6mo post-RNY and 5wks pregnant
I'm scared and need some information from ladies who have been where I am. I am 6mo post-op (as of today), down 86lbs, and now 5wks pregnant. My surgeon is telling me to go see a high-risk OB (whom I cannot get in with for weeks) and that he is now just a "cheerleader on the sidelines". IM NOT READY TO BE ON MY OWN! How can I eat for two when I struggle to eat for one??
Has anyone been told what the risks are for pregnancies so soon after a malabsorptive procedure? I do not want to consider it, but I've been told by some to consider abortion because of the risks to myself and the baby. However, I cannot find out exactly what those risks are, or how dire they are.
Can anyone please help to shed some light on this for me? I know that there must be successful (and unsuccessful) moms-to-be on here in a similar situation, so any information you can provide would be very much appreciated!!!
Has anyone been told what the risks are for pregnancies so soon after a malabsorptive procedure? I do not want to consider it, but I've been told by some to consider abortion because of the risks to myself and the baby. However, I cannot find out exactly what those risks are, or how dire they are.
Can anyone please help to shed some light on this for me? I know that there must be successful (and unsuccessful) moms-to-be on here in a similar situation, so any information you can provide would be very much appreciated!!!
Ok first of all congradulations. I got pregnant 7 months out of surgery and currently I am almost 13 weeks with no problems. I do not have to see a high risk ob yet, because until your a certain point there is no need is what my ob told me. However, I have continued to lose weight during my pregnancy but it doesn't affect my baby.
You will only need to ingest an extra 300 calories to support the baby, which could be a protein shake or two. So don't get yourself upset. I still see my surgeon and he does my labs to make sure my vitamin levels stay good and he communicates that with my OB, plus I still see his nutritionist.
Truthfully, many women have been in your shoes, but you need to make the decision thats best for you. And truthfully I am not aware of any risks to us in regards to being pregnant other then making sure our vitamin levels are good. As far as the baby they will just keep an eye on the baby to make sure the grouth is normal...And thats when the fetal specialist or high-risk doctor comes in, not for you but just to monitor the baby.
I wish you the best.
You will only need to ingest an extra 300 calories to support the baby, which could be a protein shake or two. So don't get yourself upset. I still see my surgeon and he does my labs to make sure my vitamin levels stay good and he communicates that with my OB, plus I still see his nutritionist.
Truthfully, many women have been in your shoes, but you need to make the decision thats best for you. And truthfully I am not aware of any risks to us in regards to being pregnant other then making sure our vitamin levels are good. As far as the baby they will just keep an eye on the baby to make sure the grouth is normal...And thats when the fetal specialist or high-risk doctor comes in, not for you but just to monitor the baby.
I wish you the best.
HW: 326 SW: 312 GW:140
I think the feedback Tyscandy gave you was right on the money! I am 8 months post op and 30 weeks pregnant and have not needed a high risk ob. I continued to lose till middle of 2nd trimester and the baby is right on track with growth. your baby does not require a lot of calories this early on so just try and get an appt with a nutrionist in the meantime. I east every 2 hrs little snacks and drink fluids. my ob would not see me for 3 weeks so I know the waiting was hard you will do great! I was told low birth weight and not enough nutrition to baby was the main concern. good luck and congrats!
At only 5.5 months post op RNY I found myself pregnant. I am currently 30 weeks pregnant with a very healthy baby boy who is growing just as he should and to top it off, my pregnancy this time around is much healthier than my first pregnancy pre-operatively.
First - you do NOT need to see a high-risk OB. Having had RNY does not make us high risk. You should discuss your concerns with whatever OB you do see (which, BTW, many don't start seeing you until you are 8-10 weeks along - high risk or not) and let them know you've had this procedure. Second - your surgeon should play an active role in your care. You should keep in close contact with your nutritionist and your surgeon should keep an eye on your labs since they are best educated about what tests need to be run, etc. I think it's a bunch of crap that your surgeon is telling you he's now just a "cheerleader."
