Oops pregnancy and advice from DSers

I found out I'm pregnant at 9 1/2 months post-op. I was using the Nuvaring so this was a complete shock and definitely not planned. On top of being so early out post-op my husband is supposed to be going on vacation (sarcasm) to Afghanistan for 8 months soon. But it is what it is and so I have to make the best of the situation. Thankfully my labs have been great and I haven't had any issues since having my DS in April.

I go see my surgeon this Thursday and I'm fearing I'll be chastised for this all happening but hopefully they'll be helpful in guiding me during this process.

Any DSers who had babies post-op and especially any who were graced with "oops pregnancies" I would love if you could share your experiences and advice please! Link to where you've shared your experiences or something. Over 800 pages of posts in this forum and I'm having a hard time finding very many DSers posts. 

TIA to anyone who takes the time to reply. :) 

 I am currently 9 months pregnant with my 3rd child (my first pregnancy post-DS). I had the DS almost 3 years ago. 
It is very important to have your FULL, COMPREHENSIVE labs done frequently during your post-DS pregnancy (I have mine done every 8 weeks) and to supplement accordingly. Also, really focus on protein and hydration first, and eat whatever else you want with the space you have left. I would aim for at least 100g of protein a day. An easy way to add protein is with shakes. Maybe add one as a snack and one at the end of the day. 
There is an increased chance of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) in post-wls pregnancies that occur less than 18 months out from your surgery. Be sure your OB knows this and is comfortable monitoring your baby's growth more carefully. Some OBs will automatically send you to a high-risk doc, which I would personally take advantage of b/c they will watch your little one very carefully while he/she bakes in there, which (for me anyways) is great :) 
Good luck! 

 Thank you for your reply. Thankfully my OB is in the same hospital as my surgeon so I'll have easy access to someone knowledgable of the DS. So far my protein is 150-200 g a day. I will make for sure labs are ordered often. Right noemi just having trouble feeling stuffed all the time but I'm putting all of my focus on getting over 100 oz of water a day, my 150 g of protein, and trying to not go into ketosis.

Thanks again.

I am nearly 35 weeks pregnant with my first child, but I conceived a little over 2 years post-op (I have a DS but with a super duper long common channel). I never saw my surgeon after I left the hospital from surgery, so I can't help you there, but I'd be annoyed with anyone who would "chastise" me when I did take proper precautions. Surgeons are not OBs - find yourself a good OB who will work with you and understands your situation. My OB and my PCP work together to make sure I have labs done more than normal patients, and I've had a couple extra growth scan ultrasounds to monitor baby's growth (which is completely normal).

Check your vit A levels on your labs and compare to how much vit A you're supplementing because high vit A supplementation in non-beta carotene form is a known cause of increased risk of physical deformities in the baby. Other than that, if your labs are truly "great," I would continue taking what you've been taking. I also added a separate DHA supplement twice daily.

 I had am 34 weeks pregnant and conceived 10 months after my DS. Honestly it hasn't effected the baby in any way. She is growing beautifully! Actually on the big side. I have had some issues with my Iron and protein and have had to tweak but those issues are correcting albeit slowly but none the less. I have had to not only go BACK to carbs but increase on a regular as in 8 1/2 months I have only managed to gain 5 lb total.I did loose early in pregnancy and I bounce with those 5 lbs. BUT all in all baby is growing! 

As far as being chastised things happen it isn't like you planned this (I didn't) The most important thing is that your surgeon and OB are on top of your labs. They would do you much better Justis if they counseled you on the importance of adding carbs and managing your vitamins. NOT chastising you for something that is already done!

Good luck I was SO AFRAID when I found out I was pregnant and only 10 months out! It was fear of the unknown that is for sure! 

I have had NON DS related complications that everyone wants to chalk up to my DS but it in NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM has anything to do with my surgery!

