HeatherO

I think it is better to wait in my opinion. Better health leads to a better pregnancy and a healthier mother and baby. If you have found your soul mate, then waiting a little while will not hurt. It is better for a new relationship not to have a baby immediately . . . life will be very different once the baby comes. Take a little time to enjoy each other and being in each other's lives. 1-2 years won't make a difference if it is meant to be . . . but it is not always good to make a life-altering decision in the honeymoon phase of a new relationship. You still have plenty of time to get pregnant at your age.

Congratulations . . . it must have been meant to be.

Congratulations!!!!! I definitely want to hear the long version and to see the pic's as well.

I agree with FairyFacade . . . count your blessings. Better not to gain excessively. I am up 1 pound from my lowest which amazes me because my band is only half filled . . . however, pregnancy has made my band extra, extra tight. I notice that sometimes I am HUNGRRYYY, almost so hungry it hurts and I need to eat NOW . . . but then I eat a few bites and it goes away. Most of the time I am not really that interested in food for some strange reason but have been craving salt in excess.

I can feel mine slightly and I am not as far along but I have to stand up to feel anything. I notice it because it is not flab, it is under the stomach muscles and is a little hard and mine is right above my pubic bone. I am not as far along but since this is my second pregnancy it is expected that the signs show earlier. Other than a little excess skin, I don't have much belly fat anymore (I always carried it most in my hips and thighs anyway). If this is your first pregnancy, it is not unusual not to feel much yet . . . but you will and it won't be long. With my first pregnancy, I don't think I felt anything until 16+ weeks out. Have you had any gain at all yet? I am up 1 pound so far which isn't so bad.

Amazingly I am finding that I still have some restriction at 4 cc's although I never would have thought it possible. It must be pregnancy making me tight. I never had tightness problems before pregnancy, but around the time of conception my band has become very fickle and difficult to work with. I have been traveling in Turkey for more than a week now and have had nothing but foreign cuisine daily. I can not tell you how good it has been not to pb most meals like I was doing right before the unfills. I have been trying to eat carefully, but I miss my kitchen and banding favorites. I have been eating a lot of red lentil Soup lately, it really seems to go down well and tastes great . . . and it is healthy too. Everyone is trying soo hard to feed me here. I don't really have morning sickness other than the occasional twinge . . . but I kind of pretend I do. I just can't eat much and people keep trying to fill my plate to the ceiling. It also seems to be the land of 10 course meals, lol. It is also funny what people keep giving me to eat. There is some fruit that tastes kind of like a really sour apple but is big like a grapefruit. People swear that this will give my baby a pretty face - and actually it tastes pretty good since I like sour so that is going well. Everyone is also giving me nuts as well, especially walnuts since that is supposed to give the baby a strong head and good brain development, lol. I seem to always be walking around with walnut bulges in my pockets. If I try to refuse anything I keep getting "oh your baby just needs a small taste" lol. Middle eastern bathrooms are also not very accomodating to pb episodes, or to the needs of pregnant women who feel queasy when bending as their are no seats and the toilets are not much more than sinks imbedded in the floor. I think if I had to do this at 9 months out, I would probably fall in and have to yell for rescue, lol. Two nights ago I had a dream. I stepped on the scale, which is in the front hall of my friends house here in Turkey, and I didn't know what it would say. I don't really know how many kilograms I am, only pounds. So I step on it . . . . and I weighed 400 kilograms, lol. It was such a strange dream and just goes to show how out of touch with kilo's vs pounds that I am. I told my husband and he said that is about the same weight as a cow, lol. Anyway, it will be easier once I get home again I think. I am going to ask for another fill if I get ultra hungry.