Rest assured that growing a baby does NOT necessarily place a huge demand on you to eat more. In fact, until late in the second trimester and the whole third trimester, baby has very little extra nutritional demand. No matter how much nutrition you get, baby will take what he/she needs from you. You will need to change your focus from losing weight to getting in the nutrients that baby needs - this is likely the hardest part of it. You will have to eat carbs again. You will have to eat a little more. BUT your body will allow you to do this. I didn't feel hunger at all after my surgery until after I became pregnant. The hormones produced by your body also relaxes your muscles (and yes, your pouch is one of those muscles) so, if you're like me and the many women I network with, you'll find you're able to eat a little bit more in a sitting than you were pre-pregnancy. Our bodies know what to do to accomodate our growing miracles. I eat whenever I am hungry and don't refuse myself any craving - even if it's not necessarily a good food choice. I just don't have a lot of the bad stuff. I do not pause to think whether my hunger is mental or physical - I just eat. Something else I did (this is not gospel, and you need to do what is right for you and your baby) is cut out exercise for the time being. The only exercise I get is light walking (like around the grocery store) and house cleaning. To me, it just doesn't make sense to go burning off a whole bunch of calories in the gym when I'm working so hard to get them in!
Do not worry about losing a little bit of weight. Being so new post-op, it will more than likely happen. I lost 35 pounds in the first 21 weeks and have only gained back 10 of those in the past 9 weeks. Weight gain during pregnancy is normal and healthy. If it is going to bother you to see your weight go up at any point, stay off the scale!
Take your vitamins every day! With baby taking from you, it can be really easy to get malnourished. You'll want to discuss with your doctor what vitamins they want you to take, but I take all my regular RNY vits and I added in a prenatal every day.
Things to do/consider:
**Keep a close eye on your labs. I have had mine drawn every 3 months through my pregnancy and will do so til the end.
**Keep a close eye on baby's growth (which means additional ultrasounds! :) )
**You may want to discuss an alternative to the glucose tolerance test. Not sure if you've been pregnant before, but, normally, this test requires you to drink a drink of 50g of sugar to see how it impacts your blood sugars. This could cause you to dump or be sick - if you get sick you have to repeat the test and to me it just wasn't worth risking a dumping episode. Some women test their sugars before/after meals for a week or two at home, some women are told to eat jelly beans, I went in not fasting, and then ate a candy bar. My doctor looked both at my immediate reaction to the candy bar and at my A1C.
**Take a deep breath - you are not the first, and won't be the last, woman to go through pregnancy so soon after surgery. Every unfavorable outcome I've read about was not WLS related at all.
Sorry for the novel, but I had a lot to say. LOL If you don't want to get an abortion, please don't feel pressured into thinking that you have to or that it would be wrong of you to continue this pregnancy. A healthy pregnancy and baby are very very possible for you - even so soon after surgery. Best wishes for you and baby! (and congrats!)
First - you do NOT need to see a high-risk OB. Having had RNY does not make us high risk. You should discuss your concerns with whatever OB you do see (which, BTW, many don't start seeing you until you are 8-10 weeks along - high risk or not) and let them know you've had this procedure. Second - your surgeon should play an active role in your care. You should keep in close contact with your nutritionist and your surgeon should keep an eye on your labs since they are best educated about what tests need to be run, etc. I think it's a bunch of crap that your surgeon is telling you he's now just a "cheerleader."
Rest assured that growing a baby does NOT necessarily place a huge demand on you to eat more. In fact, until late in the second trimester and the whole third trimester, baby has very little extra nutritional demand. No matter how much nutrition you get, baby will take what he/she needs from you. You will need to change your focus from losing weight to getting in the nutrients that baby needs - this is likely the hardest part of it. You will have to eat carbs again. You will have to eat a little more. BUT your body will allow you to do this. I didn't feel hunger at all after my surgery until after I became pregnant. The hormones produced by your body also relaxes your muscles (and yes, your pouch is one of those muscles) so, if you're like me and the many women I network with, you'll find you're able to eat a little bit more in a sitting than you were pre-pregnancy. Our bodies know what to do to accomodate our growing miracles. I eat whenever I am hungry and don't refuse myself any craving - even if it's not necessarily a good food choice. I just don't have a lot of the bad stuff. I do not pause to think whether my hunger is mental or physical - I just eat. Something else I did (this is not gospel, and you need to do what is right for you and your baby) is cut out exercise for the time being. The only exercise I get is light walking (like around the grocery store) and house cleaning. To me, it just doesn't make sense to go burning off a whole bunch of calories in the gym when I'm working so hard to get them in!