On a lighter note, I am LOVING my pregnant body (once I get over watching my belly stretch again!) I feel beautiful and well I look pregnant which I did not with my 3 pre DS babies! I have to remind other pregnant friends that I have to WORK to gain weight and not to hate me because I haven't gained in massive proportions! Oh and i can still button my pre pregnancy jeans at 8 months pregnant! I don't wear them for fear of smushing my lil ones head lol but I try them on every now and then for piece of mind I guess!

Congrats on your pregnancy!! I wish you a happy and healthy 9 months!!

Babydoll, we have similar stories. I'm 34 weeks along too (you, Jillybean, and I are so close time-wise!) and I got pregnant 11 months after my DS. I lost about 10 lbs in the first 4 months of my pregnancy, then gained and lost that same 10 lbs here and there.  This week I'm up a net of 2 lbs since I got my positive pregnancy test... but I've really had to eat a lot the whole time to make sure I didn't keep going down. Frankly, it's been so nice being able to eat whatever I wanted (healthy carbs, etc.) and like you - I've been loving this pregnant body!

I was assigned a high risk OB (perinatologist) who has had experience with other DS'ers and WLS patients. He was really concerned about IGR, but this little girl has held steady in the 41st percentile. My husband and I are both very tall so I'm sure she would have been bigger if I hadn't had the surgery... but then again we'd been trying to get and keep a pregnancy for 8 years and I honestly think I would have never been pregnant at all if it wasn't for my wonderful DS! That said, she's been measuring consistently at least a week or two ahead on her legs so the DS doesn't seem to have stunted her growth in any way. 

The perinatologist was really thinking up until about two months ago that we'd have to induce early and take her out via c-section because she'd be so small, but now he's confident based on how wonderfully she's done this whole time that she will need none of that and I'll have a very healthy, normal delivery. It was so reassuring to see him slowly change over these months from extremely worried to extremely confident of everything and all smiles. I will say that even though he'd had some experience with DS pregnancies, the vast majority of his WLS patients were other surgeries and he did get things confused, e.g., my malabsorption, lack of dumping, how the DS stomach is more like a VSG than a pouch, etc., so I always had to do a lot of reminding of how my DS was different than RNY, VSG, etc.
 
He was also absolutely SURE I'd develop gestational diabetes - even though I told him my blood sugar had always been perfect and that the DS was actually the perfect thing to stave off diabetes. Still I had to do all this extra testing besides the regular glucose test. At one point they were even talking about having me take home one of the little monitors and doing my blood sugar readings after every meal. I told him I'd do it if he really wanted me to, but I guaranteed him there would be no problem. He made me do a modified 3 hour test because he thought the liquid would cause dumping (ugh! NO - remember - different surgery!)  Sure enough, when they did the 3 hour modified glucose test my blood sugar was 67 at the start, jumped up to a whopping 73, and then remained in the upper 60's the entire time afterward. That put everything to rest on that issue, ha ha! In fact, I was concerned that my blood sugar might be a little too low, but they were not worried in the slightest... and I don't seem to have had any bouts with hypoglycemia, fainting, or anything like that during this pregnancy.

My docs have been running a full set of all vitamin labs for me every month and my numbers have been great. I actually had to reduce my zinc and my Bs a bit because they were too high. My ferritin has been a tad low, so I've had to tweak my iron supplements to bring things back into line. My doc just wants to make sure I've got as good as possible iron stores before I actually go into labor because there will be the normal blood loss - with or without a c-section - and he wants to make sure I can recover well. I did greatly reduce my Vitamin A dose because my numbers were in range and there have been studies showing the toxicity of high vitamin A during pregnancy. I know I don't absorb what a normal person would, but I certainly didn't want to take any chances at my old dose of 100K. Since my labs are still normal I'm not worried about it.

I HAVE been worried about Omega 3's because of our greatly impaired absorption of fat. Omega 3's are supposed to be important for fetal brain development, particularly in the 3rd trimester. All the truly good supplements are in gel caps (krill oil, etc.). The docs didn't seeem to get the idea that I wouldn't absorb the fish oil or gel caps like a regular person would. I've countered that the best I could by just having a lot of salmon, chunk light tuna (no mercury like the other tuna varieties), crab, and other pregnancy-safe, mercury-safe high Omega 3 fish.

