To decline weighing

Don’t listen to all the people telling you to comply. It’s a recent thing. For years they didn’t weigh you. I had three pregnancies between 1995-2003 and wasn’t weighed once, nor was it suggested. It’s also unacceptable and wrong for them to claim it will limit your birth options. You can birth where you choose. I’d actually make a fuss about this and nip it in the bud.

You can always ask them not to tell you your weight if you're concerned you might start fixating on it.

You sound like you’ve already become like your sister! They’re not interested in your BMI which given your dress size is probably quite low, It’s usually to compare the weights as your pregnancy progresses.

In our trust weight and height is usually done at booking. Yes it does calculate BMI which then in turn can help plan care. For example a glucose tolerance test may be offered for those with a BMI greater than 30 and growth scans may be offered to those women with a BMI greater than 35. It also helps work out VTE risk. Weight is then offered at dating scan if women have opted for combined screening as this information is included on the screening form along with other information.

Your height and weight also helps to generate a personalised growth chart which is used for plotting fundal heights and/or growth scans during your pregnancy

You can decline to be weighed or opt for your weight taken but not shown to you if you worry that this may cause you some stress.
I do agree that BMI is outdated but at the present time it’s the standardised tool
used within the NHS

We also take a 3rd trimester weight usually around 36 weeks which can help with some drug/anaesthetic calculations. Again this can be declined. Informed choice is important as is respecting individuals wishes.

congratulations on your pregnancy

If you want screening for Downs and other chromosonal abnormalities then it does need a weight - done on the day of the test, as otherwise the calculation cannot be done

You also cannot have a PERSONALISED growth chart, so will be done as generic

Some people also say happy for it to be done but don't document it in their handheld notes so they don't have to know (this is more likely with people who had eating disorders in the past and know it may be a trigger)

If it makes you feel better OP, I got weighed once in my pregnancy - at the booking-in appt at 8 weeks. They never weighed me again.

As some posters have said, being weighed can be prove really useful for all sorts of reasons in pregnancy, but for many of us, they weigh us once and that's it.

The booking-in appt includes all kinds of questions which seems random. I remember they tested my blood to see if I was HIV positive and I remember thinking I knew I wasn't and they were wasting their time, but by including every pregnant woman in these things it just helps catch things they need to know (and I guess there will be the odd pregnant woman out there who thinks she's def not HIV positive and actually she is).

To warn you - the first Health Visitor appt also includes a lot of questions that they just have to ask everyone. You're likely to end up feeling some of those aren't right too for whatever reason, but honestly, just grin and answer them all. They do have their reasons.

And if it makes you feel better, the questions asked of pregnant women, and the advice they're given, does change all the time, because the NHS does pay heed to changes in our knowledge. They're sometimes just slow to implement it. There's every chance they'll decide at some point that BMI is a waste of space and stop measuring it or replace it with something else. The advice on when to give you baby solids has changed more than once in the last 25 years. And since my last was born 9 years ago the official advice on co-sleeping has changed dramatically.

I think you can sometimes make your feet smaller by losing weight actually. (although they also grow with pregnancy and age...).

You need to be weighed , especially if you need a CS , the anaesthetic is calculated upon your weight .

I had an ED in my teens and just asked the midwife not to tell me my weight unless she had any concerns.

Just get weighed. That’s what they do at ante natal appointments. No need for drama.🙄

I've read that you've now changed your mind. But please talk to your midwife about the worries you have about the effect it may have on your mental health. They can always get you suport.

I'm currently pregnant and having mental health support there's no shame in it.

My feet went up a size due to two pregnancies.

Can't you just tell them to write it down for their own info but not tell you unless it's crucial?

You could just ask them not to tell you what it is/don't look at the scales? That way they get the info needed to give you the best care and you don't have the number to worry about

I think you are very wise to question whether all the "offers" of care are applicable and feel right to you.

I was just looking at some NHS statistics today and if you had a baby last year, as a first time mum, you had a 39% chance of that baby coming out your vagina without instruments or major abdominal surgery.

If you had your baby 10 years ago, like me, you had a 52%. I was not weighed or had my baby's growth obsessively charted. It is vital to be aware of the culture you are birthing into. And it's ok to say no to stuff.

I would get weighed to be honest but put the number in a box and forget about it
I got weighed several times in pregnancy. I had bad sickness through out the first and third trimesters and had issues with low weight gain. It was reassuring to know to have that monitoring to know it was just into the healthy range and that I wasn't doing baby harm. Especially in the third trimester when I started to lose weight again before restarting anti sickness tablets and heartburn medication.
It a crude blunt tool but it can give an idea if things are ticking along as normal. I believe they try to weigh women towards the end of pregnancy so that there's an accurate weight on record if you need and emergency anaesthetic but don't know the validity of this.

Have just read through and it's good to see you are reconsidering.

Just to add, I was only weighed at booking and for the combined screening. There was no tracking of weight in my midwife appointments.

I would also go for the just get weighed and ask not to be told the number if you are concerned about becoming fixated on it. The staff can always then highlight a particular issue if they are worried about it for some reason, but otherwise if you think you are a healthy weight then it’s unlikely you will need to be aware of it in terms of specifics, but the staff have it if they need it for whatever reason (calculation of drug doses, monitoring etc)

Lol @ Waiting for the consultant tobokay. I think that's your job.

Don't they need to compare it over time - for health reasons?

The measurements aren't just about risk factors for overweight. The baby growth charts are now tailored to your height and weight. I am small, so when my baby measured at 60-somethingth centile in absolute terms, it was over 90th on my personalised chart, needed follow-up testing for diabetes and growth scans, and could have affected my choices about delivery if baby hadn't come early spontaneously. It might be worth reconsidering as these baseline measurements could well be useful and important later and allow you to make better informed decisions.

@diiidum

Glad you have reflected and are going to have normal health measurements that may help your pregnancy.

A friend of mine lost weight during her pregnancy due to not known, under-lying health condition. Knowing her start weight was crucial in finding out what her medical condition was - some kind of crohn's disease.

Even if BMI is of limited use for an individual, one of the things that the NHS is genuinely amazing at is information on population levels, because they have hugely standardized data of a big population.

So yes, fine, do all your research, but I highly doubt there are much better indicators on a POPULATION level. And there, too, your data are useful. To be honest, I think it's one way an individual can contribute to our understanding of health.

So YABU.

Jesus wept, just get weighed. It’s not just about BMI.

Well done OP. Enjoy your pregnancy and baby