High maternal bmi upset

[anno12]

So basically i came out of my lovely 20 week scan where no issues seeing baby had been mentioned to read a drop down stating restricted view due to high bmi

This has really upset me i am a size 8 on the top and 10 to 12 in jeans and my bmi is 26 which i know technically would mean overweight but to give some perspective last year i was a size 6 with abs and very very slim maybe a bit scary slim and my bmi was still showing as 24 therefore i don't place much faith in it.

I have a disability with means at the moment i have reduced mobility (should improve after pregnancy) but this is why i have gained weight and i having struggled with eating ( not eating enough , excessive dieting and exercise) most of my life so i am very aware i have gained weight to the point i do not look in the mirror.

However after basically seeing FAT plastered on my notes i looked , i have a curvy shape big chest small waist and wide hips but other than my bump i can't see any excess fat i had a really flat tummy when i got pregnant and its only now got a small neat bump.

Now size 20 or size 10 i don't think its nice for that to be put on your notes however i am hurt it is on mine.
I spoke to my midwife about it and she was surprised as she said usually its women with bmis in the 30s that experience this and she would not class my bmi of any concern or class it is high

Do you think maybe i have hidden internal fat and thats what the sonographer struggled with even though my belly looks neat ?
Should i try lose some weight get bmi to 25 ?
Should i expect more upsetting comments this pregnancy ?

No1 else mentioned my weight i am under consultant care due to having ICP in my last pregnancy and i actually said to the consultant about weight gain since i can't walk much and she laughed and told me not be silly said i was fine so i just didn't expect any 1 to have a issue with my weight but clearly sonographer thought i was very overweight.

Ps i am so grateful scan was good but wish that hadn't been on my notes and also no offense to any one with a bigger bmi than mine i think we are know our weights and don't need reminding. For me i guess it is just a touchy subject

My BMI just touched into 30 at my 12 week scan because all i could could keep down was toast so eating a lot of bread early on. Im 5 ft10 and with my build, i never look what i weigh, higher or lower. My bmi is currently 21 and im told i look too thin now, so i cant win.

There was no problems finding dd at the scan, it was just her position and not playing ball, but i had the same thing and it upset me ALOT. there was no need for it and it really made me focus of my weight and try to loose some.

I voiced it to the midwife how much it had affected me and as someone with borderline eating disorder, it didnt help and i really felt it was cruel and not necessary.

I completely understand where youre coming from x

@hatcats well thats what my midwife said, she said the majority of scans are perfectly clear regardless of size and i certainly haven't known any mum friends to have any problems and i have friends bigger than me of course.

In my first pregnancy my 20 week scan was a nightmare as baby was in a terrible position, i had to do star jumps and go a walk to take any of the measurements and i was far too skinny back then and my notes read difficult to obtain correct views but no gross abnormalities seen so clearly weight is not what obstructs scans anyway

No, the notes do not say your fat, the notes mention restricted view. Which according to your story might even be a mistake. Restricted view due to bmi getting in the way is a factual thing, not some kind of judgement on how you look.

You are waaaay overthinking this.

@anno12 I think I understand how you feel - I don't have the healthiest relationship with food (I have a terrible, sugary, fatty diet and run quite a bit to compensate) and I panicked during pregnancy too. It's off-topic but I feel like I want to pre-warn you because even though I didn't put on much weight, it was scary to not even recognise my own body. It became so different to what I was used to and was comfortable with - it felt almost alien, and I actually hated looking at it. I was worried that I would stay that size and shape; I felt very misshapen and lumpy, especially in the weeks after the birth - I actually think that was the worst time, for me, in terms of how I felt about my body. However, ten months down the line from having my beautiful DD, my body is back to normal and I'm happy and comfortable with it again.

If I had a second pregnancy, I think I'd enjoy it a lot more, as I'd be able to relax and enjoy the changes rather than fearing them and worrying they're permanent.

I'm saying this as I really want you to be prepared for how your body will change, and hopefully you can enjoy it and revel in it rather than being anxious like I was!

How many more times do you want to tell us you're a size 8?

@gin4thewin

I really think bmi is rubbish it doesn't take into account our shapes etc

I am 5ft7 and when my bmi gets to 20 mark i look very thin, my bmi was 19.5 with my first and 20 week scan was nightmare due to his position and she wrote about how difficult it was to obtain the correct views so i defiantely think it is not fair to have put the bmi comment on either of our notes as it clearly it isn't a issue

With my first i ended up getting growth scans as so small and being told to expect tiny baby he was 4 weeks early and 7lb8 so his scans can't have been clear at all

OP a lot of the responses you are getting on this thread are awful, particularly for someone who as disclosed an eating disorder.

I'm so sorry.

I'm glad your pregnancy seems to be progressing well. I think this was a mistake on the sonographer's part personally.

@turnofthebiglight well how many times would people like to tell me factually i am overweight ?

