Question:
Should I have children now and post pone surgery?

I have not had surgery yet but someday post op I would like to have children. I think I would be totally miserable if I got pregnant at the weight I am now. Everyone thinks I'm nuts...my friends ask me why I would go through the surgery, lose all that weight, and then get pregnant and gain it all back!    — Miss KJ (posted on May 25, 2005)

May 24, 2005
First of all, you don't gain it all back when you get pregnant. I gained a total of 40 pounds with my first post-op baby. It would have been less, but I had pretty bad swelling in my lowere legs and feet. I lost most of it by the time she was 2 weeks old. By the time I went back to work, I weighed less than I did when I got pregnant. I'm almost 5 months along with this baby and my total gain so far is 15 pounds. There are significant health benefits to getting pregnant at normal body weight. First off, some of us had secondary infertility caused by our weight - there was slim chance of us getting pregnant at all as morbidly obese women. You have higher risk of gestational diabetes, and increased risk of C-section as a morbidly obese mom. It is ultimately your decision, but for me, the best decision was to have WLS before I had my babies.
   — Ali M

May 25, 2005
I am 2 months out from my surgery and I made the decision to stop trying to get pregnant until I have lost the weight. I wasn't healthy and new there was no way I would be giving my unborn child a healthy start at a life if I was dealing with lots of lower leg edema and already was a diabetic that didn't have control over my insulin levels, I was controlled as a diabetic but was taking a ton of insulin to be there. It is a personal choice and one of my biggest reasons to have WlS was to give me the opportunity of having a healthy pregnancy instead of a very high risk one. Good luck in whatever you decide to do, but to answer your question your not crazy. Most of the time friends and family have no idea what is entailed with having a high risk pregnancy and you should do what's in the best interest for you. I actually spoke to my OBGYN about my decision and he completely supported my decision and actually wrote a letter of recommendation to the insurance company in support of the surgery. I hope this helps. Denise
   — dlryanoates

May 25, 2005
You might want to talk to an OB/GYN. The risks of being pregnant while morbidly obese are emormous.
   — **willow**

May 26, 2005
Hi there...from having 6 pregnancies, please let me put my two cents in. I am obese. Have surgery coming up. The stereotypical "weight gain" from pregnancy is just that, a "stereo type." I gained MOST of my weight from an accident a few years back, destroyed both of my knees, MULTIPLE surgeries, A LOT of time bedridden, while recoping...not from childbirth. My pregnancies range a 10 year time span. With HEALTHY children, my weight gain was only 6 pounds TOTAL with the first child, and the last child, I was actually going through weight watchers (trying to loose some of the wieght from the 1 year rehab of carved bone surgery...) and the dietician modified my WW plan so that I could be healthy and continue the WW process, and that pregnancy-VERY healthy child and mom, I only gained 2 pounds. I was my LOWEST weight right after the last pregnancy then I had been in YEARS!!! Don't let people deter you or make yourself believe that you will gain all kinds of weight when you get pregnant. EVERYONE is different. Also, a sidenote...with all the labor and deliveries HORROR stories that you will hear, remember this one email letting you know, my first delivery was natural-no spinal or anything, and it was 5 pushes TOTAL from water breaking to baby delivery...6 MINUTES!!! and the last was just as easy...10 minute labor with 6 pushes. When you get scared, remember that it doesn't mean that your delivery experience will be as tough as "theirs" just remember to relax and know that BILLIONS of women have done this before you and it is TOTALLY natural. Let your body do the work for you. Good Luck!!!! And enjoy your pregnancies!!! Laurie P in Pensacola
   — l P.

May 29, 2005
Hi...I can only give you my own personal experience but my pregnancy before WLS was much different than the pregnancy I am having now 2 yrs post op (I'm currently 35 weeks pregnant). With my first pregnancy, I had PCOS prior to conceiving and spent 2 years on fertility meds trying to get pregnancy (which packed on 70 lbs prior to even conceiving). I actually conceived while I was taking a 'break' from the treatment. I was put on bedrest at 6 1/2 months due to PIH and PreEclampsia, but due to close monitoring was able to carry to term and was induced at 40 weeks. My daughter was only 5 lbs...small for gestational age due to complications with hypertension...but she is a happy, intelligent, and healthy 4 year old now, and I couldn't imagine not having her here now. As for my WLS...I decided to have the surgery right before my daughter turned two. I realized that it was impossible for me to keep up with a toddler when I weighed 370lbs. Almost instantly I was able to get up and down on the floor and chase her around...which only helped me bond that much more with her. From that aspect, I wish I would have had the surgery before she was born because I would have been more active with her from the start. As for the current pregnancy...I went through 3 miscarriages last year (unrelated to the surgery). I'm now 37 and weigh about 190lbs. My blood pressure has been fine and I've been extremely active this pregnancy...no swelling, no complications, and I feel the doctors have been more supportive to me than they were when I was super obese. I felt I was more of a 'problem' for them then and was expected to have complications and issues...whereas now, I feel like a 'normal' pregnant woman. I also look like I'm pregnant...which is nice because when I was larger no one could really tell I was pregnant and I felt like I was missing out on the experience of having others notice. (Also, I have not gained any weight with this pregnancy although I have been eating more than usual. It's so strange to hear the doctors tell you that you 'need' to gain weight. But the baby is growing fine, and I am well nourished (I get regular blood work to check all my levels)...so there are no worries. As many have already posted, each pregnancy is different. You can have complications at any weight...or you could have no complications. It is important that you do wait until the biggest phase of your weight loss is complete before trying to get pregnant after WLS, so depending on your age and your timeline, you may not want to wait to have surgery and then another 18-24 months to conceive, and then another 9 months to have the baby. However, if you have the baby first, you may need to wait at least 12-18mos to have the surgery...and depending on your support system, you will need someone to help you care for your infant for the first 6 weeks or so after the surgery. Plus, you may hesitate to go through the risks of surgery, knowing you have a little one at home. That was my toughest battle...what if something happened to me during surgery and my daughter didn't have a mom? Of course, at the rate I was going, I would have probably died from complications due to obesity within 15 years anyhow, so the benefits definitely outweighed the risks for me. Plus the quality of life has definitely improved since my WLS. Not an easy decision...and this is just my own experience. Given my circumstances, I couldn't have imagined it any other way than how it played out for me. And I'm not sure if I wouldn't have had the complications from the first pregnancy at a lower weight. I've been doubly blessed, with my daughter's birth, and then my 're-birth' after WLS. I can only pray the blessings will continue with the birth of my second daughter in about a month. Good luck, whatever your decision. My thoughts and prayers are with you...and I'm sure that whatever path you choose, it will be the best choice for you! Angela
   — angelav