I have talked about pregnancy previously with my fill nurse. She pretty much said that we could be by with a small defill or even keep it filled throughout most of the pregnancy if you are not suffering from morning sickness and you are not overly restricted. I needed a slight unfill (thinking maybe -.25 or -.5) and had an appointment yesterday afternoon. My usual fill nurse was not there, I had someone else who I have seen before . . . but not for a long time. Anyway, this is my first post-pregnancy appointment, I am 7 weeks plus and I spilled the Beans. The nurse just gave me a look, asked how far along, and told me she was going to empty the band. I pleaded and argued my case that I do NOT want an empty band, only a slight unfill and I have no morning sickness now and never had it for my first pregnancy either. After all that, and she even said it was against her better judgement (and the doctors would not feel good about this decision), she left me with 4 cc's. So what is 4 cc's, well for me it is absolutely no restriction. I probably could eat a horse now if I tried. It also means that I can eat absolutely anything, because at 6 cc's I could eat bread, rice, you name it with out a single hiccup. :0( I talked to her about fills later and she said if I have a rough time, she would consider giving me additional fills after a month but only in increments of .25. .25!!!!, My baby would be walking before I get any restriction again. For the first time in my life, I wish I could have kept my medical status to myself even though I know this is wrong. I was so sad and disheartened. She could see that I was really distressed and she said not to worry. 1 in 3 bandsters eventually ends up in my position, and she was the same. She said she only gained 56 pounds during her banded pregnancy but she had no will power and she ate anything and everything she wanted with gusto. Only 56 pounds???? So I left, and before I ever got out of the office and into my car I was sobbing, in public, like a crazy person. I can not remember ever sobbing in public before. I called my husband in the car to tell him the news and he said I was so upset he couldn't understand me at first. He said his first thoughts were that something happened to the baby and he said he had goosebumps and his hair was standing up on end. He has not seen or heard me sob like this since my mother passed away . . . it is not usual for me. So I expected different. I know other people have been forced to empty their bands, and 4cc's is essentially like empty for me. How can I make it through this pregnancy without becoming as big as a house? I am scared to death. I gained 67 pounds with my son. I feel so depressed and disheartened today . . . why it makes me want to eat away my feelings, surprise, surprise. It is just an unpleasant reminder of why I became obese in the first place, stuff my feelings with food and insulate my body from the rest of the world. Ugghhhh!!!!

I am only 6 small pounds from goal. Only 6 measly almost insignificant pounds . . . it is unbelievable. I can practically taste my goal it is so close and I had huge plans for when I finally attain it (shopppinnnngg sppprreeeeee). But now, what can I say, I am not sure I can make those last six pounds. Perhaps it will take me a year to get there. Nutrition is the goal right now with a baby coming. I gained 67 pounds with my first pregnancy and I was 126 pounds when I got pregnant . . . 67 POUUNNNDDSS!!!!!. I got unbelievable stretch marks that time because you don't just grow by 50% in a few short months without ill affect. This also signalled the beginnings of obesity for me. My first child is now 16 years old. I am really super scared of gaining weight. I am afraid of becoming a diet fanatic, but I really want to eat healthy and well for my baby . . . specially during these early weeks. I am so thrilled, happy and ecstatic about the new baby, yet I am feeling sad and lost about weight loss stopping. I don't know if I can survive the scale going back in the wrong direction by too much. One minute I feel like laughing, then next I feel like crying. Does anyone else feel this way???

I had an unpleasant unfill appointment yesterday, but the fill nurse did share an interesting story. She had a banded patient who was in for a fill. While she was locating the port, she said she told her she could feel her fundus . . . could she be pregnant? Well the women told her no, it isn't possible . . . she had been suffering from fertility problems for many years, and after pursuing a multitude of unsuccessful treatment options, she had adopted 2 children with the thought that she would never be able to conceive. The fill nurse said she was pretty sure that she was pregnant, so she took a pregnancy test . . . and lo and behold it was positive. She got an unfill that day. She called back a couple of days later to say, not only is she pregnant, but she is 4 1/2 months pregnant. She had no idea she was pregnant through half of her pregnancy. Her cycles were so irregular, it was not uncommon not to have them at all. She was also going through banding so some of the unusual feelings and sickness she attributed to life with the band. The baby was born later healthy after a successful and uneventful pregnancy, albeit brief since she didn't know for half the pregnancy, lol. Anyways, I enjoyed this story because it goes to show that there is still hope for some of us who have given up. Just one more of the many reasons to love our bands.

That is such a lovely response unless I am misreading the tone . . . kind of like saying if you are still around, or if you don't get hit by a bus, or if your stomach doesn't explode, only slightly more subtle. Anyway, it is always better to be cautious and there are good providers and bad providers of any services. It is best to be informed of potential problems in advance, expecially where health is concerned.

