Pregnant and told to lose weight

amandalynn636

Hi all. My name is Amanda and I will be 11 weeks pregnant tomorrow. This is my second baby and I am considered obese. With my first son I went from 170 to 285 and over the course of the last 5 years i had managed to get down to 190 lbs, but was actually at approximately 205 when I found out that I was pregnant. I had also been on a bunch of different medicine but stopped them all when I found out that I was pregnant, which caused me to gain 15lbs in a week! Well I wont sweaer that it was all due to the medicine but I think a big part of it was. I am still seeing my family doctor on a continuous basis, due to problems not caused by my pregnancy. She cautioned me on gaining a lot of weight and set me up with a nutrtionist. When I went to see my ob for the first time on March 7, she told me that since I was obese to begin with, she would encourage me to lose weight. SHe said it is better to be 10-15 lbs lighter when I deliver. The next time I saw my family doctor, I told her what the ob doc said and she nodded her head in agreement. This is the first time that I have heard this. Has anyone else who is/was obese prior to pregnancy been told this? I am not overly concerned because I have the utmost confidence and respect for both of my doctors, it's just that all of the stuff that I read prior to my ob visit said that obese women should gain 11-20 lbs. But if she wants me to lose it , I am going to try my best.... I will not go overboard or starve myself to do it, so no worries there.

busyPK

I was 204lbs when I found out I was pregnanti with my first and second kids and gained about 25lbs each. I am 5'3" so that is considered obese, but I had no medical issues beforehand and my doctor never told me to lose weight or to only gain a certain amount. She said to eat healthy when I was hungry and to listen to my body. I was able to drop the 25lbs after I had both my sons within 3 months. It is easier during delivery to not have a lot of extra weight on you, but personally, I don't think pregnancy is a time to focus on the number on the scale. I think it's the time to focus on eating healthy and listening to your body. I am no doctor though, just my 2cents.

broox80

I was told that last time by my OB. With my son I was 210 when I got preg, I am 5'1 also...yipes, and I gained about 15 lbs the first month. My Dr. was livid!!!!!!!!!! She kept berating me and telling me that she would be walking through wal mart in a few years and see me in an electric wheelchair. When I gave birth I was about 270. The anesthesiologist told me that it was very difficult to give an epidural to a person of such "massive size". It was a miserable experience. Now, 5 years later and again at about 210, I am pregnant again. I havent seen my Dr. yet. Maybe she wont be so *****y boo this time to me, you know since I am not in a wheelchair and all I am just trying to watch my calories and not go overboard. I am not restricting myself either. I still try to exercise about 4 or 5 times a week. My goal is to gain no more than 30 lbs. We shall see!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Book_wormie22

i am not overweight (well i am now but i am really pregnant!!) but my OB told me to lose weight in my second trimester because i was gaining too much. I tend to make big babies and i think that is what they are worried about, if they get too big it could cause problems for you during the third trimester and L/D. I've gained 30 lbs so far and am 35 weeks and she finally backed off of me. I hope you dont have another bad experience, people (doctors and nurses) really need to have better bedside manner. My mom is considered obese because of lupus and other meds she is on and is in tears every time she has to go to the docs because they make her feel bad dont restrict calories cuz your baby needs them but you dont need more than normal until your third trimester anyway - congrats on your little one!!

amandalynn636

I did gain 115 lbs with the first one, and he ended up weighing 9 lbs 10 oz! But luckily I didn't have any problems with blood pressure or diabetes. It's funny I actually have a different doctor this time because my first one moved 2 hours away, but everyone always told me that my first doctor would be the one to say something about my weight and he never did! My new doctor wasn't mean or berating when she told me that she wanted to see me lose weight, so it didn't bother me or hurt my feelings, it was just surprising. I do think it helped because I am more aware of what is going in my mouth.

ChubbieTubbie

I've been heavy with all four of my pregnancies. With #1, I started off at 202 and ended at 240. She was 7lb13oz, and I was fussed at for gaining too much weight. With #2, I was 245 and delivered at 249, and my OB was fine with it, he just kept making sure I was eating healthily. He was 7lb4oz. With #3, I started at 250 and ended at 245, and he was pleased with that as well, though he reinforced that I needed to eat and eat heathily. He was 7lb6oz. With #4, I started at 276, got up to 280 in the first trimester, but now am 267. My new OB (different than the one who delivered my first three) fusses at me every time I go in because I'm losing weight. I'm eating, and sometimes I'm eating junk!, but when I carry boys, I don't gain as much as with my girl.

J3ss1caD

Posted in another post but thought I'd re-post

Hi, my name is Jessica and this is my story...

