Any larger ladies TTC?

My BMI is 31 and weigh 12 stone. I fell pregnant in August but miscarried in October. I was advised by my GP to take 5mg folic acid 3 months before ttc.
My friend is a consultant obstetrician and she quite frankly told me that in the majority of cases with high BMI (as with most pregnancies) things tend to go ok. However she warned me that if there were any slight difficulties whatsoever, medically and surgically managing someone with a high BMI is a nightmare, especially if they need surgery like a c section. She put the fear of god into me. I'm not her patient, I'm her friend so she was brutally honest. She strongly advised me to lose weight before ttc again. So off to slimming world I go!
I also read the RCOG guidance (link above) as it is easy to read and thorough. It's what the NHS guidance is based on.

DailyFail1 - I'm sorry but your information is completely incorrect. If your BMI is higher than 30, it is recommended that you take 5mg a day of folic acid when pregnant in first trimester. You appear to have your mg (milligram) and mcg (microgram) mixed up. A standard folic acid tablet is normally 400mcg (micrograms). 5mg is a prescribed dose which is 12.5 x more than a standard dose (400mcg) which you can buy over the counter.

Here is RCOG guidance on obesity and pregnancy

www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/cmacercogjointguidelinemanagementwomenobesitypregnancya.pdf

I have 2 stone to lose, there are a fair few MNers on this thread, where we are trying to get healthy, lose weight and support each other before we TTC

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/2807424-getting-ready-for-baby-challenge

Come and join us!

I'm 25 weeks pregnant and pre-pregnancy I was a size 20. I had no problem ttc and we fell pregnant after 4 months. I've had no weight related complications, like others I've been on a 5mg of folic acid and a low dose of aspirin as a precautionary measure. I see a consultant and have extra growth scans from 28 weeks onwards. I started off being sick with nerves before every appointment or scan worrying I was going to be humiliated for my size, that an ultrasound wouldn't work etc. Everything has been fine and all nhs staff have treated me brilliantly. My weight has hardly been mentioned and if it has it's been, 'due to your bmi being a bit higher than normal' rather than any degrading comments or lectures.

That said I recognise I'm an unhealthy weight and in any future pregnancies I would probably try to lose a little weight before ttc just to feel a bit more comfortable and mobile especially at the latter stages of pregnancy.

Good luck ttc, my advice would be once you fall pregnant, put any weight worries to the back of your mind and enjoy pregnancy. I spent far to long earlier on in my pregnancy worying!

Just to add when I had my booking in appointment my midwife put me in a 5mg dose of folic acid. I am taking this x again now so I would definitely recommend speaking to your gp and asking first his to be prescribed. I was also given a low dose of daily asprin later in the pregnancy as a precautionary measure and post delivery I had to inject myself daily with an anti-thrombosis drug.

I am a size 26 and have a 2.6 yo ds. He was an unexpected but welcome pregnancy as we'd been having unprotected sex for years with no bfp and had resigned ourselves to thinking it was never going to happen. In terms of my pregnancy I was extremely lucky to have a straightforward pregnancy with no issues or complications. Scans were a bit more difficult, I had an early scan vaginally for a clearer view but after that had abdominal scans as normal. It was occasionally put on my notes that scan was difficult due to patient but not always. I had a consultant led pregnancy which basically meant I saw a doctor 3 times during my pregnancy, I believe she would have been more involved if I'd had any complications.

I went a week overdue before going into labour naturally. I stayed at home until the second stage and then had a natural delivery in hospital with only gas and air.

I can honestly say I was treated with respect and kindness by all the midwives and hcp I met and I feel proud to have had a healthy pregnancy and the birth I wanted.

There are undoubtedly additional risks and you may or may not have them. Coincidentally we are now trying for dc2 and I am joining slimming world because running after a toddler is knackering and I don't think I can do pregnancy and toddler at this size. I want to get here for my family and I'd like a home birth next time which I couldn't have cat this size. I wish you luck in your ttc journey x

Hi everyone. I'm overweight (currently at hunts under 16 stone which is my heaviest I've ever been). We are looking to TTC from Feb onwards. I'm relatively healthy in terms of I don't smoke (gave up 5-6 months ago) and rarely drink. I eat healthily but the weekends are a killer for me. This is when we have our treat meals although my hubby has recognised this needs to stop to help us lose weight and aide us in TTC. I've known 2 or 3 very overweight ladies who have gotten pregnant so am hopeful my weight isn't as bigger issue as I think and whilst losing weight am going to not stress or worry as this will obviously have an impact on TTC too

Good luck to you all xx😘

Ive ballooned to a size 16 - 18 after having DD 15 months ago. We've decided to start trying for another and I definitely want to lose weight first, but with the focus on getting my body healthy for the pregnancy. I was a bit overweight when I got pregnant with DD and was worried it would be mentioned but there were never any problems. If I got pregnant right now however I would be worried about my weight and my diet.

