Folic acid & high BMI - so worried

[BessieBye]

Hello
So I am 5 weeks pregnant today. My BMI is over 30 and I am panicking so much that I haven’t requested a higher dosage of folic acid.
I have been taking standard dosage for 6 months since I came off contraception and of course continued since I found out I was pregnant. I am worrying that I have not gave this baby the best care it needs 😭

Please please does anyone have some reassurance for me. I am in floods of tears 😰

What exactly is your BMI? Mine was 31 at the start of pregnancy and now either 30 or 29 thanks to morning sickness. My midwife said its a typical pregnancy so no need for extra folic. I think it's only if you're severely obese like a bmi of 40?

@Apricotta just checked there and it is 35. Just NHS and other sites say over 30 is high risk 😢

I've also for 2-3 days I've forgotten to take my folic as I've felt so sick ooops!

Have you got a midwife yet? Might be too early. Just ring your GP and ask.

My BMI was 30 and I had to take higher dose folic acid til 12 weeks x

@Apricotta I have been in touch with one just to say I am pregnant. I will ring GP first thing in the morning.
With COVID it is so hard to get an appt and it’s making me uneasy. I really really hope I haven’t done some damage here 😫xx

Some people don't find out they're pregnant until after 5 weeks and haven't taken any folic acid.

At least you've been taking some. Don't be so hard on yourself! Just up your dose & try not to stress.

Thank you @MarshmallowsOnToast.. I keep telling myself that too :( I did tell midwife my height and weight on the phone last week but she didn’t mention anything. Grrr I am so annoyed at myself xx

Well if my qualified midwife with years of experience said not to take extra folic with a bmi of 31/30 I'd trust that advice x

It's fine - please don't worry! I just took 6 of the little ones (or whatever was needed to get the bigger dose) rather than call the GP.

Give your midwife a call on Monday and ask. I had a job getting a hold of higher dose folic acid. If it were that pressing your midwife would have mentioned it already so try not to panic.

Okay @Apricotta thank you, I will try to relax based on that.. I was just thinking FFS what have I done and have I left it too late! Just need to breathe xx

High BMI here and was only taking low dose folic acid for conception. Upped to 5mg prescription once pregnancy was confirmed. At least you've been taking some. Please do not worry.

@BessieBye Please don’t worry. I asked my doctor at 5 weeks pregnant and they wouldn’t prescribe me the higher dose until my booking appointment with the midwife which ended up being at 8.5 weeks. I had been taking folic acid for a few months leading up to conceiving and the midwife was delighted with that. Prescribed me higher dose to take from booking until 12 weeks but wasn’t at all worried that I hadn’t been on it from the start. (BMI 35 at booking)

I didn't even know I should have been on higher dose of folic acid until my booking appointment, which was at 13 weeks, so beyond the point of usefulness, plus I wasn't taking any prenatal vitamins at all until I realised I was pregnant at 4 weeks. I'd actually stopped TTC as I'd put on so much weight with quitting smoking wanted to lose a bit before trying again.

Now 36 + 4, with booking BMI of 44, baby has developed absolutely fine, nothing ever flagged up at any scans, and I'm getting extra scans due to gestational diabetes.

I totally empathise with your panic, I felt so guilty and scared I'd really harmed my baby, but remember the folic acid helps reduce neural tube defects, that's not the same thing as you must have it otherwise there will be problems. Start taking the higher dose now, and try not to stress.

@BessieBye I wouldn't worry. I didn't know anything about it until my booking in appointment at 8 weeks. Remember that in addition to your vitamins, you'll have been taking it in your food too. So fortified cereals, flour etc as well as leafy greens etc.x

Honestly girls thank you so much for those comments ❤️❤️❤️
I tried reading some sites (Tommys .org, NHS etc) and it’s just all very 🚨 HIGH RISK 🚨 which frightened me.
I’m anxious at the best of times never mind when I’m growing a little bean!! So sorry if I sounded dramatic. I am an emotional wreck today and the drama queen levels have reached maximum!!!

It is really reassuring so thank you. As you can probs tell this is my first ever pregnancy! X

@EllieGolightly

”but remember the folic acid helps reduce neural tube defects, that's not the same thing as you must have it otherwise there will be problems.”

That is SOOO very true. Thank you for those words ❤️ It’s all about thinking rationally and in times of anxiety; all rational thoughts run away!!

I will be calling GP first thing tomorrow. Appreciate it so much xx

I didn't take folic acid at all really when I was pregnant because I could barely ever keep it down

Obviously it's better to be on the correct dose but don't beat yourself up about it. Just take about 12 of the 400mg ones a day until you get the prescription

@BessieBye honestly don't worry, you have been taking the normal dose for months so I'm sure it will be fine. Just ring your doctors in the morning and ask for the higher dose, my doctor prescribed me it over the phone last week, I'm currently 8 weeks pregnant xx

@BessieBye glad I could help, it's such a minefield having your first baby, the first few months I was constantly checking myself at the toilet, convinced I'd have done something wrong and lost her. I got stressed about being stressed and potentially harming her for goodness sake! Now I'm on the countdown to her birthday (ELCS scheduled for 01/10 as she's breech)

I’d never even heard of folic acid with my first... he was fine. And then again with my second I didn’t realise you were meant to take it in the months leading up to trying and he was fine.

I would stop googling and call GP tomo if possible. A pharmacist may know as well

I have a high bmi. I have only ever taken the regular dose of folic acid and I only started taking that once I was pregnant. The baby is absolutely fine, no issues at all.

You will honestly be fine - remember you get dietary folic acid too, and you’ve been building up stores for months. Please don’t worry!

The RCOG guidance states if your BMI is 30 or above, you are advised to take a higher dose of folic acid (5mg per day). (Please note that this information talks about the risks of complications of being overweight and obese during pregnancy before you read it).

www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/patients/patient-information-leaflets/pregnancy/pi-being-overweight-during-pregnancy-and-after-birth-002.pdf

The Nice antenatal guidance isn’t as clear as it’s written for uncomplicated pregnancies and talks about the standard dose for folic acid. However these guidelines state to take a higher dose if you’ve got diabetes or there’s a family history of spina bifida.

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ph11/chapter/4-Recommendations#folic-acid-2

Hi OP, if it helps at all, I get prescribed a higher dose as I'm epileptic so there is a slightly higher risk. Even with that, they recommend you just buy over the counter stuff til you can see your GP x