To fill or not to fill?

[ErinMarie 186]

So I just had a baby 4 months ago. Breastfeeding is going well but is not helping me lose weight. I'm actually up to what I weighed when I was 41 weeks pregnant. (250 lbs) I'm contemplating getting a fill when my son is 6 months because I will be in the same city as my lap band doctor anyway. I always tell people NOT to do this because cutting calories can kill your breast milk supply. I'm just feeling fat and desperate at this time.

I asked my husband what he thought and he said I get stuck all the time right now and he doesn't think I need a fill at all. I think I'm getting stuck a lot because I can eat large meals and not be satisfied so I've basically gone back to the 'old way' of eating. While I don't think I'll be getting a fill while breastfeeding now, I'm still curious if any of you have advice on how to talk to my husband about future fills. (I'm also slightly concerned about a small slip, but that's not as likely.)

I think he gets concerned for my health when I get stuck a lot or have to eat really slowly. He thinks it's not good for me/hurting me. I know this is because I need to learn to discipline myself better. I worry even after breastfeeding he isn't going to want me to get fills (not that he has the final say in these things but I like us to be on the same page) because of getting stuck.

Any advice on reassuring him that I know what I'm doing and if I get fills I will get better at eating slowly/smaller bites too? I thought about telling him I will try to follow my lap band rules better now and try to NOT get stuck to show him that it's not the band, its me. Anything else you think I could do or say to reassure him?

[needtorecover 574]

How many cc's are in your band already? If you get stuck often it might be too tight... Are you eating a lot of slider foods? From my understanding, for the band to be effective you need to eat slowly and chew well. Personally, I think you should work on changing the way you eat before you get another fill. Get in the habit of following the lap band rules (eat slow, chew very well, small bites, etc.) and then see how you feel.

If you find you're still hungry between meals and/or you're able to overeat in one sitting I'd make an appointment to see a doctor. This all should be between you and your doctor - your husband shouldn't have a say in it IMHO. If he's worried about your health, educate him in how the band works and don't scare him by getting stuck (i.e. slow down!). I got stuck once and it made my partner panic, too. It's not fun to see your spouse in pain like that so try to do your part so that doesn't happen and then he'll probably trust your judgment more.

Good luck!

[2muchfun 8,927]

If this is all about convincing your spouse you're ready for a fill, you're going to have to change your current eating habits so you get stuck less often.

Even those of us who do eat slow, chew a lot and take small bites have an occasional stuck episode. It's just a part of being banded. I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule but if you want his support, give him a reason to support your decision? Eat like a Bandster.

[Pittsburgher 261]

When I was pregnant with my now 16 month old, I had half of my Fluid removed because I was nauseous. When I had my son I had a fill, but it didn't really do much. I went back to the way I used to eat for a bit, then I ended up paying more attention to my foods, I breastfeed the whole year or so, more like 14-15 months and I ended up too tight to where no matter what I ate I got stuck, some days multiple times a day, no matter what I ate, I never lost anything, I went and got a small 1cc unfill and felt so much better. I then could wa again, after 6 weeks I went and got a tiny fill 0.2 cc and now I feel so much better, I can eat and I'm back to loosing weight again. It was hard for me because I gained so much during pregnancy, and I lost a total of 80 pounds before I got pregnant. But I went back to basics, put myself on a 1 week liquid diet, restarted everything. And now I'm down again. I just had to restart

[lisacaron 5,075]

@@ErinMarie how much fill do you have in your band right now?

I would start by taking a breath. You just had a baby my friend and congratulations on that! Being a new parent (even if this is not your first child) is an awesome task and breast feeding is demanding. I can understand why you may be having an issue with proper band eating mechanics.

That said however, you really want to be sure that you are not hurting yourself by getting stuck to often. So the first thing I would want to do is to take some time if you are able to check on your band. To make sure that things are all sitting right and working well. Once you have done that, give yourself a few days of liquid diet to help "reset" things, and give your stomach a chance to heal. If you have gotten stuck even just once, your stomach could be swollen and the space in your stoma could be smaller than you think it is and this could be another reason you are getting stuck more often.

Before taking that step to switch to Protein drinks for a few days, consult with a lactation specialist and get their advice. As well as the advice of your pediatrician to be sure that your not feeding the baby anything that could cause an issue. After all a cranky baby is not going to make you feel great

If all is well go on a liquid diet as you did pre-op and/or post op and supplement with some non fat greek yogurt, make some sugar free fat free pudding etc. Give your band a break and let it heal and reset, you will start losing weight and most importantly you will feel better.

As for your hubby, it's nice to see that he is concerned for your health and well being. Show him that you are concerned for yourself and your family as well by taking the time to check in with your band Dr. and baby Dr. and take the next steps to make you both happy and healthy!!

Let us know how it goes!

[ErinMarie 186]

Thanks everyone! Sorry my life got crazy and I forgot that I posted here for a bit.

Things are going the same, but I hear all of you. I think I have about 6 cc right now. I only had 1.5 cc out this time around during pregnancy but it was enough to allow me to eat like a horse. My appetite is 'normal' my stomach feels 'normal' but I get stuck because I eat 'normally' as well. I know a lot of this is on me and I just need to get with it and start being a good bandster again. We eat out a lot/get take out right now and that's not helping.

Thankfully, my husband and I are finally sick of eating out and eating like crap so we will be cleaning out our kitchen soon and going towards a more paleo-centered diet. (meat and veg, limited carbs, fresh, etc.) I have a few good containers that I can measure my food more accurately and I'm already logging on My Fitness Pal. I've been in contact with a nutritionist at my surgeon's office and she suggested making sure I'm getting plenty of Protein to help my hunger. I have to pay out of pocket for my lap band visit now so I don't want to go back until I plan to get a fill or unless I have any issues.

I'm hesitant of doing anything diet-wise that will restrict my calories (ie - pouch test or reset) due to my milk supply.

I am going to try to just start eating better, slower, wiser, etc and take it from there. I'm sure the nicer weather coming our way (I'm in Indiana) will help me be more active too.

Thanks for the advice everyone! I needed to hear it!

[Nyabia17 16]

I had my son feb 2015 got my fill April I still nursed him my milk didn't decrease

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[lpnking 2]

I just joined. I'm looking for info about breastfeeding after the sleeve. My daughter is 4 months and I don't want to quit nursing but I'm looking at surgery in July. I do pump while at work and I'm trying to freeze a lot in case I lose my milk supply. Any advice?

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