As the actual facts are i have been treated for a eating disorder and was on a diet to help maintain a healthy weight which is what has led me to my now apparently overweight status

I was actually told by doctors not to focus on the scales and bmi as not truly accurate yet several posters have said i am overweight

It's the medical opinion of the person who did the scan. I really wouldn't get upset over it. It's not a judgement. I was classed as an "elderly pregnancy" at 36 when I had mine, I think you need to not over think things!

You need to realise that she isn’t making a personal judgement on you, it is a medical statement and she is doing her job.

@lovemakespeace

Thank you and yes it has been lovely to have some of these women tell me i am overweight

There was so many concerns in my first pregnancy due to no weight gain etc and for the last few years i have worked really hard to try and eat a normal diet, only in the last year for the first time since being 14 have i achieved eating 3 meals a day and i have had so many comments from family about how healthy i look so to end up being called overweight is making me freak out

I think the main issue is that you need ED support - obviously you have worked very hard to get where you are (well done), but pregnancy and then the comment have triggered a lot of feelings.

@ellenpartridge

I keep telling myself this

I had restricited views mentioned with my first due to his poistion and my bmi was 19.5 so i know no matter what weight scans can tricky

Like you say it doesn't mean anything, just as i am so touchy i guess about my weight which i wish i wasn't

OP, in the nicest possible way, it's your mental health issue. What do you want to happen? That factual statements about restricted view aren't put on medical notes anymore in case it triggers you? Surely you can see that that would be bonkers. I'm sorry that you feel like you do, but it has nothing to do with your medical notes. You need help for your mental health.

@rorosemary

You would be a great person to speak to if suffering seriously from MH

She wrote on the notes the view was clear she told me she was getting gold standard beautiful clear images of baby so yes after those comments i don't think high maternal bmi should be there and my midwife has also stated i do not in maternity terms have what anyone would class as high bmi

@rorosemary i don't think it is factual that my weight would restrict views unless i have unseen masses on interal fat in which case i would want to fix that asap

It sounds like a mistake OP. My bum is higher than yours, and I didn't have that.

The only person I know of who has said they had trouble with a scan was very very overweight, as in you couldn't tell she was pregnant at any stage.

Bmi, not bum!

Oh dear OP, you need to nip this in the bud or it’s going to make you all sorts of miserable.

The fact that you are so sensitive about this suggests that you might not be quite as recovered as you thought.

FWIW I had HIGH BMI on my notes in red pen in caps. My BMI was 27 at the 20 week scan. The midwife looked at me and said I’m not going to worry about this, you look healthy to me. I was of course, mortified, having previously had anorexia and bulimia and I cried for days. I probably would have started a Mumsnet post too!

I’ve forgotten about it now. Try and do the same 😊

Have you spoke to your midwife or dr about your mental health issues OP? It sounds like you may need some extra support?

I'm not going to comment on whether it was a mistake or true etc. Key to take away from this is that you have a healthy baby, you know where your BMI is whether you "trust it" or not and you are in a healthy enough space mentally to have a conversation with your midwife.

It sounds like probably an error on the drop down box, however it seems like this incident has uncovered that your mental health is in a more precarious place than you thought? Please have a good chat with your midwife about your history and how much this has upset you, as it might be that more mental health support is available. Your body is going to change a lot during the rest of pregnancy and beyond, and it can be a really challenging time xx

@anno12 OP, you're getting very defensive about your weight, and you're not listening to what people are telling you, which is that your reaction to this medical fact demonstrates that you need more help for your mental health around this issue.

I'm certain it will have been a mistake with the wrong drop-down option, it's very easily done. With my 20 week scan my notes said I had a posterior placenta when everywhere else it said anterior, there are so many sections to fill out that it's easy to hit the wrong one and not notice. You sound like a perfectly healthy weight. I think you would benefit from seeking some more help for your ED issues though.
I had a BMI of 29 for my last pregnancy and literally nobody mentioned my weight or BMI at any point throughout any of my appointments, it's only for a BMI over 30 when they start to take notice of it.

It sounds like this is about a historical eating disorder.

You’re fine, your baby is fine. It’s okay. Try not to worry too much about your weight right now.

I think, given that you're in recovery for an eating disorder, that this is having a bigger impact on you that in would someone else.

26 is not a 'high' BMI, and if your BMI was 25 when you got pregnant then that's your 'usual'. Your BMI will increase during pregnancy because naturally, you gain weight.

If I were you, I would maybe get in touch with whoever helps you with MH because it's obviously very triggering for you and the last thing you need at this time is a slip back to bad eating habits. Medical notes are factual, not personal. It could even be an error, as pp have said. No one has said you're fat, that's just what you've heard because you understandably have a skewed perception.

Stay well, don't try to lose weight. Eat healthily from all food groups. Your baby needs to you be well.

Also, I had a BMI of 30 when I got pregnant both times and I never had any issues getting clear images on scans. I was overweight (technically obese, actually, just) with some tummy fat (especially second time!) and it was fine.