To decline weighing

Not wanting to be a dick but OP said nothing about anyone developing MH issues around weight, but that her Dsis got a bit obsessed about numbers on the scale. Which millions of people do and it isn't the same as a MH issue or mental illness.

One of the reasons MH services have been SO screwed over in the last 15 years is that MH was promoted so hugely but with little context so 'mental health' was conflated with mental wellbeing, emotional wellbeing and very normal, common feelings or experiences were incorrectly pathologised.

Women being unhappy about their weight being concerned about numbers on a scale, obsessing over it and dieting is very (sadly?) normal in our society and not indicative of a MH issue or problem unless accompanied with several other symptoms that would suggest a mental illness.

I think you were wrong to decline. It seems foolish to me to refuse to comply with non intrusive medical requests that even MAY help you to have a healthy pregnancy with a positive outcome for you and your child. Even if you believe it to be unnecessary nonsense, you aren't qualified to be certain, so why risk it? You can simply ask not to be told your weight if you would find that difficult to hear.

As a pp has suggested - get weighed and just tell them not to give you any of the information!

I wasn’t weighed for either pregnancy until a few days before the C-sections for anaesthesia purposes, midwife just asked me the stats at booking and other appointments 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’m a healthy weight so I suppose she just visually appraised ‘not over/under’ and left it at that. It seems a bit OTT to flat out refuse it if it is requested but if you’re a healthy weight it’s unlikely to add anything significant to your care.

BMI isn't outdated. It does the job. Clothes sizes are the iffy part here.

Just get weighed. They don't do it every appointment as far as I know anyway. I was under consultant care as I was slightly underweight and all was fine.

Be weighed but ask them not to tell you the number? They're usually happy to do that

OP, the first indication of pre eclampsia for me, was a rapid increase in weight.

The only way the medical professionals could know this was due to being weighed at a previous routine check up.

Why set yourself up to potentially have a lesser standard of care, or even have a serious medical issue than can, and does lead to fatalities (both mum and baby)?

YABU.

It affects the interpretation of blood results so they will want your weight for that aspect

OP, the first indication of pre eclampsia for me, was a rapid increase in weight.

The only way the medical professionals could know this was due to being weighed at a previous routine check up.

Why set yourself up to potentially have a lesser standard of care, or even have a serious medical issue than can, and does lead to fatalities (both mum and baby)?

YABU.

OP, the first indication of pre eclampsia for me, was a rapid increase in weight.

The only way the medical professionals could know this was due to being weighed at a previous routine check up.

Why set yourself up to potentially have a lesser standard of care, or even have a serious medical issue than can, and does lead to fatalities (both mum and baby)?

YABU.

I’d be wary of getting into a combative relationship with the team supporting you for no reason. I get there’s a lot out there on knowing your rights and advocating for yourself and that’s great, but asking questions of the people caring for you about why they are asking or recommending something BEFORE getting on a soap box or deciding you know better than a medical professional (or an instagrammer you read does) is a good idea.

There are many moments in pregnancy and particularly birth where taking informed advice is critical to a positive outcome. There’s a reason they ask -it’s one way to assess some statistical risks to mother and baby. They have to ask everyone regardless of whether or not you look ‘slim’. Unless you have an ED it seems really performative to give your views on whether BMI is useful.

Can you not just be weighed but ask the midwife to not tell you the number on the scale or your BMI? It's about the safety of your baby and the pregnancy, not you.

It’s relevant if you want the screening for Down’s syndrome and other chromosome anomalies just in case you weren’t aware.

You do not have to take on your sisters mental health issues around weighing.
Let the medics help you, if that means letting them Calc the BMI then so be it.
Yes BMI is a bit rubbish but seriously what else have they to go on?
It's just an objective data point for them to act on.
I'd say channel Elsa and 'let it go'

Healthcare professional here. Your weight at booking isn’t just about BMI, it is used to calculate doses of some drugs that may be given later in pregnancy, in order to adjust for the physiological changes in pregnancy and the weight of the baby, amniotic fluid etc. Unless you really have a massive issue with it I would say having one accurate weight recorded at booking is a good idea.

Unless you have issues around your weight that knowing a number will significantly impact then let your trained and qualified health professionals take the tests/measurements they require and stop being "that patient". It doesnt matter what you think about bmi, this isnt about a diet class, it is about monitoring progress through your pg, you can ignore the number if you want too.

You will have set off all sorts of red flags for your wellbeing that are not necessary and just wastes their time.

You’re entitled to make informed decisions about your own pregnancy.

Why are you desperate to not be weighed? You need to, for the good of your own health when you're pregnant.

Big fuss over nothing.

I know a few women who have taken this approach in pregnancy, agonising over every little thing and ‘doing their own research’. They’ve ended up muddling their maternity care and blaming medical staff for the direct consequences of decisions they have taken for themselves!

Big fuss over nothing.

I know a few women who have taken this approach in pregnancy, agonising over every little thing and ‘doing their own research’. They’ve ended up muddling their maternity care and blaming medical staff for the direct consequences of decisions they have taken for themselves!