Pregnancy and the band

[Phatty 0]

Hi guys.. I have just found out that I am pregnant :biggrin1: and although I am so excited and really happy about this I am wondering what this means to my journey with the lapband? I was banded last year in july so 7 months and have lost almost 40 kilo's..I was reading that people should wait 2 years before falling pregnant after having the lapband.( this wasn't planned and will be my first baby) I don't care about gaining some weight back it will be so worth it but I am scared in the same sense. Having had the lapband for this amount of time it has really changed my eating habbits and I am terrified that I may not give the baby enough nutrients or reverse it and I go overboard with the eating.

What does all this mean for me? I don't get to see my surgeon untill next month so I have no idea what the deal is.

Will I be totally unfilled?

Is the band going to complicate my pregnancy?

What if I suffer horrible morning sickness?

Any suggestions? Advice will be much appreciated

[Wheetsin 714]

Differents urgeons have different guidelines. When I was banded (just under a year ago) it was 12 months, and I hear that my surgeon has now stepped that back to 18 months.

Mine also recommends a complete unfill, but IMO - I think I would decline it. People with RNY have babies, right? And we can eat more and better quality foods than they can (generally speaking).

The flip side of that - I would guess the unfill is to help prevent a slip, because if you slip you're really not going to be eating well, and there's not much other than surgery (other than an unfill and crossed fingers) that can be done.

I'm sure there are other reasons why it's recommended, but they're just guesses.

[Phatty 0]

Thanks for your reply Wheetsin, I guess I will just have to wait for my appointment and see what my surgeon says, suggests

[Nette 0]

I haven't posted here in a long long time, but I came on just to see if there was any support here when pregnant.

I'm 19 weeks pg right now, and was banded on 12/20/05... so just over a year. I lost 47lbs before getting pg and since getting pg I'm still at the same weight. I'm NOT trying to diet or anything I just had 24/7 nausea the first 13 weeks and really couldn't eat much (it didn't have anything to do with the band). I did notice I was tighter through the first trimester but that didn't bother me at all because I wasn't even to restriction yet and needed at least another fill if I hadn't become pg. I have not had an unfill at all. Honestly, I haven't even talked to my surgeon about it. I don't want to unfill because I've been just fine. My OB is aware of my band and she told me that if nutrition became a problem she would tell me to get the unfill, but so far no problems at all. The baby is getting all the nutrients she needs and I'm not gaining a ton of weight. I know I will eventually start gaining, but I'm hoping it won't be much.

[leighhoffman 0]

Heys ladies,

I am pregnant too. I am 16 weeks. I was completely unfilled. I started having major problems with morning sickness and my band slipped. I had my band removed at 12 weeks. I still have my port in place but the band has been completely removed. Be careful if you are having morning sickness. It caused my stomach to prolapse around my band. I lost 25 lbs in a month ( weeks 8-12 of my pregnancy). I have gained that back now with hydration and nutrition. I am not telling you this to scare you just to give you a heads up. My baby is doing great. The doctor said that he or she took all the nutrients from me and did fine through the whole ordeal. Just be careful and get medication if you are vomiting. They have meds that are perfectly safe for you and our little bundle. Hope this sheds some light.

[Phatty 0]

Thanks for the replies

I will definatley need some of the liquid taken out as I find it really difficult to get most things down as it is. I just wasnt sure if I would need the full amount out. Thanks for the advice if i do suffer morning sickness I will definatley be taking something for it along with a complete unfill.. I was reading earlier about a monitoring system they use for pregnant women with the lapband and they were saying how at the start of pregnancy they unfill you completley so the baby gets all the important nutrients and prenatal Vitamins and then once you hit the 14 weeks they give you a fill then and just before you are due to have the bub they completley unfill you. Out of the women that were monitored they had put on only 8 kilo instead of the average 15?? That was a U.K based website and I have no clue if they do the same over here( Australia ) but I will have a talk to my surgeon to ask him about it. I just wanted a little peice of mind. I know there are lots of people who have had babies while having the lapband and just wanted to hear their experience..

Good luck with the pregnancies Neet & Leighhoffman wishing you two all the very best

Cheers