High BMI

[Baby160P]

Anyone had high BMI before pregnant and had any issues with baby?

Or all fine?

Some people will have, but most probably won't.

Advice is to lose weight before pregnancy or to avoid weight gain during. I know slimming world supports pregnant women maintaining a healthy diet.

My BMI is 31 but no one has even mentioned it. It was me who brought it up after being weighed and midwife shrugged and said that I had zero risk factors anywhere else (teetotal, don't smoke, zero family history of anything, no health problems) so I'm still considered a very low risk pregnancy.

I'm just over 12 weeks and have actually lost a pound anyway!

I'm on slimming world and hoping to keep weight gain to a minimum.

Baby wasn't planned but very much wanted and loved but I feel bad reading some things.

I was the same she didn't say much but not my usual midwife I am going to have so not sure if that's why she didn't.

I had a high BMI before getting pregnant.

My placenta produces too much AFM, which may be weight related, so I’m high risk and under a consultant now due to risk of pre eclampsia. Before that result from my quad blood test though, I was low risk.

It’s a game of chance to be honest 😂

My BMI was on 30 at booking in appointment... because of this I'm going to have the GTT test. I'm 27 weeks and still low risk so unless something happens it hasnt effected my pregnancy but ideally I'd rather my BMI were lower at the beginning.

My BMI was 40 for DC4 child - morbidly obese. My BMI was in the 30s for DC1, DC2 and DC3.

After 3 normal, natural, virginal births DC4 was the only one induced and the only one who ended up being an emergency c-section. I assume both of these are weight related.

My C-Section scar did not heal properly. It was explained this was because of the "ledge" my fat created, making it hard for the two edges to sit next to each other and heal. This was definitely weight related and meant my recovery was more like 12 weeks to other people's 2 weeks.

All of my children were healthy and newborns and babies though. No health issues as far as we are aware and they are not overweight themselves (but all were high weight percentile as babies, before becoming mobile).

Please to report though, that as my youngest approaches her 4th birthday, my BMI is fast approaching the healthy range and keeps reducing as I lose weight.

My BMI was 31. I'm having the GTT and a few extra growth scans but low risk in every other area so no one seems concerned.

@Stephisaur what is AFM?

And @Mads123 what is that test? 🙈

@FATEdestiny well done!

Thank you for making me feel better xx

My BMI was (is) very very high. I carried a baby girl with virtually no problems at all (though I was a bit disappointed that I never looked pregnant or even got a bump at all. Same size jeans all the way through!) But my induction ended in an emergency section in March. She was born weighing 5lb 13oz and is very healthy. My section went badly wrong, I got sepsis and was critically ill. I still have an open wound almost 5 months on. I'm pretty sure my recovery would have been a lot smoother without my significant excess weight.

I have a very high BMi but apart from heart burn I had the world's easiest pregnancy. DS is now 13 weeks old.

I should add I did have an emergency section but it was completely unrelated to my weight (DS jammed his head against my pelvis).

To those having problems with section scars, have you tried colloidal silver? I swear by it - apart from a small superficial opening I healed well while using it.

Sorry the GTT stands for Glucose Tolerance Test and it's to test for gestational diabetes. But my dad does have diabetes so not sure if I'm having this test because of my BMI or family history or both.

I had a BMI of 38 when I got pregnant but did lose 10lbs due to morning sickness in the first trimester. Had a completely smooth pregnancy. Did have an emergency c-section but not weight-related, ds was back to back and my waters broke early and he didn't come quickly enough. I healed absolutely fine from c-section with no complications and ds was born at exactly average weight and no health issues at all

It is definitely possible to have a healthy pregnancy and baby with a high BMI, although obviously it's not ideal.

I had a high BMI and baby was fine x

@FairfaxAikman - my wound isn't actually from my section- I had 5 lots of surgery including abdominoplasty because I had such a bad infection that my abdomen was opened to clear it out.

I have a team of district nurses, 2 tissue viability nurses and a plastic surgeon who have been looking after me very well - I think I'd have been hung drawn and quartered if I had have put anything on my scars 😂

My dressings are impregnated with silver, mind!

Mine is high so have had extra scans and consultant appointments. There haven’t been any issues, my appointments are mostly box checking, but I know they have to keep a close eye. With 5 weeks left I’ve only gained 6lb, so hoping I’ll be in a good position to start losing weight once the baby arrives!

I do wonder whether it caused issues when TTCing. Took us over a year, which was longer than expected, and I’m otherwise healthy.

Lick it's just water and silver particles. Worked wonders - but then I didn't have your complications. I used it religiously from the start as I was worried about infection.

I have high BMI and so far haven’t had any problems in my pregnancy.

No gestational diabetes, blood pressure has been within guidelines and my weight hasn’t gone up since my booking appointment (currently 27 weeks) which my midwife says is good as it will mean I have actually lost weight but baby is keeping me at the prepregnancy weight. You get extra scans for free as well.

Obviously it is all just a game of chance though and nobody can say if a bigger woman would have a complicated pregnancy or not, just as they couldn’t if a small woman was pregnant.

Good luck though :)

Just to add my experience - I had a High BMI with all three of my pregnancies of around 40. I had three healthy full term babies, three straight forward pregnancies, no gestational diabetes, low blood pressure (always surprised the midwives), all delivered naturally, no intervention like forceps but I was induced for my last labour, limited pain relief. My youngest is 4 now and all my kids are healthy, active & slim! They did give me extra scans to check growth etc but they weren't needed.

Also the longest it took to conceive was 6 months and it only took 1 month for my middle child.

There are some great plus size pregnancy facebook groups, they really help deal with the stigma around being overweight and pregnant. You are not automatically destined to have difficulties just because of BMI. You are likely to be treated differently by midwives, doctors etc but that doesn't make it right!

Congrats and good luck

Thank you for the reassurance everyone.

Xxxxxxx

My BMI was over 35 at booking in so I was referred for consultant care. So far (34 weeks) it's been a fairly uneventful pregnancy and the consultant has only seen me the once.

I've only gained about 9lb which midwives are fine with as I had so much extra insulation already. Baby is smack in the middle of all the centiles and developing nicely, and the only health issue I've had is SPD (which I was high risk for anyway due to hypermobility)

Only real issue is having extra growth scans as bump measurements are hugely inaccurate (although even those are increasing at the usual rate, just 6 weeks ahead). I think my BMI may rule me out of a midwife led unit, but I'd prefer the delivery suite anyway as they have epidurals :)

@Baby160P I don’t really know 😂 it’s the placenta hormone or something. Can mean spina bifida so had to go for an extra scan to check on baby. Baby is fine which means it’s me at risk 😂