Scared to get pregnant?!

MandaJean83

I feel the same as you, girl. I'm not planning to have a baby in the next year or two, but a few years from now I hope to finally have one. And honestly, after all the struggle with losing and keeping weight off...well, it scares me that I'll undo all my progress with a pregnancy. Especially after seeing it happen to ALL of my friends! LOL

But to be truthful...I'm sure a baby will be SO worth the changes. And if we've lost the weight once, we can sure as heck do it again!

CallieM15

I want to get pregnant before im 30.. .Of course I want a husband too lol.
BUT, Ive been trying to lose with for 4 years now. Gain, lose... Never got to where I want. If I get there in the next year, or even 4, i want time to feel beautiful in my body, have the body ive wanted.... I will definetly be very scared to get pregnant, because ive ALWAYS struggled with weightloss...

jamie31

I am with you. I have lost a whole *kitten* ton of weight and have major body issues. ( like gaining a couple pounds send me into a near anxiety attack) The thought of gaining 30+ pounds like most preg friends scares the bejesus outta me. Plus I have back problems and know that I would not really be able to workout a whole lot if pregnant...what really sucks is that I want a few kids and would like one within the next yr or so......

DietingMommy08

I never wanted kids.

I was always overweight and when I first wen on a diet when i was 21 years old I lost a large amount of weight and was 20lbs from my goal weight wen YUP I got pregnant.

Unfortunetly I gained 100lbs during my pregnancy due to toxemia and my thyroid going crazy.

I have since only lost 40lbs of that weight and my son is going to be 4 in August.

I do however want another child now.

NOT until I reach my goal weight tho. )

CMmrsfloyd

I know I would never regret it.
And I have already planned to keep tracking and at least taking daily walks.
And I am hoping that because of my age I can "bounce back" (hoping to be 22 by then)
I have never had a perfect body, I dont think I ever will.

My mother gained ALOT of weight with my brother and I. Thats what scares me big time!!!
At least 60lbs with each. She really didnt lose after either.
Is it like stretch marks? IF your mom gained weight, you will?

No it is not necessarily like that - it has a lot to do with your lifestyle and eating habits. A lot of women DO gain a lot of water weight even if they are careful with their diet and exercise, but that tends to fall right off after the delivery, plus you can try to minimize it with staying well hydrated and trying to make healthy choices. Don't let whatever your mother went through scare you, every pregnancy is different - even with the same woman, subsequent pregnancies can be very different. And even if you do gain 'real' weight, you know how to get it back off since you know about awareness of calorie input vs expenditure. Don't stress over this, just do it if it feels right and try to make good choices.

Heatherz131

I lost weight in my first trimester of being pregnant and was given a serious talking to by my midwife as the baby takes what it needs regardless of what Mum is doing. But as some one else has said the first time you hold the baby you don't worry about your size, just how you can protect that small person for the rest of their life. And once they get mobile you start to loose weight anyway!

kerriBB37

I'm glad I'm not the only one! :flowerforyou:

I have been working hard for the last year+ to lose almost 50 pounds. I am getting married on November 17 of this year and my fiance and I have decided to start trying to conceive asap after the wedding. I'll be 30, he will be 32. It's time. I have spent my entire adult life (well from college on) trying to get myself to a healthy weight and to where I am "happy" with myself in the mirror. I started at over 210 pounds and today I'm 161. I haven't been under 160 since sophomore year in high school. I know I will reach my goal but then I will turn around and become pregnant! ahh! I just wish I had worked harder in my early and mid-20's to where I wasn't at this point right now. :ohwell:

mrmanmeat

Then adopt.

Or don't have kids. Nothing says you HAVE to have them.

summer8it

Pregnancy will change your body, but it won't necessarily ruin it! I wound up SKINNIER after having my son, because breastfeeding literally sucked the weight off of me.

Eat well during your pregnancy, stay active as much as you can both during pregnancy and postpartum, breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months (if you can - nursing is best for both you and the baby!), and when you wean, remember to adjust your calorie intake down.

Twilightsunflower

i was nervouse to get pregnant with my daughter, i had wanted to lose weight but it didnt work out that way. i ate extra healthy with her to avoid things like hypertention and gestational diabetes. (sorry my spelling sucks). in the end it didnt matter how big i was she came out healthy and perfect (mommy bias). now she is the greastest inspration for getting in shape i have ever had.

agriffitts85

and in some womens case like mine i actually lost 50lbs with each of my four children then i gained like a total of five pounds total. ... i just waited until it was overboard before i did something about my weight and got healthy... like now... and i cant have anymore children so im not worried about messing with my progress... but just remember every women is different and even if you do gain weight a child is worth it. and if you work hard at keeping up on eating healthy and exercising you should be able to return to a size that you are happy with....

