Is anyone else worried about being overweight having just found out you were pregnant?

[GingerbreadHead]

I am 7 weeks pregnant with a very much wanted and planned pregnancy! I am annoyed with myself for not losing the weight before getting pregnant, but as it took nearly 18 months to conceive I turned to alcohol and chocolate to make myself feel better.
My BMI is 30.9 and while I know I am overweight I wouldn't consider myself obese, but according to the NHS I am! My MW has referred me down the 'Pathway' for larger ladies, prescribed me a higher dose of folic acid and told me I have more chance of it becoming a 'high risk' pregnancy.
I am now worrying myself silly after my booking in appointment, whereas I wasn't too concerned beforehand.
Is anyone else worrying about their weight and how it will affect their pregnancy? Is anyone else going to try and keep their weight gain to a minimum? Would be good to have some buddies to go down this 'pathway' with!!

Hi Gingerbreadhead,

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

You are definitely not on your own... I have been worrying about exactly the same thing since I found out I was expecting a couple of weeks ago. I am about 6 weeks pregnant now and feel like I am slightly obsessing about my diet. My BMI is 28 so I think I might get sent down that pathway too.

I have just downloaded an app so I can monitor what I am eating to try and keep my weight gain to a healthy minimum where possible. I also plan to carry on with some light exercise too.

dancinglorna

Honestly don't worry about it, and if you don't feel that you need extra intervention (most places don't start it or give the high dose FA unless your BMI is 35+) you can decline despite the image the may give you, you are the one in charge of your care.

For what its worth I've had horrific pregnancies, extremely high risk I asked my consultant (very senior and eminent in his field of fetal medicine) if my BMI was contributing to it he said absolutely not and in most cases other than Gestational Diabeties it really doesn't have a serious effect.

Hi Gingerbread

I'm now 25 weeks pregnant. My BMI was calculated at my booking in as 33, although I think the scales were a little bit over. I was prescribed the higher dose folic acid but only started it at about 10 weeks as that's when my booking-in was! Please try not to worry too much. I wish I'd lost weight pre-pregnancy too, but I didn't. I've put on very little weight so far, I'm only 4lbs heavier than I was pre-pregnancy. I used to comfort drink too, so you'll probably find that the change in your drinking habits helps you to limit weight gain. Other than some bleeding in the first trimester which they think was from my cervix, my pregnancy has been very straightforward. Baby appears healthy and happy and I've not had any nasty side-effects.

Good luck!

I was worried about my weight with dc2, I was dieting with getting pregnant in mind but I got pregnant much sooner than I expected (both me and dp have fertility issues and I was certain I wouldn't get pregnant at that weight) my pregnancy was really easy with no issues at all, I had a lovely active birth, my baby was big (10.5 kg) but my family tends to have large babies, my mum, aunt and grandma all had 10 pound+ babies and they were all very slim.

Congratulations on your pregnancy. At my first pregnancy I had a bmi of 34. 2 years later my bmi is 30 and I'm 15 weeks pregnant. Yes I wish I weighed less but my son is healthy and happy and my weight did not effect that. I wasn't recommended high folic or anything.

My midwife is unconcerned about my weight. I think as long as your blood pressure is ok and you don't get gestinal diabetes you should be ok.

Hope all goes well

My BMI was 37 although considered myself quite fit and active, I am now 29 weeks. I was prescribed extra folic acid but not sure if anything else in my pregnancy has been linked to my being obese. At 27 weeks bump was measuring 4 weeks ahead so went for a scan but baby is only a week and a half ahead -just within the "normal" range. Was warned that larger bump can be a sign of gestational diabetes (diabetes runs in the family) but my blood sugar levels were fine. Have also struggled with very bad indigestion and heartburn from early on which might (or might not) be linked to my size. I did start off my pregnancy eating healthier and going for lots of walks and bike rides but it was the summer then and have struggled with keeping active with tiredness, shorter days and stress at work.

I'm 5+4 and asked my GP about increased folic acid as my BMI is 31 but he said no and didn't seem too concerned

Thanks for all your replies!
Brummie that's strange that your GP didn't think you'd need the increased FA? I guess they all think different things in different places!
I wasn't too worried about it, bit annoyed with myself for not losing the weight in the first place, I was the same weight as when I got pregnant with DD 4 years ago and nothing was said about it then, and the pregnancy was perhaps a bit more uncomfortable than if I'd been fitter, so I just assumed all would be fine this time too, but at my booking in appt the MW made quite a big deal out of it and said I'd need extra appointments and all sorts of extra checks so I'm now concerned I'm going to end up with all sorts of problems and the prospect of getting GD really worries me. I'm trying really hard to eat healthily but it's so hard in these early weeks isn't it when you only fancy a small amount of things!

Jenny will you be going for any more blood sugar tests do you know? Is it something they keep doing until 40 weeks or just as a one off? Hurray for being at 29 weeks!

Thanks Rachey congrats on your pregnancy number 2!

Stripy ah how lovely, congrats on DC2! I was the opposite, was hoping to get pregnant quickly again like with DD, and had managed to lose over a stone, but in the year + that it's taken to get pg I have slowly piled all the weight back on again!

Hi coaster wow 4lbs thats amazing! Well done! I am hoping to gain very little weight too overall, other than baby and water there is no reason why I should put too much weight on really. Glad baby is all happy in there!

Little that is reassuring that your consultant doesn't think there is too much to be concerned about. Sorry you've had bad pregnancies, must have felt good to get to end!