All in all, this has been a wonderful pregnancy. I don't feel uncomfortable - probably because I feel so light compared to my pre-surgery weight. I feel like I can walk and walk. I just feel so healthy all the way around. I was a size 16 in pants when I got pregnant and am still wearing the same pants. They were stretchy Lane Bryant slacks and I'm tall, so I haven't had to switch to maternity pants. I must have still continued to lose weight elsewhere in my body despite all the weight of the baby coming on because now these 16's swim on me everywhere but my stomach where they're a perfect fit. I'll be curious to see what my pants size drops to after I recover from delivery. My stomach is so big right now and since I'm only up 2 lbs I'm pretty sure my net weight will drop perhaps 10 lbs or more after I come home from delivery and in the few months after. We shall see! At any rate, this DS pregnancy has been surprisingly smooth! My husband and I are both so grateful for this surgery and all the gifts it's brought us, this pregnancy being first and foremost. Good luck everyone!

I was sure I'd be dealing with gestational diabetes, too. I had type 2 prior to my WLS. I refused the typical GD testing because, even though I don't "dump," I did have unpleasant incidents during a study I was participating in when I had to do "meal tolerance tests" by drinking 2 bottles on Ensure (100g total carbs) - had me quickly finding my way to the restroom (and not for vomiting...). Instead, since I was type 2 before, I just tested at home using my own meter. With my fastings being pretty consistently in the 70s and the couple of 2-hour post-prandials I've checked being in the 80s and 90s, doc is not at all concerned. Plus, baby is only measuring in the 36th percentile as of about two weeks ago, so no concerns about him being too big, either.

On the Omega-3s, I added a DHA supplement. I actually take 2 per day, and while they are gel cap type pills, they are an "algal" form of DHA, as opposed to those from fish oil, so it's supposedly easier absorbed than the fish oil. Here's hoping that's true! I don't actually care for tuna or salmon, so hopefuly these will do the trick. I also have a super duper long common channel, so I don't malabsorb as much to begin with. It's still been on my mind, too, though.

 Wow! Your Dr. seems to be on top of things and listen to you to an extent. My OB sadly is ignorant to the DS and has chosen to stay that way. He has no desire to hear anything i have to say, constantly classifies me as gastric bypass and that is all there is too it. He has seen no need to do any extra growth scans and just plain doesn't have anything to say but chastise me for my lack of weight gain! ARG! Even when he called and said my hemoglobin was low and to add 12 mg of Iron a day, and I responded with it wouldn't help and asked about Profferin. He blew me off saying he was out of his element. leaving me to call my surgeon and ask for my own labs draws! My OB refuses to order any extra labs other than normal pregnancy related labs. I am at a loss with this guy and feel alone in my pregnancy. And unfortunately due to insurance he is pretty much my only option. i have tried to switch and they either did not accept my insurance or were not willing to take me on. UGG

I just recently found out about the Vitamin A toxicity and feel completely ignorant and utterly responsible for anything that may or may not have happen to her due to it. Again my OB couldn't of even looked at the list of vitamins I gave him or he would have mentioned the mega doses. Or I would hope anyway!

OBs are experts in pregnancy, not nutrition or labs or weight loss surgery. It sounds like yours is particularly frustrating to work with, but even though I rally like my OB, we also work in conjuntion with my PCP for actual lab orders and such. I adjust my supplements as needed based on my lab results, so I don't rely on anyone to tell me what to take more/less of. I haven't been in contact with anyone from my surgeon's office since my 1-month post-op checkup   :P

While it would be nice to have a single doctor who can manage our labs, mutrition, pregnancy, etc., it's very rare, and working with more of a medical "team" is more common than finding that one doctor who actually knows everything.