Brandi

Hey everyone- I'm about 9 months post-op and I just found out I'm pregnant. I'm only about 4 weeks along but my first doctor appt isn't until June 8th and I have some questions before I go... First of all, is there anyone who is pregnant or has had a baby with the band? I'm looking for advice and your experiences. Did you have your fill taken out? How do I know if I'm eating enough or if I should have the fill taken out? How much weight did you gain if you did have your fill taken out? Have you lost it since you delivered? I have tons more questions too, I just can't think of them all. I know this sounds so selfish and stupid, but I'm terrified that if I have the band "unfilled" I will gain all my weight back and have to start over. Gosh, after reading that it sounds REALLY selfish!!! I'm just trying to be honest though. Thanks to anyone who responds.

...to my scale!!!! I can't help it....every time I walk into the bathroom, or even pass the bathroom walking down the hall, I get the urge to go weigh myself! And it's so discouraging because even though I'm losing weight, it goes up and down a pound or two (probably just water retention). So if I just weighed once a week it would show a gradual decline....BUT since I weigh 3, 4, sometimes 5 times a day it shows all the ups and downs. Then I'm in a bad mood when it shows a pound more than it showed a coulple of hours earlier! AAAHHHHH!!!! I know this seems like a ridiculously stupid post, but I am just feeling really frusterated right now as I'm at one of my "up" moments on the scale! Does anyone else have this problem?

That is so funny....I do the same thing, with the leaning on the left foot. I never would have admitted it first though...LMAO!!!!!

Okay....I did it! I made my husband get rid of my scale while I was at work today. There was a broken piece on it and I need a new one anyways, so I have made up my mind that I'm not gonna buy a new one for one whole month! Until then, I'll try and focus on if my clothes are getting bigger. Then hopefully in a month I'll be pleasantly surprised. Thanks everyone for your replies....it's nice to know I'm not the only obsessive one:)

No, I never had morning sickness....I was one of the lucky ones:)

I had one in January....everything went wonderfully!

Wow...where do I start??? I had lost down to 192, then had a baby in January and have been nothing but lazy since then!! I gained back up to 215!!! I was nowhere near my "sweet spot" and could eat just about anything I wanted. So yesterday I finally got a fill and I'm praying that it will jump start my weight loss again. I am gonna stop breaking the "band rules" and start doing my part. I have finally realized that the band is a tool, not a cure-all. I am still incredibly happy with the band and I'd do it all over again 100 times to feel the way about myself that I feel now. It has been quite a journey, but very well worth it! I'm sure the next time I post, I will be back down to that 192 and on my way down even further! Congratulations to everyone who has done so well! It's so nice to hear all of your updates!

It's been quite a while since I last posted on here. I had my baby on January 12th and everything went wonderfully! I only gained 11 pounds during my pregnancy (thanks to my band) and since delivery I've lost about 26 pounds so I'm 15 pounds lighter than I was when I first got pregnant. It's nice to be back on track. It's hard to believe, but I'm within 20 pounds of my goal weight!!! I do need another fill though. I'm not as restricted as I'd like to be. I just wanted to post on here in case anyone had any questions about pregnancy with the band because when I first found out I was pregnant it was hard for me to find anyone who had had a baby with the band that I could ask questions to.

Krystal- Right now I'm teetering between 192 lbs and 195 lbs. Since my insurance doesn't cover fills, I'm trying to save up to get one. I'm definately not at my sweet spot! But I'm within 20-25 pounds of my goal weight which feels SOOOO good to say! I've been really lazy and haven't been walking like I should or eating like I should. I have to admit, I'm a carb-addict!!! So hopefully soon I'll be able to get that fill and get back on track! The baby is doing wonderful! He rolled over a few weeks ago and now he's trying to crawl. He's growing way too fast!!!!

I just wanted to share a NSV with you all...Summer clothes shopping is my least favorite thing to do in the world. At least buying winter clothes, I am able to buy big sweaters and stuff. But shopping for summer clothes (especially bathing suits) has always been so depressing to me....until now!!! I went to Target the other day and found myself in the clothing department (not even plus size department) and I tried on some swimsuits and some summer dresses. They all fit me and I actually liked the way they looked on me!!! My only problem was deciding which to buy because I liked them all. That hasn't happened to me in a long time!!!! I came home so excited and called my mom right away to tell her that not only was I able to shop in the juniors department, but I also liked the clothes I tried on!!!!! It has been a long, slow weight loss for me, but now it is paying off. I've had my band now for a year and a half and finally I'm feeling good about myself. So for all of you who are struggling, hang in there....it might take longer than you expected, but it will be soooooo worth it!!!!!

