hope2bhealthy

i heard back from my surgeon, and i've copied the meat of his email below. i figure someone else might someday have to same questions about labor after banding as i had. here is what he wrote to me... "Congrats on your pregnancy! The good news is that having a band does NOT increase your risk during your pregnancy OR during childbirth. It would certainly be fine to do a homebirth if you choose to do so. The baby will not come into contact with the band or the tubing so you don't have to worry about that. I guess if you were having problems with persistent vomiting then I would be concerned something was going on, but if you aren't having any of those issues then likely everything is fine with your band."

thanks for replying. my doc said the same thing when I asked him about pregnancy after lap band. i just wonder if "do great" and "have no related complications" are the same thing. because I'm considering a non-hospital birth, I just want to make absolutely sure that nothing is going to pop up.

I am banded and am 29 weeks pregnant. I am planning on giving birth naturally (no meds) and would really prefer to give birth at a birth center or at home rather than at the hospital. however, because I am banded, I don't know if this is feasible. My OB doesn't have any experience with bands, so he's not any help. I've emailed my band doctor, but I don't know if he will reply to me. What I'm wondering is if any of you who have had babies while banded have had any labor complications DUE TO THE BAND. I can't really imagine how the band might interfere with labor, but would like to know either way. If you read this and didn't have any band complications, and especially if you had a non-hospitalized birth, could you let me know that as well? Thanks

I know that this thread has been going for so long that probably few people read it anymore, but seeing as I'm one of the 3 people who polled as "looser" I figured I'd post something anyway. I was pretty tight before I got pregnant and had just had another fill a week or two before I conceived. For whatever reason, I have felt looser during my entire pregnancy, and I'm 29 weeks now. I eat whatever I want, don't chew well, etc. I have enough restriction that I don't eat like a cow, but I can still finish off a normal unbanded person sized meal, and some days I can finish off a lot more than that. Every once and a while I've felt stuck, but that's typically because I've just swallowed a huge bite of something that I didn't bother to chew, and I deserved to be stuck. I don't really understand why I've gotten looser, but there you go. The thing is that as loose as I am, I have only gained 3 lbs so far, and that only in the last month or so. I eat healthy, but I eat what I want and don't diet what-so-ever. I guess my baby has a really high metabolism. I find it ironic that I try my whole life to lose weight and can't, I get banded and only manage to lose 15 lbs in 9 months, then I get pregnant, which is the one time when you are SUPPOSED to gain weight, and I can't gain for nothing. Somehow I feel cheated.

I was banded 9 months ago. At first, I was losing steadily, and lost 20 lbs after about the first two months. However, my problem was that I moved away from my surgeon, got really busy, and only had one fill. During the summer, I was going to school and eating poorly, and I had no restriction so I was eating a lot. I gain the weight back. I had issues with finding a surgeon in my area because I have a realize band and none of the surgeons around here will fill me because of it (something to think about if your doc is going to band you with a realize band). So I really wanted to get filled, but I couldn't. And I wasn't eating totally horribly, but bad enough to put 20 lbs back on. A couple of months ago, I go frustrated enough to make the long drive back to my surgeon (gas prices went down!), and he filled me. I started losing again. I got filled again a month later, and continued to lose. But even though I started losing, I think it is harder for me because I don't have the momentum that I had in the beginning. My metabolism has also slowed from the band, too. And now I'm pregnant, so I won't be trying to lose any more right now. So, the moral of my long convaluted story is that you need to take advantage of the band at the beginning. If you let yourself become complacent, if you don't get your fills REGULARLY, then the band will probably be a waste of money. But, even if you slip up, once you decide that you are ready to get back on track, all you have to do is go get a fill and get going again.

Was your band doc an integral part of your pregnancy? I am just wondering because I found out last week that I am pregnant. I am hoping that I won't have to get an unfill during pregnancy, and that I won't need to consult my surgeon for anything. Not because I don't want to gain weight, but because my surgeon is not covered by my insurance. Long story short, I have a different insurance now than I had for surgery, and my surgeon and the hospital he works at is not covered. And because I have a realize band, none of the surgeons for my new insurance will touch me. So I am just curious if any of you had complications from the band with your pregnancies, and/or if you had to consult your surgeon often? I am not really worried about needing an unfill because I am not very tight and I am able to eat around the band to get all the food I need. Luckily I AM tight enough that I should be able to manage to stay under the recommended 15 pound weight gain, which is good.

welcome! i'm from killeen. if you have questions, i'm happy to help.

i need support myself! let's get together sometime for coffee and chitchat.

Does anyone ever get pain in their ribcage, under the their boob? I get it occasionally, but normally it just lasts for a little while, a few twinges, and it's gone. today it's been hurting more and more all day. what was just a little annoying this morning hurts pretty bad now. It's like a mostly sharp pain that feels like it's just in the muscle over my ribcage. It was hurting on both sides, not it just hurts on the right. does anyone know what i'm talking about?

the things i paid for: the surgery a $50 copay to see a counselor for psych eval some lab work co pays my deductible i don't think my doctor's office even accepts money. if you doc is making you pay for the initial visit, he'll probably make you pay for the after care. maybe you should find another doctor.

i think what manatee meant (correct me if i'm wrong) is that he is tired of conversations with HIM about HIS losing weight. he is tired of being "the guy that used to be fat", instead of just "the guy". eventually, i think that people around you will quit seeing you that way, but it might take some time. probably even in your own head, you still have moments when you forget you're skinny now, or you look at yourself and are really happy and amazed at how you look. that's only natural, because it's only been a year. but if you still think about it, you can't expect others that have known you a while not to think about it too. eventually, you will begin to just see yourself in the mirror and not be surprised, and that's probably about the time everyone else will catch up as well. of course, if you want to move away, move away. there's a lot to be said of a fresh start, if you're able to make a fresh start. i wouldn't move the wife and kids half way across the country because you don't want people to know you used to be fat. but if there aren't any ties to the place you are, then who's to say that a brand new city and a brand new job aren't just the thing you need?

i think it sounds great! i just do better if i can share with other people. and since i had my surg. in san antonio, i don't get to go to support groups. (and their groups sucked anyway, because they all had some sort of theme, and there were only about 4 themes going on over and over for 3 months.) so, do you know any other banded people in killeen? otherwise, our support group might consist of just us. more like a support duo.