Question:
Waterbirth after WLS?

I know that getting pregnant after WLS surgery is possible (and I also know that you have to wait 1-2 years after before you start trying), but I have a different type of question. Can you have a birth with a midwife after WLS? I've heard people say that weight loss surgery pregnancies were high risk, and if there's a chance for a complicated delivery I would feel better being in the hospital, instead of a birthing center. Does WLS complicate the actual childbirth?    — [Anonymous] (posted on January 10, 2002)

January 10, 2002
There is a woman who regularly posts on the OSSG email list named Barbara Herrara (I think thats the spelling). Her email name is something like Ferral Mermaid. She has had WLS and is also a midwife. She is very generous with sharing her knowledge and her personal journey. If you arent a member of this list, go to yahoo and look up OSSG. There are over a hundred mailing lists with OSSG in their title, but this one is just plain OSSG. Maybe someone else can give you a more direct way to sign on. Then look for one of Barbara's posts and drop her a note. Maybe with a bit of luck, she is also a member here and will respond to this question directly. Good luck.
   — Donna L.

January 10, 2002
I had my second baby at home in a birthing tub (waterbirth) with a licensed midwife in attendance. I've already discussed this with her and she said that they (she and her partners at the birth center) will be happy to work with me towards another home birth when I am pregnant again. Most of the problems I'm likely to have will have to do with nutrition and sufficient fetal weight gain. She did say that they would probably want to do one ultrasound per trimester (where they don't normally do any) to check fetal weight gain. I don't have a problem with that. Hope this helps.
   — Julia M.