Thanks for sharing the story. We all need to be aware of certain risks that can occur by believing in unscrupulous people.

Tracking makes all the difference in the world. There are so many good sites out there. I still use fitday.com primarily because it was my first and has sooo mucchhh history on it now, it is hard to leave. :0)

I just want to caution everyone about comparing labels. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing . . . you don't want to go way over on some vitamins by doubling up. Make sure you are comparing both the posivites and negatives to any combination of supplements as compared to a good prenatal.

I am not far along now at only a little over 7 weeks. However, I know that I am continuing to lose and am currently down about 10 pounds since conception. I know it will start heading the opposite direction eventually. I am not trying to diet right now, only trying to eat healthy. I guess we will see. If I gain anywhere between 10-25 pounds I will be pleased with myself.

Good luck . . . banding certainly helps when weight is contributing to difficulties conceiving. Happy banding and I'm sending loads of baby dust your way.

I think you should just communicate your desire not to have the port where the underwire sits, but in all honesty most of them are not located where the underwire sits. I think it is a non-issue for almost all of us, but I really feel bad for anyone that had a doctor who did not think of this particular issue before placing the port in an uncomfortable place. Mine is under the rib cage on the left side by about 2-3 inches . . . perhaps that is a good idea for the next poll . . . where is your port located in the poll with discussion about why this placement does or does not work . . . just a thought.

I could have protein immediately after, but the doctor did say that it would not hurt if we did not do protein supplements during the first week. I got the impression that they wanted us to stay away from protein shakes for the first week due to the consistency, but clear Isopure premix drinks were fine.

1 more down and 13 to go, I am still on track :0) Name_________StartWeight___CurrentWeight______Goal________ToGo *****<?xml:namespace prefix = v ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" /><v:shapetype id=_x0000_t75 path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f" filled="f" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" coordsize="21600,21600">:w00t:</v:shapetype>***********:seeya:*************:tt2:***************** agreatknead........204............198...........180...........18 areellady..........189............189...........159...........30 BIGB...............342............342...........300...........42 BellaPerdente......287............230...........200...........30 Boos02.............258............226...........200...........26 Brandy.............221............214...........191...........23 BrownBear..........240............235...........200...........35 Cadets71...........223.4..........223.4.........189...........34.4 Claudine...........250............250...........225...........25 Bunkey1965.........194............178...........170...........8 CubsGirl17.........172............164...........150...........14 Cutiew/booty.......251............243...........220...........23 cQQlgirl...........195............195...........175...........20 crzytchr...........276............275...........246...........29 Dionna113..........199............195...........160...........35 Ekat...............527............172...........152...........19 feefee57...........262............212...........180...........32 FeliciaLevy75......240............225...........190...........35 GillieBean.........304............296...........264...........32 HeatherO...........150............143...........130...........13 Hollie ............l54............154...........125...........29 Jeni 85............182............182...........160...........22 Jillbeme...........235............207.5...........185.........22.5 Josie74............260............255...........215...........40 klmsilva...........216............212...........190...........26 legster............183............183...........160...........23 linksmom...........251............240...........200...........40 Liquidbluegal......225............220.4.........199...........21.4 Liz_hager..........161............158...........130...........28 Long2BThin.........253............231...........215...........16 lotzasunshine......292............284.5.........250...........34.5 Luu2008............230............199.5.........153...........46.5 Mamanmidwife.......295............295...........260...........35 MELISSA AGUIRRE....266............233...........160...........73 Melody2006.........223............223...........173...........50 MiniPearl#2........???............???...........???...........?? Minxz..............299............287...........270...........17 neefam.............238............189...........158...........31 odizzzydori........242............242...........199...........43 paige65............252............242...........220...........22 rainer.............236............233...........199...........34 reif78.............294............195...........140...........40 RichardCranium.....338............276...........200...........76 soontobehottie.....201............191...........165...........26 srknepler..........285............262.6...........255.........30 squale.............353............353...........325...........28 Sunshine2..........177............171...........160...........11 Suzzzie............305............305...........285...........20 stevegoad..........370............341...........267...........74 Terilynn112........240............230...........199...........41 Truediva...........299............285...........235...........50 thininside28.......255............255...........215...........40 Turler.............219............217...........194...........23 youcandoit!........196............191...........165...........26

