to be completely shocked and disgusted at the leaflet I've just been given by my mw???

[mummylovesnancy]

This leaflet, titled 'Raised BMI in Pregnancy' was passed on to me by my midwife at my booking in appointment yesterday. Along with the words 'You can't have a home birth, you probably won't deliver naturally and you'll be given consultant led care.'
I'm 28, I have 2 PERFECTLY healthy children who both have perfect height to weight ratios, eat well, are active and are generally normal children. I weigh 13st and I'm 5'2 which puts me in the 'obese' catagory according to the good ol' BMI index of wonder. I have been roughly this weight and exactly this height for all of my adult life. I am overweight, I accept that, but what I don't accept is being told to read this sodding leaflet which tells me, among various other little pearlers, that:
*I will have raised blood pressure. (Not 'I may', 'I WILL')
*I will be prone to urinary tract infections. (never had one in my life!)
*'Bigger Ladies' (exact wordage) get more blood clots. (Dumb Fuck)
*Examinations will be difficult. (Why? Because you have to part all my layers of fat to get to my vag?! How fucking degrading)
*I will have restricted mobilisation. (Will I? Because I don't now, will it automatically come with being fat and preggers?)
*Putting in a drip will be difficult. (yeah because my hands are so freaking chubby.)
*Breastfeeding will be challenging (I've managed it with two babies, now because you've changed your guidelines I think I might struggle.)
And my favourite one yet:
*The risk of stillbirth or your baby dying in the first 28 days is increased in 'larger ladies' (Thanks for that one, nhs, I just had a misscarriage 8 weeks ago. Was it because I'm fat?)

It also mentions on about 7 occasions that I may want an epidural. Is that to keep me quiet?! It also offers to refer me to a dietician and a counsellor.

I have been overweight (or a larger or bigger lady, as the nhs prefers) and given birth naturally twice with absolutely no complications and one of them was a home birth. I can't believe I have to read all this shit. The idiot who wrote this doesn't even know how to place an apostrophe or comma ffs!

Does anyone agree with me that this is a disgusting, degrading, scare mongering piece of shit or am I being an unreasonable pregnant wreck??

www.esht.nhs.uk/patient-and-visitor/visitors/leaflets/?entryid149=303640&char=I

This is east Sussex, but I can't imagine they vary wildly from area to area. Lots of 'mays' is OP not reading too much into it? Possibly feeling oversensitive due to insecurity re weight.

pre pregnancy i was 15st 10 at 5ft 7 at a size 18. now i dont think size 18 is scarily high but i suppose nearly 16 stone seems like a massive amount to some. but i have been heavier and i have been lighter neither effected my life or confidence particularly.

Leaflet

The leaflet was badly worded but true. Personally it would upset me if I was in the position- but maybe it's worded like that to convey the seriousness of the situation ?

Op how would you feel about a similar toned one to smoking pregnant ladies or those who drink alcohol excessively or those who under eat?

Your BMI at that weight spooks is over 34 (which I'm sure you've worked out). Vanity sizing doesn't help, which is maybe why it doesn't seem high (in terms of dress size). I'm surprised that's a size 18, 12 stone at that height would be a size 14, but I suppose it depends on where you buy your clothes from. Make no mistake about it, 100kg at that height, is very heavy.

It's good to know you aren't lacking in confidence though!

I find it hard to believe the leaflet was worded in the way the op says.

But then she says that it is purely the wording - rather than the message- that she was 'shocked and disgusted' by.

So who knows...? Would love OP to come back and post a link or give more details about it.

Erm, I still don't get how anyone can say it is badly worded, if its not in any context.

I can see ways in which the vast majority of those statements being ok, in the right context.

Unless I you THE leaflet in its entirety its completely impossible to tell.

so being over weight should be considered on a par with smoking and excessive alcohol consumption? madness. i found this leaflet slight shocking when i received it because i have managed up until this point to have 3 perfectly healthy children with no bother. to suddenly be inundated with information about things that had been flagged in previous pregnancies but were now under the banner of high bmi rather than just risks of pregnancies was weird and then to be told that i may not be able to give birth naturally just plain bonkers. and yes a ridiculous thing to say to someone who has come in for a booking in appointment.

so being over weight should be considered on a par with smoking and excessive alcohol consumption?

Why shouldn't it be if it carries so many extra and additional risks?

I don't your logic at all. All three are lifestyle related. All three are the biggest contributing factors to health in the UK.

Being obese carries very similar health risks indeed to smoking.

Both will, in all likelihood, lead to ill health and a miserable premature demise.

As has been said, you don't see obese 80 year olds for a reason.

And obese people put as much pressure on the NHS as smokers.

Yabu.

Obesity is a problem in this country. Time to face facts and start doing something about it.

Are the risks lower then for overweight mothers than for mothers who smoke?

dont worry i dont vanity size i buy what fits me and looks good, would be kind of pointless otherwise and my mw told me my bmi so if it is wrong then she worked it out wrong because i would not have the first idea how to figure it out.
i have 38 gg breasts and wear size 18 clothes pretty much where ever i shop. though certain types of trousers would buy a 20 for comfort.

so you think that being over weight is up there with cancer and liver failure?

and when pregnant is the time to start doing something about that is it quint?

I don't think that cancer and liver failure are pregnancy risks.

But surely obesity puts people at risk of various life threatening conditions, and diet is related to cancer and liver failure, isn't it?

No not saying you vanity size spooks the shops do.

Being the size you are now, it is likely it would have been a 22, say 20 years ago.

Same with all of us.

Size 10 today is nearly a size 14 years ago.

Obesity can be as bad for your liver as drinking to excess.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7169596.stm

Being overweight is the greatest cancer risk alongside smoking and excessive drinking.

It is a HUGE risk factor, most people simply don't get how bad being very fat really is. it's an enormous risk to your health.

You see - I'm not convinced it's two dress sizes. One, I could accept. I say this because i had one of my mum's ancient skirts (evening wear) for ages. It was def. vintage - late 70s I'd say. It was a 14 and at the time (around 2000), so was I.

Well no, ideally pregnancy is not the best time to start doing something about it. Before would be better. But you can certainly make an effort not to pile on extra weight during pg, you could even LOSE weight during pregnancy.

damn so ten years ago when i was wearing a size 12 i would have been a size like 8 by our standards now???

Well maybe not two, but it's more than one which mean it then has to be two in order to get something that's too tight.

I have a size 10 skirt from 24 years ago and it is way way smaller than a size 10 today.

It looks like a six to me

and when pregnant is the time to start doing something about that is it quint?

Why not? Its an ideal time actually. You have 9 months during which you are under more usual medical supervision than normal. A large number of women will alter their diets anyway during that time. Its part of a prevention process; instead of waiting for someone to come in with a weight related health issue. When else do you see women who haven't got a particular health problem apart from pregnancy? Not many opportunities...