Actually, it's been a year and seven months... :phanvan

Norma- I was banded 2 weeks after my daughters 2nd birthday. I also had a lot of bad feelings about the band for the first month or so. I couldn't hold my daughter, or play with her. And when I was physically feeling fine, I was in a grumpy mood because I was so freaking HUNGRY!!!! So I didn't have the patience to play with her. Trust me when I say the first month to 6 weeks are the absolute hardest. My aunt was banded a year before me and all I heard was how wonderful everything was gonna be and how the weight would just fall off and I would feel great and how it was the easiest thing she's ever done!!! And for her, the weight literally did fall off....she lost over 110 pounds within a year. So I found myself comparing my weight loss to hers and became more depressed because mine was a lot slower than hers. But once you are able to start introducing "real" food to yourself and feeling satisfied, it gets a lot easier. I agree that there should be more posts on the "hard part" of getting used to this new lifestyle. But I would bet that in a few months when you're feeling better and losing weight and are able to eat more, you won't regret getting the band. Hang in there. This website is a good place for support!!!

Add my 73 pounds also!!! I think this post was a great idea....and I think the 4000 pound goal was great also. I don't think anyone felt any pressure because of this post....if Penni doesn't like the post, maybe she shouldn't participate in it. In my opinion the post was great until she added her negative comments. Congratulations everyone on a tremendous weight loss!!! Maybe next month we can hit 5000 pounds.

I was banded by Dr Boutt and a good friend of mine was banded by Dr. Pleatman. Both of us are completely satisfied with our banding experiences. I would say to go with whichever is more convenient for you and whoever you feel more comfortable with (if you've met them). I think you're in a win/win situation:)

www.porthuronhospital.org

No, I didn't have any morning sickness with either of my pregnancies....I'm one of the lucky ones:) And no, I'm not breastfeeding. I tried to with my first and my milk never came in. I became so frusterated after 2 weeks when it still wasn't in that I gave up. So this time I decided not to even try. And thankfully I didn't because I never got any milk in this time either.

I kept all of my fill. My doctor said that they would just keep a close watch on how well the baby is growing and that would tell them if I'm eating enough. The baby grew fine throughout the pregnancy so I didn't have to have any of my fill taken out. Some doctors do recommend that you have your band unfilled when you get pregnant, but mine thought I would be fine and she was right. The band didn't affect anything to do with the pregnancy other than not letting me gain weight. This pregnancy was actually a lot easier than my last one when I gained a ton!

Thanks for the info....I figured out how to post a link where people can click on it to get to the picture, I just can't figure out how to get the picture to be in the post. Maybe it's the type of picture I'm trying to attach....who knows???? Thank you anyways:)

Can someone help me....I'm trying to figure out how to post before and after pictures and can't figure it out!!! Thanks:)

My advice would be just to eat healthy while you're pregnant. I ate lots of small snacks (fruit, cheese and crackers, etc.) so that I knew I was eating enough but not gaining weight. I can't deny that I had the occasional huge peice of cheesecake or king size candy bar....I just tried really hard not to go overboard. Also, I found an OBGYN who was familiar with the lap band and had actually had a few patients before me who were banded and pregnant. So that helped a lot. If your OBGYN doesn't know much about the band, I would get as much information together as I could and print it out for him/her so they can familiarize themselves with it.

I got pregnant 9 months after being banded.

I'm attempting to post before and afters....lets see if it works?!

I can't figure out how to do it...can someone help me???

I would be happy to answer any questions....thats really why I wanted to post on here because I had a ton of questions too and it was hard to find someone who had been pregnant with the band. I wanted to post some before and after pictures on here, does anyone know how to post the picture where you don't have to click on the link to see it? I want the picture to just show in the post.

Hey Nancy- I would love some more info on where/when your meetings are. My aunt and I are both bandsters and have talked about trying to find a support group to join. Also, where in Sterling Heights is "Bandstock" and what exactly is it?