Do not worry about losing a little bit of weight. Being so new post-op, it will more than likely happen. I lost 35 pounds in the first 21 weeks and have only gained back 10 of those in the past 9 weeks. Weight gain during pregnancy is normal and healthy. If it is going to bother you to see your weight go up at any point, stay off the scale!
Take your vitamins every day! With baby taking from you, it can be really easy to get malnourished. You'll want to discuss with your doctor what vitamins they want you to take, but I take all my regular RNY vits and I added in a prenatal every day.
Things to do/consider:
**Keep a close eye on your labs. I have had mine drawn every 3 months through my pregnancy and will do so til the end.
**Keep a close eye on baby's growth (which means additional ultrasounds! :) )
**You may want to discuss an alternative to the glucose tolerance test. Not sure if you've been pregnant before, but, normally, this test requires you to drink a drink of 50g of sugar to see how it impacts your blood sugars. This could cause you to dump or be sick - if you get sick you have to repeat the test and to me it just wasn't worth risking a dumping episode. Some women test their sugars before/after meals for a week or two at home, some women are told to eat jelly beans, I went in not fasting, and then ate a candy bar. My doctor looked both at my immediate reaction to the candy bar and at my A1C.
**Take a deep breath - you are not the first, and won't be the last, woman to go through pregnancy so soon after surgery. Every unfavorable outcome I've read about was not WLS related at all.
Sorry for the novel, but I had a lot to say. LOL If you don't want to get an abortion, please don't feel pressured into thinking that you have to or that it would be wrong of you to continue this pregnancy. A healthy pregnancy and baby are very very possible for you - even so soon after surgery. Best wishes for you and baby! (and congrats!)
Congratulations!! Try to relax a bit, everything will be fine!
Everyone focuses on weight gain and eat, eat, eat, when we're pregnant, but what most people fail to consider is that when we're overweight or obese, we have plenty of fuel in our stores! I'm guessing this soon after surgery, you probably still have some weight to lose. So, although it is important to eat and get a variety of nutrients, they baby will never know if its "meals" are coming from the lunch you just ate, or from the plate of cookies you've been "saving" on your thigh since Christmas of '98, lol. Focus on getting your protein (you don't want to lose muscle), fluids, and taking your vitamins. Have your surgeon check your labs, and try not to focus too much on the scale. Your weight really won't be much of an indicator to the baby's health, how the baby is growing is so much more important than what your number on the scale is!
Everyone focuses on weight gain and eat, eat, eat, when we're pregnant, but what most people fail to consider is that when we're overweight or obese, we have plenty of fuel in our stores! I'm guessing this soon after surgery, you probably still have some weight to lose. So, although it is important to eat and get a variety of nutrients, they baby will never know if its "meals" are coming from the lunch you just ate, or from the plate of cookies you've been "saving" on your thigh since Christmas of '98, lol. Focus on getting your protein (you don't want to lose muscle), fluids, and taking your vitamins. Have your surgeon check your labs, and try not to focus too much on the scale. Your weight really won't be much of an indicator to the baby's health, how the baby is growing is so much more important than what your number on the scale is!
Thank you to everyone who posted! I've been getting such mixed messages from my medical team, but it is nice to see that I'm not alone and there are good outcomes from early pregnancy!
I called the high-risk OB (maternal fetal medicine doc) and his nurse talked to him and told him my situation. He made me an appointment for Oct 10th, but he said he wasnt concerned about me needing to get in immediately. That was also reassuring - if the situation was truly dire, I would think the doc would request me to come in faster.
My boyfriend is still not for the pregnancy, so I think I'll be doing this all alone. Hopefully everything goes relatively smoothly as it seems to have for all of you. Thanks again!!
I called the high-risk OB (maternal fetal medicine doc) and his nurse talked to him and told him my situation. He made me an appointment for Oct 10th, but he said he wasnt concerned about me needing to get in immediately. That was also reassuring - if the situation was truly dire, I would think the doc would request me to come in faster.
My boyfriend is still not for the pregnancy, so I think I'll be doing this all alone. Hopefully everything goes relatively smoothly as it seems to have for all of you. Thanks again!!
dont have a abortion honey I was 3 months post op when I got pregnant dont consider urself eating for 2 take ur vitamins drink ur water try to get protein in it is not bad as it seems i promise like i said i was 3 months post op and when he was 3 1/2 mnths i got pregnant again still lost my weight just take it easy... dont worry about eating enough right now
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