Need Advice from someone with kids!

Honestly, pregnancy will just make you gain all the weight back. I would have another baby now eat healthily in pregnancy, then start really working on the weight loss after.

Certainly it is all up to you and your husband. But, here's my 2 cents worth: I have 6 children and they are all 2 1/2 - 3 yrs apart, except the last two were twins (surprise!!). I always went back to within 10 lbs of my pre-pregnant weight in between the babies and that felt pretty good. I think for me, I just needed to feel good about myself again each time, and I also needed the time to let my body recover. I also think that it would be kind of miserable to be many lbs overweight and pregnant at the same time because both of these conditions just make it plain hard to get around sometimes. Also, pregnancy can cause other health issues sometimes and so the better health you are in going into the pregnancy, the better off you and baby will be. However, you might do well and continue to lose weight or just maintain while you are pregnant, and that would be good, too.

I do agree with one other person who posted that it's easier on you to have your first child be around 3 yrs old when the next one comes along. And, if possible, have the first one potty trained. I had my first two in diapers at the same time (only for about four months, though) and then when I had my twins I had three in diapers at the same time because my 2 1/2 yr old was not yet potty trained when the twins cam along. Oh my, I am glad I don't have to relive those days!! LOL!!

I wish you and your husband all the best as you plan and grow your family.

There might not be anyone else in my situation or who have gone through the same thing, but I'll try anyway...

My husband and I have a 19, almost 20, month old son. We are considering adding to our family. I have about 24 pounds to lose before I will feel comfortable even trying for another child. That would put me at 180 pounds. This isn't really a question, so much as just asking for another opinion..Would I wait until I am at my goal weight (135)? I told my husband that it would take me atleast another year to get to my goal weight and he said he's not sure he wants to wait that long to have another baby. Do I wait until I get to 180 and get pregnant, then lose the baby weight, then get to my goal weight from there? Or do I wait until I'm already at my goal weight, get pregnant, lose the baby weight, then just work on maintaining? Any input is appreciated! Thanks!

i lost 30 lb right before i became prago. The doctor told me not to worry if i gain all that back in the 9 months. Yeah i was shocked!
You got guts girl my daughter will be 4 in sept and i have one coming in July and i feel its still too close. lol

To be honest I would have a kid before you start working out. because if you have a baby you would have to do ALL the work again to get rid of your baby fat.. Unless you don't gain a lot of weight during pregnancy

its what ever YOU want to do, after all its not him growing a person in there now is it?

i was small when i first got pregnant and gained 65 lbs i have big friends who seem to gain only 5 to 15lbs. If you eat healthy and stay active you may not gain much at all and after you have the next start working it off. BTW breast feeding is a great way to drop lbs quickly.

When I was pregnant with my first I only gained 12lbs and I had a 8lb 12oz healthy baby girl. I ate healthy, much healthier then I had been and was drinking tons of water. I was also working in a restaurant for 8-12 hours a day. I loved being pregnant with my daughter it was so easy. When I left the hospital after having her I weighed 10lbs less then my starting weight. My son on the other hand was completely different. First off I ended up pregnant a LOT sooner than I wanted, my daughter was 4 months old. By the middle of my second trimester I refused to look at the scale (I had already gained 25lbs). I use to close my eyes and tell her I did not want to know, I was sick constantly and refuse to dry heave so I kept stuffing food down so when I got sick there was something there. Big mistake. 2 days after I left the hospital I finally weighed myself I was 30lbs heavier then when I started. It did not help that my exercise level went from daily at the restaurant to almost nothing as I did not return to work. My daughter will be 2 in July and my son will be 1 in August. We are trying for #3 now and when I do get pregnant I will be tracking calories and my first OB appointment I will be asking about total number of calories and the appropriate exercise levels since I don't want to end up there again.

I would/am going for the baby now and will be continuing to work towards losing weight until I have confirmation of pregnancy. At which point I will go with what the doctor recommends.

Drop at least enough to be at a healthy weight for the baby first.

If you breast feed, you are hugely hormonally advantaged when it comes to weight loss. In addition to burning an additional 300-500 calories/day, you will be able to lose weight from hips/thighs easily, which is normally damn near impossible for most women (the reason it's so hard is because your body is biologically wired to store fat there for breast milk production, so while you are nursing, it is much more easily mobilized).

So it is theoretically easier to lose weight after the baby is born (breast feeding is basically natures way of removing any fat accumulated during pregnancy). On the other hand, there is the whole not sleeping thing (we just had another one, and he is 1-month right now... the most amazingly adorable little guy ever, but I swear he can detect if my wife and I are ever trying to sleep at the same time...)

Just my 2c... make of it what you will

That is up to you.
Just think, you can´t plan on having a baby in one year or when you have a certain weight. If you really wish for another one, go for it. If not, wait.
Babys are gifts and they can´t be planned. Maybe you are lucky and get pregnant then, maybe not.

Having read every response, it's obvious that despite some common threads, everyone's experience is a little different.

As a doc, here's my advice: talk to your OB/GYN. There are pros and cons to getting pregnant at your current weight, for you and baby. Make your own decision, but not exclusively based on anecdotes from a bunch of other women. Get expert medical advice from a doc who knows you.

Things to consider: you can definitely continue to exercise if pregnant. Overweight/obese women shouldn't gain as much (recommendation is 10-15 lbs). You are at higher risk for trouble conceiving, gestational diabetes, etc., the heavier you are. No matter how much you gain during pregnancy, most women lose 20-30 lbs within a couple weeks of delivery. Also, I don't know how far apart you and your sib are, but my kids are 4.5 years apart and it's been a blessing so far. My oldest would not have done well with a younger sib when she was 2-3 years old. I did fine with a younger sib 3 years apart. Timing for sib compatibility should take into account your child's temperament, if you can. (Though sometimes you can't. I got pregnant with my first on the first try. #2 took 18 months to conceive. So much for planning....)