Gwoman2012

It's not superficial to get to a healthy weight before you get pregnant.

It is SMART and better for you and the baby.


I started with a healthy BMI but I gained too much weight with both of mine...50 with the first and 40 with the second (but started 10 lbs heavier so ended up at the same weight). With both kids the first 20 lbs came off easy, the next 10-20 came off with some effort and work, and I'm currently trying to lose the last 10-20 with A LOT of effort.

I would highly recommend starting off at a healthy weight and then trying to stay within the 25-30 lb weight gain. I ate way too much crap with both pregnancies.

0622cameron

I wouldn't be scared about gaining weight with each of my 4 pregnancy I lost weight after each pregnancy. I ended up weighing less than I did before I got pregnant. My problem was keeping the weight off, I was really not thinking about eating healthy and exercising but that was over 11 years ago. If I knew then what I know now I would have done all I could to not gain the weight back.

Danielledomenica

Oh man! So, I got pregnant and pack on the pounds... 80 to be exact. It's weird but I knew that I should be watching my weight and working out more, I just didn't care... Until after I gave birth and the blinders were lifted and I noticed just how big I got. I have lost a lot of weight since then (all thanks to these awsome shakes I am taking and exercise) but I have not reached my goal yet. But I will tell you this... I will NOT get pregnant again until I am at my goal weight so I can totally understand the fear you are talking about. I will never be that size again!

geniiita

Then adopt.

Or don't have kids. Nothing says you HAVE to have them.

THIS!! There is no need to have children when there are so many out there without homes. ):

DaltonsMom910

http://pregnancy.amuchbetterway.com/sugar-and-pregnancy/

Check that link out, it's valuable information whether you're pregnant or not.

Also, I am trying to lose the rest of my previous baby weight so we can have another baby. I gained 30 lbs with my 1st pregnancy & lost 20 lbs within the first week after giving birth.. but then I decided to be a stay at home mom.. so I gained that 20 back & then some. I'm trying to get down to my pre-pregnancy weight atleast so I won't be twice as big. I know my body will never be the same & I don't regret having my son one bit, but you should definitely continue to stay actice & eat healthy through out a pregnancy. And contrary to what people say, you DONT have to "eat for two". You only need to up your calories about 200-300 calories per day ONLY after you enter into your SECOND trimester. & if you're already active before getting pregnant, you can continue to be active during pregnancy just dont over do it. You should gain mostly only healthy weight, not FAT weight. I read somewhere (but dont quote me on this) that if you're already really overweight, you shouldn't gain more than about 15-20 lbs during pregnancy. & If you're a healthy weight, it's okay to gain up to 35 lbs.

Dtho5159

Ive been overweight since I was 16 so me being 240 when I got pregnant with my first wasn't a big deal in my eyes. I did however wait until I was done having kids to actually try losing weight because my best friend gained 40lb with her pregnancy and lost it all and got pregnant again and ballooned right up. So I didn't bother until I had my 2nd and last baby. I know this isn't good advice but its what I did lol.

Rosered3333

I completely understand your fears. My husband and I are trying now and not being able to eat badly, or drink, and getting plenty of rest and sleep has been really great for weight loss. Just because you want to get pregnant doesn't necessarily mean you will immediately and you can use that time to really take care of yourself.

At this moment, I am pretty comfortable and I feel like my body is in good shape to handle pregnancy.

Also, you have already found MFP so I think that you'll have the good habits to keep your weight in check.

SafireBleu

You control what you put into your body now and you can do it while pregnant. There is no need to gain 60 lbs. With my first I gained 10 with my second 30 with my last I let it all get to me and gained 50. I lost all the weight but 5 within months of having him. I gained weight after I stopped nursing because of health issues going on in my house not because of my kids. I did get stretch marks because of them but it really doesn't matter. You are really young and should be able to bounce right back if you don't let yourself get out of control.

jsapninz

It is a bit of a fear I have as well, but I have realized now it is possible to have a healthy pregancy and not put on tons of weight, although some is necessary (your doctor will keep tabs on you). We always picture the pregnant woman "craving" ice cream and fast food....but I think more often than not people use their pregnancy as an excuse to eat unhealthily, when really you should be feeding yourself and the new baby HEALTHY things.

My coworker went to the gym and did treamills jogs up until the day she had the baby (with doctor's ok of course).

I don't think it is selfish to be scared, it is probably normal. Having a baby is a big deal for you and your body!

Just realize though that you DO have the power over your weight and you CAN lose it, no matter how much you put on, after you have the baby.

