30 weeks and want to know am I fat or just pregnant!?

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Saw the MW today and she weighed me at 13 stone which, against my height means my BMI is 32: Obese.

Im not skinny, nor have I ever been, but I really did not think I was obese! My bra band size is still 32", my maternity wear is all a size 12. Ok so im short (5'3) but I seriously do not think im obese.

Am I delusional? According to everyone around me (unprompted) im All Bump. From the back I dont look pg. Im still in most of my pre maternity tops (with a bit of stretch for my bump which is bang on size)

The MW didnt mention anything about my weight except to say ive not gained much (was 12st 4 at booking in). Do I just have a heavy frame, with some extra padding or do I need to diet?!

[Honeybear30]

Surely BMI counts for nothing when pregnant? It doesn't make any sense, the calculation can't take pregnancy into account. Odd that your midwife is weighing you mid pregnancy as well, never heard of this.

[ruth1104]

Bmi doesn't mean anything when you're pregnant... Unless you're going to work out your baby's bmi too! You haven't gained much weight (expected is somewhere between 1-2.5st I think through the whole pregnancy), your midwife is happy and even if you had you should never diet in pregnancy

[squizita]

They should not calculate BMI when you are 3rd trimester pregnant. The measurements will ALWAYS come out wrong (i.e. 5-10lb, plus fluid, plus placenta is not actually you ). They can monitor weight but BMI is utterly pointless.

It sounds like the MW does not think you're obese at all as she said you've not put much weight on? But in which case she should not be using the BMI chart.

Phone your local supervisor of midwives as this is an error in communication and needs to be communicated better to mothers because it concerned you. Ask why normal BMI charts would be being used on heavily pregnant women. It could trigger real anxiety or lead to poor advice in the wrong hands.

[squizita]

Just to clarify... did she use the BMI chart or just weigh you? Your post isn't quite clear.

[LostTeacher]

I'm 5"3 and went upto 12st during pregnancy which I think is a bmi of 30 when not pregnant.

After baby I was 11st which is still overweight. I thought I might get back down to 8 and a half stone just from giving birth ... I'm still trying now ten years later!

I suppose it depends on what you weighed before pregnancy and what you're comfortable weighing.

[LostTeacher]

Apologies just read your OP again.

5"3 and 12 st 4 lbs gives a bmi of 30.4

You haven't gained much at all but perhaps your midwife was referring to your Bmi at booking in?

[moggle]

Did the midwife calculate it or did you calculate it when you got home? It doesn't sound like you have anything to worry about. I expect most of us would go into the overweight or obese category while pregnant, as others have said it's not a tool to us for the likes of us!

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

She wrote BMI 32 in my notes against todays date.
Right underneath BMI 30 against my booking in date.

[divingoffthebalcony]

What a load of bollocks. I can't understand the point of recording your BMI at 30 weeks pregnant, I really can't.

[LostTeacher]

Bmi of 30 is considered medically obese.

Now when I think obese, I picture those people in America who need to be airlifted out of their beds.

But according to the bmi calculator, 30 and above is obese.

Lots of people are medically obese but physically look only a bit overweight. I don't think I'm explaining myself very well !

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

I definetly dont fit my own image of an obese person. Im.not slim. I dont have a distorted opinion of my figure. But I am not obese.

Damn the bloody BMI calculator for categorising me as such.

[LostTeacher]

Exactly.

Look at it like this: you haven't gained much weight during your pregnancy. When you have the baby you will therefore probably go back to what you weighed before.

No need to worry.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Excellent. Phew.

I havent even changed my eating, am eating very much the same quantities as before pg and the same type of foods just no a lot less wine and more water.

If id been doing the whole "eating for two" thing id expect to be fattening up.

[LostTeacher]

8lbs = definitely all baby.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Marvellous!

[Littleturkish]

I would think she was recording it as if you were obese at booking in, you're flagged as at risk so they monitor your weight gain. She must be pleased and happy with it as they haven't discussed your weight gain with you.

You've done really well, and I imagine will lose the 'baby weight' very quickly. However, BMI of 30, although just obese isn't great, and perhaps a diet and exercise plan to get into the healthy 20-25 range would be a good idea?

[Littleturkish]

Of course- only if you WANT to be in the healthy BMI range, please ignore above advice if you aren't fussed about it!

[DialsMavis]

I had a BMI of 30 at my booking in (despite being tall and being a 12-14) and was treated as obese for my pregnancy, i.e being called "a larger lady" & warned against home birth by a consultant. I was a bit porkier than usual but weigh loads even when relatively slim

[bonkersLFDT20]

12 st 4 and 5'3" is obese so yes, you do not seem to have a true image of what you look like.

You should really be about 2 stone lighter.

Is this a wind up post (looking at OP's name)

[LostTeacher]

I don't think there's any need to be so harsh.

Yes the OP is 'obese'.

She's also pregnant at the moment. I don't think now is a good time to talk to anyone about what they should weigh.

I think I would have killed somebody if they had helpfully suggested I need to lose a couple of stone during my pregnancies, whether they were right or not.

[bonkersLFDT20]

The OP asked whether she was being delusional. I gave an honest answer.

[LostTeacher]

Fair enough.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Well, I dont look obese at all. I am a regular poster this isnt a wind up.

I have been a size eight before and still not under 9'3, and that was when I was 16. I am heavier than I look. My DMum is the same - size ten, great figure, cant get under 10st9.

I was Zumba-ing twice a week and had given up all booze in the six months prior to falling pg so O was attempting to be a bit healthier. I am due October and will be returning to Zumba in January. As well as joining SW.

Im chubby. Im not obese.

[bonkersLFDT20]

Are you maybe build like a rugby player - I don't mean that you look like one (!), but that you are all solid muscle? Many rugby players are obese by the BMI standards but they are just all power and muscle.

It's hard to imagine zumba twice a week would result in such a lot of muscle, but your build is genetic as well.

Anyway, all that aside, if you are happy with your weight and your health then that's the main issue.

[kaykayblue]

OP- Sorry but yes I think you are being a little delusional.

There's nothing you can do about your weight when pregnant - diets during pregnancy are obviously a bad idea, and it sounds like you haven't gained that much weight so far (which is recommended for women who start pregnancy with a high BMI).

But your pre pregnancy weight was obese. THAT SAID, you were only just in the "obese" category with a BMI of 30.6 (30 and higher being obese). Whether you agree with that or not is sort of irrelevant (unless you do a lot of weight lifting). I might "disagree" that I am tall, since I know women taller than I am. It doesn't change the fact that I'm still five inches taller than the national average.

Don't forget that there is quite a lot of scope within each category - so yes, you were obese, but someone up to 9 bmi points more than you would also be obese (bordering on morbidly obese which starts at 40 bmi). So obviously there are bigger and smaller people that fit within the same category.

I actually think that there is a huge lack of understanding about what obesity is. People consider obesity to be people who can't sit in chairs, or can't walk due to their weight, or take up two chairs on the bus. But that's complete bollocks - obesity starts much much earlier than that - those examples are the absolute extreme of morbid obesity.

Don't forget as well that something like a third of people in the UK are medically obese. So your perceptions of what is "normal" and "slim" will be skewed by what you see as "normal" in society.