Thanks dancing! Congrats to you too! 28 is a good BMI, I am hoping to get mine below 30 in the next few months before I start to show too much! I am really trying to watch my diet and exercise as much as I can, but all I really want to do is lie on the sofa napping all day eating salty crisps!!

I'd really try not to worry about it. I had gestational diabetes with my first and also like you classed as obese. Yay. I just cut back on rubbish. I was a size 14 when I found out and after having my son I went to a size 12. I actually lost weight during pregnancy.i had to be induced due to being diabetic , so had him 1week early. He was 8lb6, I can't say I remember having loads of extra appointments. I think maybe 2 with a consultant who didn't seem overly concered. My 2nd daughter is now 7months and I was classed as obese again and sent for the test but I was not diabetic. I lost weight again during pregnancy without trying and all was fine. Labour was natural. She was a week late. Weighing 6lb15
I'm pregnant again and have to have another Glucose tolerance test and I'm hoping that I'm not. But what I'm trying to say is it doesn't always mean you will have it if your a little bigger.
My midwife has never said a word about it to be honest. Just eat as healthy as you can, allow treats and aslong as you feel fine, all will be ok.
Good luck and enjoy your pregnancy x
Oh and congratulations. Xx

I had exactly same bmi as you when I fell pregnant I've since lost 21lb ( now 28wks & only put 2lb back on) so now I'm overweight and not obese. I wasn't put on a pathway for larger ladies anything like that they did say I should have the gestational diabetes test. I should of had this today but after speaking with my midwife I've decided against it as I'm no longer in the obese category & bump is measuring exactly right, midwife was happy for me to decline this as there's never been any trace of glucose in my water & she said could always refer again should my situation change. Other than that my care has been normal. I wouldn't worry too much about it at this stage as things change throughout your pregnancy.

Ps alot of my weight loss is down to the fact I've had to cut out the wine so if you did enjoy a cheeky tipple more often than you should (which alot of us do) then you'll probably find you'll lose weight at first anyway.

Hi ladies, my bmi was 40 at booking appointment but I'm on slimming world plan and I've now lost 2st 10lb in 10 weeks. I'm only 10/11 weeks pregnant. My midwife is a larger lady (who also does sw) so very easy to talk to. She has told me to continue on sw as its the healthiest weight loss plan out there.
I don't know my bmi from 1st preg but I was around 18 stone and gave birth to a VERY healthy 8lb 6oz baby girl.
I'll just have to go and see the anaesthetist like last time to check if they'll b able to do an epidural.
Gl xx

I think if you are larger to begin with but manage your weight through your pregancy (i.e. eat healthily rather than "eating for two") then you may find you end your pregancnay only having put on a minimal amount of weight.

Easier said than done I know - the only craving i got through pregancy was for white bread - any way - toasted with butter, sandwiches, whatever - just had to be white bread.

I put weight on in the few weeks before I found out I was pregnant. My bmi is about 30 too I think or slightly over. I'm extremely scared of how much weight I'll gain during pregnancy as its a twin pregnancy so know I'll be pretty big. I've lost 4lbs so far (due to ill health) but keep promising I'll get back to the gym and be more healthy like I was before but I'm shattered all the time.

My BMI at my 12 week nuchal scan was 36 so I asked to be referred to the lifestyle clinic. My me said I may even get referred to slimming world from the hospital, which is fine by me. Is that what they did with you lmb? Congrats on the weight loss

Are there weightloss plans that are safe to follow in pregnancy?

Hi tranquillity, no I started sw on my own. My mw is behind me 100%.
Purple circle slimming world is completely safe and even has an adapted plan for pregnant/ bf ladies. You don't leave anything out of ur diet so you are getting everything u need. Even chocolate!

Hi tranquillity, no I started sw on my own. My mw is behind me 100%.
Purple circle slimming world is completely safe and even has an adapted plan for pregnant/ bf ladies. You don't leave anything out of ur diet so you are getting everything u need. Even chocolate! You just need consent from mw .

Please don't stress - I did initially and there was little need.

At my booking in appointment my BMI was 27. I had been trying to lose weight prior to conceiving but nothing worked as well as being pregnant. The initial nausea meant I lost nearly half a stone.

My weight has hardly been mentioned other than in a letter from the doctor it said "slightly raised BMI" and I have therefore been put on extra calcium tablets.

Pregnancy kind of forces you to clean up your act as you can't drink alcohol, if you eat too much you get punished with crazy heartburn and you'll find you go off a lot of foods that you used to like (I couldn't look at chicken until I was about 15 weeks).

I am slightly concerned that when I get heavier I might have some mobility issues but I don't know a pregnant woman that doesn't worry about that!

My son is two, and my BMI was about 30 when I became pregnant. No one mentioned a high BMI pathway or extra FA at all, other than a couple of bits of advice to to the effect that I should try to limit weight gain, I had an entirely straightforward pregnancy, with no gestational diabetes or BP issues, and had an ELCS for unrelated reasons. Try not to worry.

Thanks lmb, apparently my hospital can refer to SW and it's paid for 12 weeks I think it is. I'm happy to pay but not going to argue if referred. Just waiting for an appointment to see a midwife at the clinic first.

Thanks lmb. That's useful to know. I'm diabetic and TTC, currently following low GI which is very similar to SW red days. I was thinking I need more structure and to drink less alcohol so I might give SW a go