You can do it!
Don't let fear rule. :flowerforyou:

rides4sanity

With my first, I was very heavy and out of shape (180lbs, drank, smoked, didn't exercise, cholesterol >300, on anti-depressants) when I got prego, she changed my world and gave me the desire to life a healthy life and teach her by example to be proud, healthy and fit. It was not easy, but I came back better than I had ever been (140lbs, non-smoker, occassional drinker, cholesterol 150 w/o meds, and exercise was my anti-depressant). With my second child, I was fit and healthy, EVRYTHING about this pregnancy was easier than the first. Granted part of it was that I wasn't as scared, but a LARGE part was that my body was more able to accept the changes because it was running more efficiently. I'm not saying losing the baby weight was easy, but my body responded so much better the second time because of the fitness and better diet (not great, but better) than I had with the first.

There are a million things to worry about when you get or plan on getting pregnant, but go into it being the best you can and know that it is truly an amazing experience.

Best of Luck!

wickedcricket

interesting. I have four children, all by C-section. My last pregnancy I was pretty sure I'd die delivering so I was scared the entire time but I didn't and on the up-side, breast feeding is TREMENDOUS for getting your figure back.
If I could just breast feed w/o having a baby, I'd probably do that just cause you can eat like a horse & still lose (and it comes off your middle best)

Don't let fear of weight gain keep you from having a family. IF you eat right & exercise (carefully) you won't gain TOO much and as I say, breast feed & it comes off FAST. And babies are ever so worth it. and besides, if you have lots of kids, playing with them & chasing them around burns LOTS of calories.

HealthyHappy120

Me too!!! I mean..I don't wanna waste all this hard work for pregnancy! Sure every girl wants to have a baby..I do but idk. I'm terrified. I will say this though...if I do end up pregnant one day, I'm gonna be one of those krazy ladies wanting only organic foods. Well, only the foods that HAVE to be organic.

leannems

Omg. It's your child stop being so superficial. God save America

That's a really unfair thing to say, and also a bit thoughtless.

I'm scared to get pregnant at my current weight because it could kill me. When I lose the weight, I imagine that I'd be scared to get pregnant to undo all the hard work I've done to get healthy.

It's not always about the way you look.

redcut

9 years ago I had my daughter before I was pregnant I weighed150lbs during I gained 20lbs six weeks after having her I was 125lbs. Those were the days I can't wait to get back there again I was real active then and ate right so that is what I am going for again not that I want anymore children because I do not

lorierin22

Great question! I'm anxious to hear from mothers. Some people have told me that if you gain a respectable amount of weight that you'll leave the hospital with only 5-7 lbs left to go...

I'm sorry, that literally made me LOL. I'm not sure what "respectable" is...they say "normal" is 25-35pounds if you are in a normal weight range to start. I gained 39lbs with my second child so a little over normal. I left the hospital with only a 5 pound loss (keep in mind I had a 6 lb baby...WTH?? and I breastfed her the whole 3 days we were in the hospital!). Guess everyone is just different. I had lost all but 10 of the pounds w/in 6 weeks. The other 10 pounds took a year (and a lot of exercise).

Edit to add: I breastfed my daughter exclusively for 6 months, then supplemented here and there with formula. We are down to one nursing every couple of days now (trying to wean a 15 month old is hard work!!)

KilikiMom

nope i wasn't afraid to gain weight with pregnancy...i have 3 beautiful girls...and after each one i dropped a significant amount right after they were born...but i was never into the whole exercise stuff til now....and im done having kids now...but don't be scared about it as long as you eat healthy and dont get into the mindset "well im eating for 2 so i an pig out" just eat healthy....keep active...and you'll be fine

sculley

I never had this feeling. I have always looked at it as if i wanted to loose the weight bad enough I would... With my first I went from 140 to 219 lbs...It took me a couple of years after to get serious to loose it but when I did in 2008 I went down to 138....Got pregnant with my second one in 2010 went from 153 to 190 with my second....But now after a few complications after Ethen and a year later I am down to 148 below pre preggo....It can be done. And if you are honestly not wanting a child because it might mess up your body maybe you aren't ready for a kid. It takes alot of selfless giving... In no way am I being mean or judgemental. Just something to think about.

KilikiMom

ohh and if you do have a baby and breastfeed you can add it into your food area and it will deduct calories like 500 a day like it does for exercise

sharleengc

My husband keeps bring it up which is amazing because for a long time he didn't really want a kid but we had compromised with 1 cuz I wanted 2 and he wanted 0...but now, he's changed his mind (yay). I was a little hesitant to go for it now because of how much progress I've made in the last year..

But then, around the 3rd time he brought it up recently, I changed my mind. I've realized that if I've lost the weight once, I can do it again if I happen to gain a lot back...but I'm almost more motivated to be the "cute looking mom" so I can do it again if needed!!!