Told by OBGYN I couldn't have kids due to weight....

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  • abarriere
    abarriere Posts: 135 Member
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    If you want to get pregnant in the next two years you have plenty of time to lose 70 lbs!

    Even if you are lucky and wouldn't have issues, it's just easier for the recovery to be in shape, and it's less weight you have to lose after the fact.

    I was 190 when I got pregnant, no issues until the very end when my blood pressure went up (no high blood pressure ever before). I was induced 2 weeks early and had a very healthy 8 lb 7 oz baby, and no c-section. The dr told me my chances of c section were higher with induction, so i was very pleased.

    buuuut, I also go to 240 by the end, gained way too much, and have had a difficult time getting back down. Imagine if I started higher, it would have been so much worse. That is why I am trying to get down to 170 before baby number 2 to make things easier on myself afterward.

    My sister in law was closer to 250 when she got pregnant and is now on bed rest at 34 weeks due to elevated blood pressure. It can just be more difficult. Obviously everyone is different though.



  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,276 Member
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    Just the risk of a c-section would scare me into fitness. Why anybody would willingly sign up for major surgery (to recover while caring for a newborn??) is beyond me. Get fit now. You have plenty of time, and like the other poster said, you'll need it once you have kids to care for.
  • Avia16
    Avia16 Posts: 16 Member
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    I'm 10 lbs overweight and I was told to lose it before I conceive. It's quite disturbing to hear, and I don't want an unhealthy child. I don't think I'm that much at risk. I have been gaining weight due to stress. I overeat fats and sugars. I need support and motivation in this so I can conceive while not being overweight. It's a goal, but not the easiest.
    We can do this! We can! We will!
  • laurarigby21
    laurarigby21 Posts: 2 Member
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    I'm in the same boat... I have PCOS and I have to get down to a certain weight before my Dr will treat me (if we cant conceive naturally). It's so frustrating knowing our weight puts limits on getting pregnant. I'm hoping by next year at this time I will be at an ok weight. I'm planning to lose 65-75+ lbs... and have lost about 30 so far. I would be around 250 lbs at that point. Which is not ideal, but its better than 330 lbs. It's a battle everyday... but hopefully will all be worth it one day when I can hold a little bundle of joy in my arms...best of luck to you. We're all in this together!
  • bametels
    bametels Posts: 950 Member
    edited April 2015
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    My daughter who is obese and short (only 5'2") had problems with both of her pregnancies. The first took a real toll on her body. She had serious swelling. Her legs and feet got so bad that she could barely walk. She had trouble during labor and ended up having an emergency C-section because my grandson was in distress. My granddaughter was born 5 weeks early and ended up in the neonatal intensive care unit. She is fine now but had problems regulating her blood sugar, had breathing problems, and was jaundiced.

    You were very wise to ask your doctor about the potential impact of your weight on having a successful pregnancy and smart to commit to losing the weight before you get pregnant. You can do this! If you need an additional friend for support, I would be happy to support you!!
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    edited April 2015
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    I was obese (BMI 33.8) when I became pregnant with my first. It was bad. I had GD and ended up with severe Pre-Eclampsia which needed an emergency c-section at 34wks. I also had pregnancy induced hypothyroidism*. I had to stay in the hospital towards the end of that pregnancy for continuous monitoring. My son had to spend time in the NICU (6 weeks).

    I became pregnant with my second son when I was just overweight (28.7 BMI). Honestly, the pregnancy was a perfectly healthy one. No need for any extra medication (other than a prenatal of course). I was able to carry him for 41 wks.