1 more pound down and 3 to go, I think I am going to make this challenge :0) ******NAME**********START WGHT****CURRENT WGHT*******GOAL********LBS. LOST *****:seeya:************************:tt2:*********************:w00t:* 1dayatime..........263............261............243............2 2BHealthE!.........194............179............194............0 ahsem2bme..........244............244............225............0 aJoneen............223............216............213............7 Aphrodite1984......208............208............190............0 Ariel..............199............196.4..........180..........2.6 ArmyWife4life......209.5..........209.5..........190............0 Barb12590..........228............218............213...........10 Bea1128............210.5..........205.5..........188............5 blueriley..........206............206............190............0 Brandymom1234......227............151.9..........135..........4.1 Caramia71..........208............202............195............6 cQQlgirl...........194............191............180............3 Crzytchr...........281............270............265............11 DebinFl............181............181............168............0 georgiagirl........245............229............220...........16 HarleyGirl.........188............185............175............3 HeatherA...........210.5..........202.1..........200..........8.4 HeatherO...........155............143............140...........12 Ivyrose325.........212............212............199............0 Jazzyywan..........255............255............190............0 Jodi_620...........196............179............177...........17 KikiVal315.........237.5..........229............220..........8.5 Lana24.............208............195............185............0 laurigee...........180............176............160............4 Leslie2Lose........220............214............205............6 lindar172 .........274.2..........262.6..........256.........11.6 LisaB..............205.5..........196............180.........10.5 livn4thm...........235............233............210............2 Long2bthin.........248............231............230...........17 Luu2008............203............199.5..........183..........3.5 Mamanmidwife.......299............285............280...........14 mamato3............186............186............170............0 MarinaBleu.........226.5..........226.5..........216............0 memom..............210............210............170............0 Minxz..............299............286............280............9 mominlv13..........299.8..........286.4..........280.........13.4 Momof5.............192.5..........187.5..........175..........5.0 nip50..............175............166............160............9 NukeChik...........218............218............208............0 NurseNiki..........258............246............239...........12 odamay.............242............242............225............0 paige65............252............242............235...........10 Peaches11..........205............205............194............0 pj_txlady..........220............220............200............0 Redtulips3.........180............171............167............9 Renee74............214............213............199............7 Renewedhope........171............167............150............4 reif78.............294............195............185............0 savimama...........216............216............200............0 shaversd...........230.5..........225............210..........5.5 SpecialK...........294............286............280............8 Sunshine2..........177............169............167............8 Tess...............304............299...........280.............5 thatDEgirl.........211............202.6..........195..........8.4 tp78...............201............192............180............9 Turler.............225............217............210............8 wendyw.............192............188............172............4 wowox7.............195............183............170...........12 WyominGirl.........327............321............312............6

I think we all have a slip up in the early days post banding. The secret to losing the weight is to chalk it up to an "oopsie," don't repeat repeatedly, and move on to eating healthy again. It sounds like you are on track and have a good attitude. It will get easier in the near future once you have restriction.

It is not unusual to get something stuck for 24 hours, it just happens very rarely. Hopefully you are back to normal quickly and feeling good. Some people suggest papaya enzymes or pineapple juice or even a little meat tenderizer in a tiny amount of Water to help break it up. In the mean time, it will be better and more comfortable for you to stay on liquids until it clears completely.

Ang1982, your new signature picture is beautiful and I love your hair. You have come a long way.

I am 4 pounds from goal at a little over 8 months out. It has come off pretty quickly for me. I also did not have a large amount to lose. Have you always lived in Cyprus? It is such a beautiful place. I will be traveling in neighboring Turkey beginning next Friday . . . so in the same general vicinity.

It is great to have you back. The journey is sooo much easier when you can share it with others.

We haven't had the heart to heart conversation about it yet. However, over the summer I kind of put the feelers out there and he said it would be better to wait until he is in college, lol. He has always been a single child. It will be a little bit of a shock to him. He likes small children so I am not too worried.