I honestly think it's worth overhauling your lifestyle as pregnancy does take its toll on your body. It's also worth getting into a routine that you can continue into your pregnancy, rather than having to suddenly eat completely differently/take up exercise. Plus all the things you mentioned about scans etc would bother me too. Being 3 stone heavier than I was the first time round and knowing how hard it is on your body to have a huge bump, I definitely know I'll be more comfortable and confident shifting some pounds first !

I do want to provide a healthy body for my baby to grow in, it's just finding that motivation to do it.

Welcome to the Mumsnet Weight Loss Support Group

Just wanted to say; I was the same size as you OP when I fell pregnant withiut actively trying (due this week). I have no gest. diabetes and no other weight related complications.

My weight has only been mentioned about three times and when I told midwife I was surprised that I had managed to get pregnant at all at this weight she responded (almost laughing) that she hears this all the time and wasn't convinced high weight had much effect on fertility l, it was more likely Yo-Yo dieting that effected fertility etc. I don't know how much truth there is to that but felt I should share.

As PP posters say tho no harm in trying to lose weight and taking supplements etc.

It's definitely worth dropping a few kg if you're overweight and having difficulty TTC but you've not even tried yet so personally, if you're fit and healthy I'd try to cut out too much crap, perhaps be honest with yourself about the crappy calorific food you have and just limit it for a while, but still have some as it keeps you sane . My indulgence is wine!!! I gave it up completely but that's just me (not now lol - still love wine)!

I was about a size 16 TTC and found when I went to the gym regularly it was not a problem getting pregnant (many MMC but we got there in the end)
Good luck!

Not ttc but I was 18 st when I fell pregnant with dd now 3 That's very very very overweight for me as I'm 5 2 with a tiny frame naturally. Obviously pregnancy is hard but seriously I felt like shiiiite and I'm convinced it was the weight that made it so much harder. I had awful SPD and was on crutches sleeping on the sofa for the last 8 weeks. Ended up having GD and injecting insulin 4 times a day from 28 weeks. Failed induction at 38 weeks due to GD resulting in EMCS. Then because of where my stomach overhung I kept getting repeated infections and the wound didn't heal over until my DD was 14 weeks. I don't regret anything about having my gorgeous DD but I do wish I had lost weight first. I've said I won't have another unless I can get my weight down to a more healthy level.

Thank you haveacupoftea

I was around 20stone for both pregnancies and had no problems conceiving of during pregnancy/child birth. That saying it wouldn't hurt to try and lose some weight and start taking your folic acid now

Ps if you have any any other worries PM me and I will try to reassure you about your scans and things

spunbodge the dose for women with high BMI is 5mg which is only available on prescription - ring your GP surgery for advice

You shouldnt take more than 600mg. That's about the same as you'll get from a standard folic acid only supplement plus a b vitamin with added folate. Wouldn't take more than 600mg as it can cause severe constipation.

Dailyfail1, is it worth me taking double then? It's not possible to take too much folic acid is it?

Spunbodge - Obese women (with bmi over 35) metabolise folic acid differently due to their weight, so they need more to offer the same protective effect against folate related fetal problems.

I have never known an overweight or obese woman to have difficulty conceiving in my personal life (am half Indian and most Indian women I know are overweight or obese when they fall pregnant). Then I started having problems and the first thing GP mentioned was my weight, and he was so opposed to thinking about anything else that my actual diagnosis was delayed. I have pcos. That is the cause of my difficulty ttc, not the fact that I'm 2kg overweight!!!

Haveacupoftea, can I ask what your reasons are for taking more folic acid in the first trimester? I am 5'4 and 18.4 stone, and I am taking 400mg of folic acid daily. Do you need to take more if you're overweight?

Hiya, I am obese and pregnant. I weighed 17.10 went on slimming world and got down to 17. Promptly got a bfp and here we are!

My pregnancy, now 18 weeks, has been very normal so far, no problems at scans (just found out the sex yesterday!) havent had my GTT yet but no glucose in urine etc

All the midwife said was my BMI is high and did I want referred to a weight management programme our trust is running. I said yes and now have access to a dietician, a physio, extra growth scans and have had scales put in my home, I get weighed every week.i had to take a high dose of folic acid in the first trimester and now take a baby aspirin daily with my pregnacare.

I have put on 6lb in the 18 weeks since getting pregnant (3lb of this in the last week since Christmas!) Which is more than I would like at this stage. So I am off to Slimming World on Monday to get me back on track. I would like to see my weight at under 18 stone at 40 weeks.

Yes there can be complications, as with any pregnancy, but the NHS will work with you to manage the risks, especially if you work with them and are willing to do everything you can yourself.

I ran across this some days ago. My real struggle with motivating is changing, going to some gym and than having to shower - the whole process taking hours every week! So I give excuses...

Here is one I cannot make excuses for:
7-min.com/
At home, 7 mins a day. Granted I have had to modify a few moves as I am not yet strong enough!! Key word: YET!