Overweight and pregnant

[hopeful92]

So I had my booking appointment with the midwife at the start of this week and she said that I was low risk with everything apart from my weight. I have a relatively high BMI, I am 5ft 8 and weight about 16st (I know, fat bitch right?). I wear a size 16 clothes so I'm not ridiculously unsightly, just heavy! Anyway so the midwife said that unless my BMI is below 35 (I think its about 37 now) then I won't be able to have midwife-led care at the local unit, and will have to go to the bigger hospital which is half an hour away. Does this mean that I will be with a horrible consultant who won't be nice about my weight? The midwife wasn't horrible she was lovely, just said that I will have to go meet with her in a month to check my BMI and I don't think I can get my BMI from 37 to 34 in a month? Very unhappy at the moment. I'm 5 weeks pg by the way.

I am heavier than you and had my ds last year. I was under a consultant for other reasons but he was great. He talked about my weight in a very medical matter of fact way at one appointment but it wasn't talked about at any other time.
You may have to have a glucose tolerance test but I just think they need to keep an eye on you as the risks are slightly increased if you are overweight.

I am under consultant care because of my weight and while they have mentioned my weight it has never been in a nasty way. More just a matter of fact way.

The MWs have mentioned it to me also in a friendly way but as they were both overweight themselves they could hardly be nasty!!

You will probably need a GTT and an appointment with an anaesthetist (sp?). I havent had the latter yet but Im told its something to do with checking the sturucture of your airways!

Hello I'm Faith. No, you can't get your BMI that low ina. Kith without crash dieting and that is very unhealthy at the best of times without being pregnant! They will want to monitor you more closely because there are some increased risks during pregnancy when you have a higher BMI - particularly as mentioned above Gestational diabetes. I would hope the consultant would be professional and nice to you! Some options might be out like home birth but generally things should proceed fine. They may refer you to a dietitian because ideally you should try to keep your weight gain to a minimum - I think they say an ideal maximum of 6kg when you're larger.

I do sympathise. I was told our best chance of conceiving was IVF but they wouldn't refer me because my BMI was 31 (had to be under 30). I came home and cried! But I lost the weight through sensible eating and exercise and fell pregnant naturally! I was borderline as to whether they'd do a referral for me - I think the initial MS just kept me under 30.

I would recommend simply walking. Get a decent playlist on a MP3 or phone, get out and walk. It helped me not only lose weight but helps me clear my head.

There's an ante natal thread here started by someone who describes themselves as 'plus size', might give you the support you need?

I am an 18-20 with a BMI of 36 and have not experienced any massive reaction to my weight, other than the usual conversation about increased risks. Once the medics had done that they just got on with normal, routine ante-natal stuff.

Hi I am much heavier than you and had consultant care for my daughter due to other problems as well when it did come to my weight they were lovely - your not going to loose any weight now so no point being crappy or preachy! In fact i liked my consultant very much nice guy very matter of fact and answered my many questions in a truthful way unlike the midwives who seemed to think it would be better for me to be treated like something out of a disney movie.

I'm a fatty lol I had DD in a midwife-led unit in a large hospital as I wanted a water birth, and the consultant led unit was just upstairs. I had to have a meeting with a consultant and they said as I didn't have any other problems that I was fine to have midwife led care.

I'm now pg again, at booking my BMI was 37 or 38 so again an appointment was made for me to see the consultant who apologised to me for wasting my time! She referred me back to midwife led care.

I have to have a GTT test at 28wks, and obviously if I become high risk due to any other problems I will be referred back to the consultant but up to now, I'm due to deliver in the midwife led unit. (My hospital has the same policy about the BMI being over 35)

Hi faith Yeah I am generally fit and healthy other than being overweight! I walk my dog twice every day, I use my exercise bike every other day and I go swimming twice a week and do 40 lengths at each session. Before falling preg I did a street dance once a week as well but she won't let me continue due to her insurance not covering it. I eat healthy home cooked meals, the odd treat and I try and eat stuff like dried fruit and seeds, almonds and snack a jacks for snacks so I am working pretty hard on maintaining my weight, I just don't seem to lose any! The problem is the exercise I do builds muscle which in turn weighs a lot so my BMI won't fo down regardless of how fit I get at the mo!

Well if you can maintain your exercise regime and eating plan I don't think it should be too much of a problem!

Try not to worry hopeful92. I'm way heavier than you BMI-wise and am a size 20-22 and nobody has said anything nasty about my weight. I've been told to try to keep it stable rather than gaining loads of weight, and was offered a reference to a dietician but it was stressed that this was only an offer and the doctor said that she was sure i knew about healthy eating anyway and that it was entirely up to me. That's the only actual weight-related comment that I've had.

As the others have said, it'll mean you might need extra monitoring as you go through. My ante-natal appointments have almost all been with doctors not midwives but then I have had complications such as high blood pressure. I've also got a glucose tolerance test, and an appointment with an anaesthetist. As for the birth itself, being in the hospital doesn't mean you'll have some horrid drill-seargent of a consultant insisting on medical intervention - there'll still be midwives but the consultants will be on hand in case of com

(pressed too soon!)

