Pregnancy and weight issues...

[Clementine 0]

I love my band. I have been banded since November of 2005, and I have probably lost slower than most. It took me quite some time to "get into my groove" with my fill level. And, to be honest, I struggle with making good food choices. I am getting better with that all the time. The road has been long and the lessons have been many, but I am so grateful to be where I am. I just passed my 100 pound loss, and am only a few pounds away from seeing 100's on the scale for the first time in nearly fifteen years.

I would love to hear from some bandsters who have gone through a pregnancy. Were you at your goal weight when you became pregnant? How much did you gain during the pregnancy? After the birth were you able to have your band refilled and if so, did the weight come off quickly?

I want to have another baby very badly. I need to get closer to my goal weight first though. It is a struggle. The wait (and weight!) is such a hard thing. In a perfect world I would reach goal before getting pregnant. Is "perfection" worth the wait??

I know the obvious answers about how much easier (and healthier) pregnancy is if you are not overweight. I want to hear some real-life stories for encouragement. Will you share yours with me?

Thanks so much.

[Doula Lea 0]

I went through a pregnancy pre-band and post-band. My top weight at the pre-band pregnancy was 272. I had some BP issues, but still had a vaginal out of hospital birth. My second pregnancy was after a 70 lb weight loss. I had to have an unfill immedietly because my morning sickness was so bad I was afraid that the band would slip. I stayed unfilled for 3 years while breastfeeding my son. He is coming up on 2 and I just got refilled. I gained more weight with the second pregnancy, but had no BP issues and had the homebirth that I wanted with NO complications. I had more energy during that pregnancy that I did with my 1st and overall- I just felt healthier. Pregnancy and childbirth are kinda "my thing". I am a labor doula, a childbirth educator, a lactation consultant, and a nursing student hoping to one day become a midwife. I chose the lapband because I knew that I could have a healthy pregnancy and breastfeed my babies with it. More important than what you weigh before getting pregnant is what you eat while pregnant...

[CandiceNC 0]

Hi Ladies,

I have had my band for just over a year now and have lost over 100 lbs. Only 40 more to goal. I have never had a baby. I am getting married in June, and I do hope to get pregnant ASAP. My question is .. do you have to get a de-fill? Can you keep some saline in the band? Or would it depend if you get morning sickness or not. I do not want to regain all this weight and I have been losing VERY slowly the last 3 months. (10 lbs in 3 months UGH!)

Another question is Vitamins, were you on a big Vitamin regieme or just watching what you ate? I plan on starting on Materna soon, to get my body ready for pregnancy (my doctor recommended) and was just curious as I have never had a baby what others do or have done being a banded person. I am the only banded person in my area, and my doctors really dont know much about it.

Thanks,

Candice

[Doula Lea 0]

I feel very strongly that nutrition during pregnancy is absolutely essential if you want a healthy pregnancy, a healthy baby, and a healthy mom. I follow the Brewer diet while pregnant (www.blueribbonbaby.org), I recommend this diet to my clients, and to my students. I do not believe that a mother can get adequate nutritional intake with the band filled during pregnancy. I do not believe that a mother can get adequate nutritional intake with the band filled while breastfeeding. A gain of up to 40 lbs while pregnant is well within the realm of "normal" no matter WHAT your begining weight is. When blood volume, Fluid, placenta, and baby are all added together they equal AT LEAST 25-30 lbs on their own.

Good Luck!

[BlueTattoo 43]

wait a lil while after you get married to start having kids. Get used to your new marriage and enjoy it. I won't go into my personal experiences here but just trust me . Enjoy the sleeping late cuddling while u can . There's always time to make a family. But you and your new husband need time to adjust to the new married life first

[Wheetsin 714]

Lots of questions here. First - DH and I too are wanting to have a baby. That was one of my biggest motivators for finally getting the band (after "thinking about it" for 5 years). I can't say what's right for you, but the balance between wanting to have a baby, and wanting to lose more weight, is one I think about daily. As of right now we are not trying, nor are we trying not to. We're just doing our thing, and we're OK if it happens and OK if it doesn't.

I had my annual physical in February and asked my PCP about pregnancy. Specifically I asked her if my weight in and of itself was a reaon to not get pregnant. So in other words, if I wanted to be healthy during pregnancy, and not have to worry about being in a category of greatly imcreased risk, did I need to lose more weight first. She told me no, not at all, and that if I wanted to get pregnant she felt my loss had been enough to negate most of the complications that can arise. The only thing she wanted me to do was get ona prenantal ASAP and bump up my Folic Acid, but she says that's for everyone who has advanced warning.

I also have age factoring in. I was 31 in February. DH and I did not want kids in the beginning. Then about 3 years ago we changed our minds, but weren't in a hurry. We still aren't in a hurry, but we're aware of the fact that we're getting older, and that as age goes up so do risks.

Before I got banded (at over 380 lbs) I told myself I would start trying at 250. I've been there for a while, and I'm still not trying because I do want to continue losing. But at some point enough has to be enough, if we don't (which we don't) want age to become a factor.

As for having to be unfilled, this probably varies by surgeon. My surgeon indicates that if you're able to get in enough calories, there's no reason to be unfilled. I know other surgeons unfull preventatively against morning sickness (vomitting > slip >surgery while pregnant). What I personally would probably request would be a partial unfill -- enough that I could eat normal portions, but not so much that I could overeat. That's pretty much where I'm at now... I get full on normal portions, but I can eat more if I want to. I'm getting a fill Wed, but I'm going to have him check my fill level and record it, because I think this would be a good place to be.

Hmm..sorry for the novel, I just have lots of thoughts and unknowns around this topic.

[fabfatgrl 10]

I'm on my third Bandster pregnancy right now. I've been unfilled for all three.

When I got pregnant with my first son, I was 18 months post-op and had lost 95 pounds. I was happy with my weight, but probably had 10-20 pounds to go. During that pregnancy, I gained 50 or so pounds, but I literally lost 30 pounds within two weeks of giving birth.

I tried a small fill after that pregnancy (well 7 months after as I was exclusively breast feeding and didn't want a fill during the 1st 6 mos), but had trouble with it. I don't know if it was strange being re-filled or what... so I had it removed.

Second pregnancy... I had lost an additional 10 pounds... and remained unfilled. Gained 40 pounds. Once again, majority came off within 2 weeks of giving birth. Tried another small fill after this pregnancy, and had trouble again. No issues with my Band, its placement/slippage, etc. Had fill removed.

So.. I went 3 years with no fills and through two pregnancies and maintained 65 or so pounds lost from an alltime high of 95. Not too shabby, as pre-Band I never ever lost more than 5 pounds with a diet... and literally never maintained it for a week.

This pregnancy, I'm up 25 pounds and in my third trimester. Not sure if I'll try anymore fills again. I'm leaning towards a VSG should I choose to get WLS again. I wouldn't do anything until my kid is eating enough solids, though... so probably close to 1 year after she's born. VSGers can have trouble getting in enough liquids right after surgery, and I wouldn't want to compromise my breastfeeding.

I know many people these days choose not to unfill during pregnancy. I think that is vanity speaking... rather than common sense. Pregnancy is so not about you... and so about your baby. I can't see how anybody could eat enough to grow a baby while filled... at least I never could have. Also, one can vomit during the first trimester... and vomiting is also quite common during labor when one goes through transition. Too risky, IMHO. If one absolutely needed a fill, I'd wait until the 2nd trimester...do a small one... and then unfll before birth.