38 years old and pregnant with my 4th child).  And keep in mind to make sure you get your vitamin levels checked before and during pregnancy to make sure your now low on anything.  Best of luck with what you decide!

At nearly 34 weeks pregnant, I've packed on 25lbs and my doctors (surgeon, high risk ob, and regular ob) are all elated. I was below goal, 19 months out when I got pregnant, and they advised me that it was perfectly normal and acceptable to gain 30-40lbs. This is my 2nd child, my other one is 13yrs old, I'm 34 years old and well, weight gain is pretty easy at this point. I didn't gain for several months, and then bam started gaining. I'm not happy about the weight gain. I seem to be gaining in the belly department and my butt has gotten a little wider, but my face, arms, legs have all pretty much remained the same.

I plan on going right back to low carb/high protein immediately after I deliver, and I know I will lose the weight. I am not sure I will breastfeed as I have zero convictions that it's something I "have" to do. I will try, but I'm not against formula feeding I realize that BF'ing helps with the weight loss, but I will do what is best for me and the baby.

Congrats and best wishes.

From my very first visit to the OB, to the day of delivery I lost 9 lbs.  I still have around 135 lbs to lose to my goal weight.