We are excited to announce our OH2015 ObesityHelp Conference speakers for the Saturday Sessions. In addition to a great line up of speakers, this year we have added more fitness activities to the conference schedule.

Make sure to stop by and learn more about both our Friday and Saturday speakers and their sessions. We continue to add more details to the OH2015 agenda, so keep checking!

Join us in Raleigh, NC, October 16th & 17th for two jammed pack days of education, support and celebration! Reserve Your Tickets NOW

Hi, ladies!

I haven't been very active in here with this pregnancy, but I figured I would drop in and give an update. I am now 24 weeks pregnant with baby #4 (3rd post-op). Still dealing with nausea. Not constant, but still a pain in the rump. Still exhausted, but I don't necessarily blame that on the pregnancy. I'm thinking going to school and still taking care of my other kids (ages 6, 2 and 1) are the main reasons for exhaustion. lol I'm so ready for this semester to be over. I won't be taking classes next semester since I will be having a baby right around the time classes start. I will be having a repeat csection. After talking with my doctor and weighing the risks of having a VBAC vs. my personal wishes, I'm more comfortable with the csection. Doctor assures me, too, that since we know what went wrong last time (I had the most HORRIFIC nausea during the procedure) we can take steps to keep it from happening this time.

In other life news, I am now a divorcee AND remarried! My divorce was finalized on March 13th and my "new" guy and I tied the knot on March 17th. Things are stressful right now as he's looking for work, but aside from the stress (and hormones that exaggerate EVERYTHING) I couldn't be happier.

We don't know baby's gender (yet). We had an ultrasound on March 25th but baby was super active and super stubborn when the u/s tech could get in the right position. It is driving me nuts not knowing if we are having a boy or a girl, but we will hopefully get another shot at finding out really soon. They couldn't get all the pictures they NEEDED to get at the first anatomy scan so we will have to go back. My OB said at my last appointment that we will schedule the repeat u/s at the upcoming appointment on May 7th. Fingers crossed that baby is more cooperative this time around!

That's pretty much all I've got for now. I'm going to *try* to be more active in here, but we'll see how that actually pans out lol

I got pregnant 5 months post op and was scared, it was my forth, it was so soon after surgery, I couldn't hold anything down, and I was super sad thinking I had surgery for nothing because I was going to gain everything back again. Well I had a successful VBAC 3 weeks ago and baby was healthy and big! I did lose about 25lbs the first few months of the pregnancy and had to get IV fluids a few times but then in the end I gained about 10lbs back and then lost 5lbs the last week again. So far since giving birth I have only dropped 20lbs but I'm trying not to stress about it yet. I do have a ton of extra skin now that I'm not happy about but I plan on trying to tone this summer. My biggest complaint is always being thirsty now and not being able to gulp down fluids like I want. My iron levels haven't wanted to stay up since surgery either but they aren't at a horrible level either. 

I'm just glad that the baby was ok since everyone shamed me for getting pregnant so soon after surgery. I was basically Told I wouldn't have kids again because of my PCOS and some other problem.....imagine my surprise when I found out. Lol 

How did your doctor react when you got pregnant so soon?  What has your pregnancy been like?

I got pregnant way too close to surgery (at 5m post op) and it was very disheartening to stall out int eh loss so soon.  I had lost 100, got pregnant, lost 20 more in first trimester due to nausea, and then since then have been gaining back the 20.  I KNOW that some of it is baby, and the rest is extra blood, fluid...all that baby related stuff.

The biggest thing you can do is get back to the basics of WHAT you are eating.  You do need more calories than before to nurture a healthy pregnancy - but those calories should be good things.

Get in with your dietician and develop a workable plan.  Perhaps trying something like the gestational diabetes diet will keep you on track...it is a balanced approach that limits but not eliminates carbs and focuses on getting protein and non-sugary stuff like veggies.

I am 38w now and will likely deliver around the weight I got pregnant at...which means a 20 pound gain from 2nd&3rd tri.  It isn't great, but I know I can use my tool post-pregnancy to get back on track.