My pre-pregnancy weight was about 125lb but mainly b/c we had been attempting to get pregnant anyways. Normally I try to stay around 120lbs. I'm active duty Air Force and was pretty active when it came to working out. I'm currently 25 weeks pregnant. Not long after I became pregnant I experienced HORRIBLE morning sickness that lasted for atleast a good 2-3 months. It seemed that once that was over and I was able to keep food down I started experiencing quite a lot of back pain which made it hard for me to workout like I had hoped I would. When I found out the gender of my baby in early February I found out that the main reason I was experiencing so much back pain was b/c baby is sitting right in my back . Needless to say.. I went to the Dr last week and was told I need to quit gaining weight. I'm currently at 155lb and it's hard/stressful trying to manage my weight without being able to workout properly. I've been using MFP for about a week now and it really seems to be helping me out. In just one week I've managed to drop 2lbs off of the weight the Dr originally recorded me at. I did go see a nutritionalist earlier during the week but they didnt see much wrong with my diet other than changing from Reduced fat milk to skim milk :P Apparently the biggest problem with my weight gain is that I'm unable to workout like I should. I have kind of forced myself into walking more often and doing some moderate stretching and pregnancy pilates.. then having the boyfriend massage my back pain away.

I'm really looking forward to this pregnancy and hoping I can manage my weight enough to not put much more on.. all while trying not to stress about it.

Happy pregnancy to you all!!!

rachel0923

Like others have said, I would just focus on eating healthy when you are hungry. I currently weigh about what i did when I delivered both my previous pregnancies, after gaining 35-40 lbs with each of them. The doc instructed me to only gain 10 lbs with this one, and I am all for it! I have been more food conscious and active with this one, though not really dieting. I can't imagine the stress on my body if I put on another 30 lbs and then had to deliver... My goal is to suck the fat out of my thighs and inject it into my belly! lol.

Givenitmybest

I was never told to lose weight. I was told not to more than 10 if any at all. At the same time I was also told that it would be better to have had an abortion than carry a baby at my weight. I was 230 at the time. In the end I gained 11 lbs total and had a healthy baby girl. I ate what my body needed and I was fine. (Though during the last 2 weeks of my pregnancy I really wanted 5 guys hamburgers lol). Mostly, I could only stomach fruit and yogurt anyways. And after my daughter was born I lost all the baby weight by the time I was home from the hospital and 10 extra lbs.

jpanderson9

Sweetie, if my doctor said that to me...I'd be getting a new doctor! Hugs to you, don't let people talk to you that way!

I was told that last time by my OB. With my son I was 210 when I got preg, I am 5'1 also...yipes, and I gained about 15 lbs the first month. My Dr. was livid!!!!!!!!!! She kept berating me and telling me that she would be walking through wal mart in a few years and see me in an electric wheelchair. When I gave birth I was about 270. The anesthesiologist told me that it was very difficult to give an epidural to a person of such "massive size". It was a miserable experience. Now, 5 years later and again at about 210, I am pregnant again. I havent seen my Dr. yet. Maybe she wont be so *****y boo this time to me, you know since I am not in a wheelchair and all I am just trying to watch my calories and not go overboard. I am not restricting myself either. I still try to exercise about 4 or 5 times a week. My goal is to gain no more than 30 lbs. We shall see!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

newmommynewfitme

I'm a good 90 or so lbs heavier than you and my doctor just said to me what's your weight gain goal, I said zero ...he said sounds good but if you gain you gain. I have lupus and I gain like crazy on my meds but hoping since my doses are lower it will help. I would probably get a new Dr , even obese your target weight gain is from 0-15 pounds. My advice is to eat healthy, don't eat for two lol, and when you crave something figure out if that's really what your body wants. Sometimes we may crave one thing but our bodies are really seeking some nutrient or protein.

mandalu292

I can't believe your doctor even suggested an abortion! I would be livid. Good for you for going through with the pregnancy and showing that doctor! What a jerk.

mandalu292

I can't believe your doctor even suggested an abortion! I would be livid. Good for you for going through with the pregnancy and showing that doctor! What a jerk.

As far as losing weight while pregnant, I'm currently 7 weeks pregnant. My doctor said that if I lose a bit in the first trimester before going up, that he would be happy with that. I am starting out at 250 lbs. and am 5'6". I'm obviously overweight and shouldn't gain much. I'm still doing my cardio routine that I had started before getting pregnant and I am set at 1700 calories based on what he suggested. My doctor was very nice and understanding about the situation. My goal is to gain 5-15 lbs. with this pregnancy. Good luck to you!

I was never told to lose weight. I was told not to more than 10 if any at all. At the same time I was also told that it would be better to have had an abortion than carry a baby at my weight. I was 230 at the time. In the end I gained 11 lbs total and had a healthy baby girl. I ate what my body needed and I was fine. (Though during the last 2 weeks of my pregnancy I really wanted 5 guys hamburgers lol). Mostly, I could only stomach fruit and yogurt anyways. And after my daughter was born I lost all the baby weight by the time I was home from the hospital and 10 extra lbs.

amandalynn636

Thanks for all of the replies everyone. It's nice to know that I'm not alone:)

busyPK

I am not sure why doctors put so much pressure on pregnant women. I know we are growing a baby inside us, but instead of putting so much emphasis on the number on the scale, why don't they talk with us on what we should eat, how much and how often instread? They tend to stop at "gain x-x amount of weight only". I know women that got so focus on the weight they gained that they actually asked to be weighed standing backwards so they didn't know the number because it seems to affect them that much. :frown: