Overweight and worried about pre-pregnancy BMI

[goldenhen]

I'm 10 weeks today and really worried about my weight. I've been losing weight through healthy eating and exercise since the start of the year - unfortunately I got pregnant before reaching my goal!

I'm not "on a diet" but I eat lots of wholefoods, brown rice and vegetables and have been seeing a personal trainer twice a week as well as taking 3 long walks a week. I plan to continue to exercise throughout my pregnancy for as long as I can (my trainer is pre- and post-natal trained) and I don't want to spend my whole pregnancy counting calories but would like to continue to make healthy choices. Because I've been tracking my weight, I know at the point I conceived my BMI was just under 27.

Now I'm 10 weeks and feel very bloated - between weeks 6 and 8 I feel like I put on a lot, and it feels like the water weight you gain before your period. I was weighed at the doctors last week and sure enough my BMI is now 30.

I'm 5'10 and a size 14 (sometimes 16 in trousers) with pre-preg FF boobs, so I know I'm not the skinniest person but I was surprised and depressed to be obese. My blood pressure is according to the doc "absolutely perfect" (it's always been at the low end of normal).

My booking in appointment is coming up in the next week so I wondered - given that I've put on about 10lb in my first trimester, will they treat my current BMI as my "pre-pregnancy BMI"? Because pre-pregnancy I was overweight but not obese, and it seems to me that everyone must gain weight at different rates? I actually haven't gained much since week 8 so I'm hopeful it will even out a bit.

I'm just so worried that I'm going to have to spend my whole pregnancy being patronised and on the back foot explaining that I know what broccoli is.

You should be absolutely fine, please don't worry!

Plenty of people put 10lb on in trimester one. If you think about a bit of fluid retention, increased blood volume, etc, it's not excessive.

There's actually Very little data ( actually no good quality data at all) linking higher weight gain in pregnancy with adverse outcomes anyway. The solid data is really only for women who are drastically undernourished or very obese PRE pregnancy. You fall into neither of those categories. You might not put any more on for a bit, it's not linear through pregnancy.

Keep on eating healthily, excercise safely and you should be just great. You do sometimes gain quite a bit of fluid so don't stress about that.

A starting bmi of 27, good diet, good excercise levels is actually VERY low risk.

You will need to be weighed, because they use it to calibrate certain blood tests, but actually, apart from that they've not weighed me at all.

Please don't fret!

Congrats on the pregnancy!
I'm not sure if all trusts are the same, but my booking BMI was 32. I have been weighed only twice in 39 weeks and apart from the first appt where I was given some pamphlets on healthy eating, no one has mentioned my weight or gain at all. Like you, blood pressure has always been low end of normal. And my blood results were all good.
In my trust, the pregnancy becomes consultant-led at a booking BMI over 35.
Again, I'm sure things are different in different trusts, but hopefully it won't be anything to cause concern.

My booking in BMI was 33 and all that happened was they asked if I wanted to see a dietician which I declined. No-one has weighed me since (34 weeks) or really mentioned it. I've put on about a stone in total so far which is well within the guidelines without being particularly careful.

Bottom line you will be fine!

My BMI was 30 at my booking appointment at 8 weeks. It actually went down by the time I was weighed at my first scan (was 29) due to morning sickness in my case.

Anyway, you will be fine. Your weight and BMI will be notes in your pregnancy notes but they don't regularly weigh pregnant woman thoughout pregnancy! My midwife asked me how much I weight and I said I wasn't sure so she got the scales out. Maybe she would of took my word for it if I just told her a weight?! Lol.

The only difference having a BMI of 30 for me was that she recommended I took extra folic acid and had the glucose intolerance test at around 27 weeks.

I think they only worry too much if your BMI is perhaps 35 or over. I have a friend who had to have extra growth scans and checks due to her larger frame. (BMI over 35).

Just eat sensibly, have the odd treat and stay as active as possible. You will be fine.

Good luck :)

BMI is a pretty crap measurement when you're not pregnant, but when you are, it's basically meaningless. You shouldn't be calculating your BMI when pregnant ,let alone worrying about it! You sound very healthy and I imagine you have nothing to worry about!

Thanks so much guys - feel very reassured by all this! Ugh I was in tears with worry here after the docs. I guess it's hormones, if I wasn't worried about this it would be something else I'm sure!

I actually wouldn't mind seeing a dietician if it's free because I'm a bit of a nutrition nerd, so let's see if they mention it :)

You don't sound very overweight to me! I started my pregnancy at BMI 26, I am 5"8 and size 14. To start with, I actually lost weight! Probably through giving up the wine. I have done my best to exercise throughout my pregnancy, which I think has helped. But have most definitely been eating for two - sweet things are my downfall. Yet I think I've just put on a stone and a half and the weight all seems to be my bump. Not sure as I have only weighed myself twice to avoid angsting. Have only been weighed once by midwife - think they do only flag it as real cause for concern with BMI 35 plus, as everyone has said on here.

My advice would be, try to keep active, eat the healthy stuff but don't stress about treating yourself too. Although you sound super healthy anyway! Just be healthy and happy and look forward to the post pregnancy fitness regime (at almost 40 weeks I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to going for a run!)

Oh and you're not obese - you're pregnant! The normal labels do not apply here! Plus I agree, BMI can be a load of arse sometimes.

Just wondered, did you suffer morning sickness or were you lucky enough to have escaped it so far?

Because most information about weight gain in the first trimester is about aiming to reassure women unable to eat much or make healthy choices due to morning sickness. If you haven't had it, or been able to push through it, then that information would be totally inaccurate for you.

Thanks! I haven't had much morning sickness at all, thank goodness, just some mild nausea - and what I have had has just been soothed by eating starchier foods than normal. Yes I did wonder, everything I read seems to be saying "don't worry if you lose weight in the first trimester" - made me think that actually putting it on was a bit abnormal.

I guess I'll just have to explain to the midwife that I've already gained quite a bit of weight so she shouldn't think my current BMI is the starting point!

I'm 5ft9in and a size 16, think I was about 85kg the last time I checked before getting pregnant, my booking weight was 88kg so this is what was used but nothing was said to me about my weight as like you I'm active and excercise regularly (I had also lost a lot of weight over the past yr or so following a heathier diet dropping from 97kg).
Just keep your diet as it has been if you can, I know I have slipped a little as carbs tended to be the only thing to stop the nausea.

Depending on your area sometimes a higher BMI is one of the risk factors used for a GTT (gloucose tolerance test) to check for diabetes at 28 wks, I had one but it came back fine.
I don't even think I was weighed at my last appointment so weight is not something they really focus on.

Don't worry you sound very healthy. Just to echo others, my BMI was 32 with my first as like you got pregnant much earlier than I thought whilst still on my exercise and diet plan. I had to be consultant led anyway due to family history in pregnancy, but midwife was very matter of fact and said don't worry, you may find after birth losing the weight is another boost to your continue losing weight. My BMI was on my notes and was referred to in end as I had GD that wasn't picked up but this time I'm less worried as I'm much lighter, at least 75% fitter and eat healthier.

Don't worry at all