... Complications. You'll still get to have a birth plan etc.

So try not to worry. Loads of women way bigger than you have consultant-led care through their pregnancies and have perfectly straightforward births. Good luck with the rest of the pregnancy!

Your bmi is 34 unless you've mistyped a number somewhere. 16st at 5'8 is a bmi of 34.1.

Mistyped a number im 17 stone

My Bmi is 28, was 30 at booking but what can I say, morning sickness is an effective weight loss plan. I'm booked with consultant due to my weight, age, and a couple of other issues, but my mw assured me that although I will have to give birth at the consultant unit, if everything is normal in my labour I will be able to have just the midwife and the same birth as I can have at the midwife led unit. They have a pool etc and birthing balls and I can walk the corridors as much as I like.
Obv if problems develop during pregnancy things might change, but that's the case for everyone. Thin people can get gd and pe too.

I'm a 20/22 and BMI of 36. I had DD at a consultant led unit 7 miles away [which was 1 1/2 hour drive through deep snow] as my BMI was high. I had MW led care all the way through. I did have an epidural, which an anesthetist administered. Was a lovely experience and was glad for the pain relief. MLU is at the end of my road, I can see the MW coffee room out my kitchen window, I was hoping to be discharged to there, but DD needed consultant monitoring as she was under 6lb.

Though I love my food, I eat balanced meals and exercise regularly, recently stopped BF and my weight went up two stone, couldn't believe how much extra I was eating. Just got my eating under control when found out expecting DC2. I know I will be back up consultant led unit and am not worried.

One MW did freak me out last time saying I would get GD and would have a large baby and would end up with a CS. Which was absolute spaff. Next MW I queried all this with confirmed spaff, they were risks but not set in stone, she was on the larger side herself and had a waterbirth at the consultant unit recently with no problems, sent home same day.

The only thing that bothered me [so much I did put it in feedback] was that all my care pre delivery was at the MLU and had a very brief tour of CLU but didn't get to know the staff like I did at MLU, knowing they wouldn't care for me or my baby on delivery. Also because they were MLU they had to refer any query about my delivery to CLU as they couldn't answer the questions as no knowledge of working on the CLU.

You may be referred to a dietician, I was last time and have been again. My food diary was healthier than some standard BMI pg. Last time I had a health in pregnancy grant for maintaining healthy weight gain, of course there is none of that now.

I've got a higher BMI than you, did have with my other 2 children too.

My consultant first time was an arse but the ones I've had with dd and this baby are LOVELY! No mention of weight really I know that's why I'm seeing them, they don't bang on about it. I just have a couple of extra scans and a GTT. But I have had easy pregnancys, healthy babies and very healthy children. My eldest was early (totally unrelated issue) he was 6lb3, dd was 7lb6.5. So Not huge babys at all.

If you are happy then I would not think any more about it. If you want to do something more you can follow Slimming Works whilst pregnant (which I promise you is not a diet there really is a huge amount of yummy food you can really eat and enjoy).

I think it is thd only plan supported by midwives whilst pregnant, I followed it whilst breast feeding. You could maybe have a think about it after if you wanted to rather than now, we have enough pressure on us to worry about weight.

After I had my son thd weight didn't fall off like it did with my daughter and I wanted to do something about it and I lost thd weight easily with SW as did a few of my other online friends. Another friend who was always the life and soul wanted to do something but was nervous and she lost eight stone (yes eight stone!!) and was in my SW magazine this month!!

You do what us right for you whenever that is and good luck for the rest of your pregnancy

Hi, I'm 28 and I have a BMI over 35 couldn't tell you exact BMI number but I know I have a high number. I currently see a healthly lifestyle midwife and we talk about eating/ drinking healthly and good exercises to do such as walking. I also see a consultant once a month about a plan of care during pregnancy, labour and after birth. My Lifestyle MW weighs me every 2 weeks when i see her to make sure I am still in the safe brackets for weight gain, I've been following the Biggist Loser diet throughout pregnancy as I was already following the diet trying to lose weight when I found out I was pregnant. It just helps me keep to the correct portion sizes while eating and also helps me keep physically/ mentally active I also still managed to lose a little bit of weight at the beginning of the pregnancy on this diet and so far i have managed to keep within the safe brackets given to me everytime and there shouldnt be any reason why I can't have a normal birth. When Baby is born the consultant and H.L Mw said they can refer me to Phoenix weight management if i would like any extra support afterwards to lose the pregnancy weight.
I have found it really helpful having the extra support from the hospital, non of the staff have looked at me or spoke to me in an uncomfortable way, they have all looked after me with the respect and care that I need.
I would not recommand you try to lose any weight by fast track as that could be more harmful to you and your LO, go and listen to what the hospital have to say to you at the end of the day tho it will be up to you if you decide to follow any advise given to you or you try and go it alone. All i would say is no fast track dieting and at least given the hospital staff a try, good luck hun for the rest of your pregnancy :)

I haven't been weighed at all apart from at booking. Is this normal? They could presumably tell by looking that I havent put on weight, but I haven't seen the same doctor twice!