Hi! I so know what you mean!! I have two kiddos. When I had my first I put on 45lbs oh yeah...45!! I breast feed her and lost most of it except for 15lb then when she stopped nursing at 12 month I put on another 15 lb. I never lost that weight as much as I tried as a new mommy it was really hard for me to find the time. Then we had our son 3 yrs later. I was really scared too because this was the biggest I had ever been and I knew I was going to pack on the weight again I gained 25 lbs when I was pregnant with my son and again This time I had lost all the weight I had put on with him form breast feeding him. Once he stopped nursing I knew I would put on more weight if I didnt take the time and workout and watch what I ate. So I stared to run/walk three time a wk, it was really hard at first because of the guilt I had about leaving the babies but I would come back a better mother and wife. I now run 1/2 marathons I am now at my 'unrealistic' goal weight of 135 I never thought I could reach this weight let alone in my thirties! I havent weight this since I was 13 Long story short Even if you dont get this extra weight off before baby 2 comes you still have time after, but that the key....Take time for yourself too. It can be so hard as mommies to fine that time. You so got this!! Dont worry!

Amy, what a great post. Congrats on all that you have achieved. You sound like a great mom and you've done a great job getting healthy.

I would try to find a happy medium. If your not comfortable getting pregnant at your current weight, get a little more toned, then work on getting pregnant. Once youve had your second child, then focus on getting your body back to the weight you prefer.

I am mother of one. I personally would look at losing weight as one thing and having another child as a separate issue. If you want to have another child then just have another child. That is as long as your weight is not interfering. What I mean by that is to ask yourself these questions: Is the weight that you’re currently at affecting the child that you already currently have? Is it heard for you to keep up with him or do things with him because of your weight and or size? If it is in my opinion you should wait until you’re at a weight or size that will not affect your child. If your weight and or size does not affect your son then I say why not have another child now. This is all my opinion and I am not the one who has to live in your shoes. You have to do what makes you happy. Losing weight is something I personally have been working on now for years. I personally think that you have already made a huge step realizing and admitting that you need to lose weight and are working on it. If everyone who was over weight in the United States alone did not have children then there would be a lot less children.

2010 State Obesity Rates
State % State % State % State %
Alabama 32.2 Illinois 28.2 Montana 23.0 Rhode Island 25.5
Alaska 24.5 Indiana 29.6 Nebraska 26.9 South Carolina 31.5
Arizona 24.3 Iowa 28.4 Nevada 22.4 South Dakota 27.3
Arkansas 30.1 Kansas 29.4 New Hampshire 25.0 Tennessee 30.8
California 24.0 Kentucky 31.3 New Jersey 23.8 Texas 31.0
Colorado 21.0 Louisiana 31.0 New Mexico 25.1 Utah 22.5
Connecticut 22.5 Maine 26.8 New York 23.9 Vermont 23.2
Delaware 28.0 Maryland 27.1 North Carolina 27.8 Virginia 26.0
District of Columbia 22.2 Massachusetts 23.0 North Dakota 27.2 Washington 25.5
Florida 26.6 Michigan 30.9 Ohio 29.2 West Virginia 32.5
Georgia 29.6 Minnesota 24.8 Oklahoma 30.4 Wisconsin 26.3
Hawaii 22.7 Mississippi 34.0 Oregon 26.8 Wyoming 25.1
Idaho 26.5 Missouri 30.5 Pennsylvania 28.6

There were 4,136,000 births in 2009.[78]

So this means a lot of overweight women are having children.

I was in a similar situation this year - started MFP last July at 239, lost down to around 200 by October, and then struggled from there on out. I wanted to be 150 prior to TTC, but also didn't want to put my family on hold. I did my best, but my husband and I decided to TTC in May even though I still weighed around 200 and I'm now pregnant.

I look at it this way - I've learned how to eat, and I plan to manage my weight as best I can during pregnancy so after the baby is born I can hopefully continue to work on weight loss.

You need to go based off how comfortable you are - I found that I put alot of pressure on myself to lose the weight first and that ended up making it harder in the end. So what if you were to say "I will do my best to lose weight, but we plan to start TTC after Christmas" or something like that. So, no goal number, but just do your best and see what happens. That way you don't put too much pressure on yourself!

Hi! I so know what you mean!! I have two kiddos. When I had my first I put on 45lbs oh yeah...45!! I breast feed her and lost most of it except for 15lb then when she stopped nursing at 12 month I put on another 15 lb. I never lost that weight as much as I tried as a new mommy it was really hard for me to find the time. Then we had our son 3 yrs later. I was really scared too because this was the biggest I had ever been and I knew I was going to pack on the weight again I gained 25 lbs when I was pregnant with my son and again This time I had lost all the weight I had put on with him form breast feeding him. Once he stopped nursing I knew I would put on more weight if I didnt take the time and workout and watch what I ate. So I stared to run/walk three time a wk, it was really hard at first because of the guilt I had about leaving the babies but I would come back a better mother and wife. I now run 1/2 marathons I am now at my 'unrealistic' goal weight of 135 I never thought I could reach this weight let alone in my thirties! I havent weight this since I was 13 Long story short Even if you dont get this extra weight off before baby 2 comes you still have time after, but that the key....Take time for yourself too. It can be so hard as mommies to fine that time. You so got this!! Dont worry!

Amy, what a great post. Congrats on all that you have achieved. You sound like a great mom and you've done a great job getting healthy.