    *Pregnancy induced hypothyroidism is where you develop a hypothyroid only after becoming pregnant. There is a chance that you will continue to be hypothyroid after the pregnancy, but there is also the chance that after pregnancy your thyroid hormones will balance out on there own. I got lucky and I only had thyroid issues for the duration of that pregnancy.
  • Beccajayn
    Beccajayn Posts: 22 Member
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    You are so smart to get it off before you get pregnant. MFP is the best tool I've found so far for helping me stay focused on my health and my weight loss. MFP won't do it for me, I still have to be the one to exercise and eat right, but it just seems easier when there are so many people here who really know where I am at.
    I had a lot of weight to lose when my oldest children were little. My doctor told me that if I didn't get the weight off I would be lucky if I made it to their weddings. If I did make it I would be an observer, and not a participant. I'm glad he told me that. I got real serious and took it off. Unfortunately, in taking care of my little ones I forgot to take care of me. Now they are teens, and they require a LOT of energy, and I am overweight again. It is hard to keep up with them. That is why I am here now. I want to be here to watch them grow up, and I want to be able to keep up with them.
    I wish that I would have had MFP at your stage. Keep it up. You can do this. We all can with all the support here.
  • Justygirl77
    Justygirl77 Posts: 385 Member
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    Smallc10 wrote: »
    Justygirl77 wrote: »

    My first advice is to find a female nurse practitioner, obgyn or midwife. Sorry but I do not like male doctors. I strongly think I get the best care and counsel from a woman dr/practitioner.

    Complete and utter nonsense. A man can be just as competent about women's health as a women can, sometimes more so. It all has to do with schooling and experience and has NOTHING to do with gender. Some women are more comfortable having another woman be up in their business but that does not make that woman doctor more competent than a male doctor.
    It's not about competency, but about
    Smallc10 wrote: »
    Justygirl77 wrote: »

    My first advice is to find a female nurse practitioner, obgyn or midwife. Sorry but I do not like male doctors. I strongly think I get the best care and counsel from a woman dr/practitioner.

    Complete and utter nonsense. A man can be just as competent about women's health as a women can, sometimes more so. It all has to do with schooling and experience and has NOTHING to do with gender. Some women are more comfortable having another woman be up in their business but that does not make that woman doctor more competent than a male doctor.
    Not nonsense, thanks. I've had a little more experience than you, I am guessing. It's not about competency or schooling. It's definitely my personal preference!

  • 2snakeswoman
    2snakeswoman Posts: 655 Member
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    A morbidly obese coworker had to have labor induced and nearly died. The baby did die. I don't know if her weight was responsible for the outcome, but I'm sure it didn't help.
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
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    I have had 5 pregnancies, and have 4 living children. I was morbidly obese (bmi 36) for all 5. I concieve easily and have very, very easy pregnancies. We do not know what caused the death of my daughter in utero. I was not sick, no diabetes, bp was normal, etc...

    I have had 2 c/s (my first and last pregnancies, vbacs in between). My natural deliveries (completely unmedicated water births) were uneventful and my c/sections were for transverse babies who refused to turn.
  • Smallc10
    Smallc10 Posts: 554 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Justygirl77 wrote: »

    Not nonsense, thanks. I've had a little more experience than you, I am guessing. It's not about competency or schooling. It's definitely my personal preference!

    No still nonsense. Picking a Doctor should be all about competency, and yes bedside manner is important but bedside manner has little to do again with gender. I'm pretty sure if the OP asked a female doctor if her weight could be a problem the female doctor would have said the exact same thing - YES, being obese increases your chances of having a higher risk pregnancy. If your doctor didn't say this, especially when prompted you should find a new doctor because you know, facts are helpful in the medical profession. Now if the OP had asked if people preferred a female or a male OBGYN then your personal preference would have been fine, but stating that she should change doctors based solely on her doctors gender is well, nonsense. Sorry.

    Also you have no idea about my experience so guessing about it isn't going to change the facts that gender doesn't make a good doctor. A good doctor is a good doctor regardless of gender. Sorry you have had bad experiences with male ones but that doesn't make them all horrible.
  • DaneanP
    DaneanP Posts: 433 Member
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    I'm a community health nurse who does a home visiting program that serves pregnant and postpartum women. I've done this for 16 years. It is infinitely more risky to be pregnant when you are obese. It can also greatly impact the postpartum period. Healing tends to take longer, there are more skin infections (especially if there is a C-section), and it can just be much harder to take care of an infant with near constant needs. Do yourself a favor, take the time to drop some weight before you get pregnant. You'll be ever so much ready to be a great mom. (Not that obese women can't be great moms - NOT saying that - of course they are.)

    And yes, being obese can impact your baby. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2621047/

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