Appetite and Weight Gain at 9 weeks
Hi Everyone. I'm new on the board but was very relieved to know this was here. I am 9 weeks along (had gastric bypass in June of 2011 and lost most of my excess weight)and had my first appointment with the midwife yesterday. Since before I got pregnant I've gained 11lbs. I am freaking out. I know that I have not always made the best eating choices (indulged in pizza and spicy wings on more than 1 occasion) but 11lbs is crazy. I'm determined to eat right from now on and substitute my cravings with healthy alternatives. My question is, is it normal to be have an insane appetite and to be able to eat a lot more during pregnancy? Also, any advice on managing weight gain during pregnancy? I know I am not supposed to diet but gaining an excessive amount of weight scares me. The midwife just says to make healthy choices and to not worry about it, but I can't help it.
Do NOT diet to try and rid yourself of those 11 pounds. You're still early enough in your pregnancy that a lot of that weight could be water retention and such. As your midwife said, just try to make healthy choices from here on out. You can lose the weight after baby is here and healthy :)
As for the insane appetite and being able to eat more: It is totally normal. A friend of mine shares this quote from her surgeon "The only physiology that trumps bariatric surgery is pregnancy." There is a hormone being produced by your body throughout pregnancy (I THINK it's called Relaxin?) that relaxes your muscles. It's what allows your uterus to stretch as baby grows, but also is the cause of the leg cramps, constipation, etc. And it does affect your pouch. Your pouch will be slightly more stretchy during pregnancy but goes back to normal after delivery (or so I've heard - I'm praying hard that it's true because it is scary how much I can eat).
Congrats on your pregnancy and best wishes for a happy, healthy 9 months. :)
Thank you so much. You made me feel a lot better. I know it sounds crazy, but I thought maybe I had stretched my pouch. Congrats to you too. It's so exciting and we are thrilled to be lucky enough to have conceived so soon (we got pregnant our first month tcc). I will continue to make healthy choices and maybe just avoid the scale for a while.
Thanks again :)
Thanks! I'm ready for this little guy to be born already! LOL
Definitely avoid the scale. After all we've done to lose the weight we have lost, it's really hard to see that number go up and not want to jump back into our WLS diets. Our WLS diets are not healthy or adequate for growing a little one.
That's awesome you were lucky enough to conceive your first month! :)
I'm 15 weeks pregnant and almost 3 yrs post op and even my kids noticed how much more I can eat!!! I'm hungry all the time and can eat more at one sitting and I want things like pasta which I haven't really eaten since surgery and can tolerate now. I was told it's the relaxin that relaxes muscles for giving birth and that it will go back after the delivery. I put 10 lbs on in the first trimester as well.
