Question:
Anyone Have Info on surgery immediately after Birth?

I have 11 weeks pregnant with my 1st child and weigh 266 pounds. I want to have the surgery but curious if having the surgery immediately after birth is feasible or a good idea.    — slhooker (posted on November 27, 2006)

November 27, 2006
Congratulations on your pregnancy! I believe that if you are not going to be nursing it would not be a problem having surgery after your hormones get back to normal. This is something you need to discuss with your PCP and Gynocologist. RNY surgery is a malabsorption surgery so you can not get pregnant up to 1 1/2 or 2 after the surgery. Good luck with your journey. Cira
   — Cira S.

November 27, 2006
Hi... Congrats on the pregnancy. I believe this is a question for your primary dr/OB. My belief is that they are going to want you at least 3-6 months recovery from the pregnancy before considering WLS. As the last respondent said, it is a malabsortive surgery and you want your body in the best condition it can be before undergoing the surgery. But, ask your doc first. If you watch what you eat throughout your pregnancy, it is possible to go through the pregnancy gaining very little. I was 310 when I got pregnant and didn't gain any weight until the very last week and that was due to pre-eclampsia. Good Luck on all........
   — Kari_K

November 27, 2006
Is it possible to have RNY immediately after pregnancy? Well I suppose yes. However, pregnancy makes the risks of blood clots worse and so does surgery...that is an increased risk. Also, every surgeon recommends that you ahve RNY during a time in your life when you can focus on YOU. You need to learn to eat, deal with the emotions (not to mention the emotions post pregnancy). You will be sleep deprived and that does not lend itself well to a quick recovery. I wish you all th ebest but there are definitely things to think about... congrats on the baby!!!
   — SteffieBear15

November 30, 2006
I think its highly unlikely that you will be able to go directly from Labor and Delivery to the OR for an RNY. After childbirth, your body is going to have lots of funky things going on--reversing the changes from the past 9 months, adjusting to breathing/beating/filtering for one, large amounts of hormones, recovering from all the extertion---your body isn't going to be in top condition like it should be before surgery. Regardless of the health stuff, I think that unless you have a mother/sister/husband/friend around to take care of you and the baby, you're gonna have a really hard recovery. Your going to feel tired, probably exhausted. You'll be sore and probably have difficulty with things like reaching, bending, pickip up, etc. Your body needs rest and energy to heal and this might be difficult if you have a child who is not sleeping through the nights. You may not be able to breastfeed (or may have to wait) if certain meds/anesthesia is used. You're going to need to spend time following the post-op food plan, monitoring your drinking, measuring your food, chewing and eating. Another thing to consider...if you have a complication, delayed healing, or longer hospitalization, will someone be available to care for your child (and you)? ----- I'd suggest waiting for a bit after birth--enjoy your new baby and get to the point where you feel comfortable letting someone else take care of you baby.... then have the surgery. Good Luck!
   — mrsidknee