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

Sorry, just read the rest of the thread and you have confirmed an eating disorder.

You’re doing okay OP please try not to worry to much.

@carrotcakey well at least it didn't just happen to me

My close friend said she believe her bmi is 29 she never had any issues and she has a amazing figure so trying to think it doesn't always mean much

I did say to oh that it has made me think issue is still very much there just below the surface so i am going to speak to midwife about it more when i see her next week

I think i cried out some weight in tears last night

I promised myself i was not going to put any focus on weight this pregnancy so hopefully i can get this out my head.

@imfreetodoasiwant i knew you meant bmi

Although i have to say if she had scanned my bum i would of maybe been less upset about the comment haha that's probably the biggest part of me haha

@Sunflowerspeoniesanddaisies

I am trying to think logically if a friend told me this had happened to them i would no doubt tell them baby is fine so not to worry

It is definately just my perception causing the issue.

I have always wished i could switch that part of my brain off,at school my 1 of my close friends was overweight and she worried about it yet to me i thought her figure was great yet i was seriously underweight and thought i looked disgusting, trying to remind myself the issue is all in my head

@greyskyclouds

Thank you, hoping i can get this comment out my head

@anno12 have you ever had any professional help?

@tillythetiger thats what my midwife said that its over 30 when they note it and even at that in my area think u only get extra care if its over 35

The sonographer really did make the scan lovely and did comment on how clear it was so trying to think good chance it was mistake

I echo others that it's probably a mistake. My DP works in x-ray and when he did his sonography placement he said the technicians were careful to avoid references to the patient's weight, so even if the mother was obese and that was the reason they could not see the baby, they would say something like "couldn't get a good angle" and refer them to an internal sonogram.

@ohalrightthen

Yes lots of it it is really only the last year i've had a normal diet and even enjoyed food etc and only last yead stopped seeing anyone about my weight

1 of the take homes was not to bother with scales and bmi but as you can see lots of ladies have said factually my weight did restrict the view which freaks me out as it took alot for me to trust i could 3 meals etc and be ok , now i am thinking well look what has happened

It sounds like the sonographer just clicked on the wrong option on the drop down list. Maybe they were trying to select bladder or something similar. Your midwife and consultant would tell you if you were at risk due to BMI anyway, as you’ve seen they don’t hold back from addressing the issue so would have spoken to you at every appointment.
Can you access some counselling for your eating disorder? You don’t need it hanging over you, occupying your mind when you’ve got a little one to think about and enjoy. I’d also take BMI with a huge pinch of salt. I was ‘normal’ when my body was obviously physically struggling from being underweight

[quote anno12]@ohalrightthen

Yes lots of it it is really only the last year i've had a normal diet and even enjoyed food etc and only last yead stopped seeing anyone about my weight

1 of the take homes was not to bother with scales and bmi but as you can see lots of ladies have said factually my weight did restrict the view which freaks me out as it took alot for me to trust i could 3 meals etc and be ok , now i am thinking well look what has happened

[/quote]
I think you need more help. Weight gain is a normal part of pregnancy, as is an increased BMI, and if you try to restrict your eating you will harm your baby. Please speak to your midwife about additional MH support.

@abbyabal i have been normal too with no periods and looking visibly underweight

Infact fertility has been a main motivator in keeping my weight up and eating well

It does seem as if it may have been a error

I really think it was an error, if she had in fact had a restricted view she would have said so and it just doesn't fit with everything else you say. I actually am fat and have been waiting for them to say they can't see clearly on scans but no one ever has, it's been fine so far.

It's an unfortunate mistake for someone with your history for sure, and your reaction is related to your mental health issues but that is completely understandable. Speak to your midwife again if it helps out your mind at rest that it was a mistake, but there is nothing to worry about so try to move past it. Easier said than done I know when something is a trigger for you. You have done really well by the sounds of it, don't let this derail you.

My BMI is in the very high 30's and they always get lovely clear scans.
I've had about 12 so far (various reasons, non weight related) and only one has said view restricted due to maternal habitus (tummy fat). The bit where this is discussed however is free text. There are definitely no "drop down boxes" on that area of the scan report. Although it does sound like yours was written in error.
I would ask to speak to the mental health team and get some support but also ask if you can speak to the Sonographer if it's going to continue to worry you.

@Inkpaperstars

I really think it was an error, if she had in fact had a restricted view she would have said so and it just doesn't fit with everything else you say. I actually am fat and have been waiting for them to say they can't see clearly on scans but no one ever has, it's been fine so far.

It's an unfortunate mistake for someone with your history for sure, and your reaction is related to your mental health issues but that is completely understandable. Speak to your midwife again if it helps out your mind at rest that it was a mistake, but there is nothing to worry about so try to move past it. Easier said than done I know when something is a trigger for you. You have done really well by the sounds of it, don't let this derail you.

They would only mention it in person if they need to complete an internal scan if the view is too restricted to get full results with an abdominal scan. It was never mentioned to me as no reason why it would be.

@inkpaperstars

I am starting to think it is a mistake so at the top of the report there is a bit with various areas like scan machine used probe used etc
And constent of anomaly scan

It also scans constent of anomaly scan - declined

Which obviously it wasn't so that is a mistake and my mw said that part of the report is a drop down section

I was taken in for my scan almost a hour late and she stated she was having a hectic day, she took time with my scan and was great but i presume would be easy to make a mistake in the notes.

My midwife offered to try and find out but my guess is the sonographer probably won't even remember me if she is asked about it

Sounds like a mistake to me. Consent declined but we went ahead and did it anyway!

@maryshelley1818 the typed up notes mention the areas she checked and say normal view detected and then in the further scan comments box

She has said clear images obtained in all areas and no fetal abnormalities detected
She has said mum was anxious during scan but reassured by the results of scan and views obtained.

The bit with high maternal bmi is at that top where it states machine used etc

And i have noticed it says
Constent for anomaly scan : declined
Which is clearly a mistake so i guess mistakes are possible

I know lots of posters have said mums bmi is a fact etc i do think it can never be a nice thing to see and also don't truly believe it restricts views in most cases

I was far too thin with my 1st and his twenty week scan was awful, i had to jump around like crazy to try and get him to move etc and the pictures from it don't even look like a baby so fuzzy no profile shot

Wheras i got so many pics from this scan and they are so lovely and clear can see babies little button nose etc so i am trying to think even if it was not a mistake my scan pics are lovely and it was a good outcome so not the end of the world

I know i've overreacted but it is definately just a trigger area

@inkpaperstars .. haha i know constent not given but i turned up and spent 30 minutes lying there anyway

Might be worth raising your feelings and history with regarding your weight with your midwife, OP.

I had anorexia in my teens and early 20s- was fully recovered long before pregnancy, but noted it on the forms under past MH issues as requested.

I had a birth debrief last year (2 years after DS was born), and I was astonished when as part of that they revealed little tweaks that were made to my are due to my history- not weighing me when admitted and in labour (which would normally be done with how I was presenting). I said to the midwife debriefing me that I was really surprised as I was long recovered, but she said they’re always sensitive if at all possible as they don’t know how much of an issue it still is for women.

What I’m saying is it’s worth raising- it might minimise how much ‘weight stuff’ you’re exposed to, anyway.

I think you need to stay in touch with a counsellor because extreme feelings about this,when it really isn't an issue isn't healthy. They'll be able to help you manage your thoughts, which aren't helped at the moment by the hormones. Xx

@patchworkelmer that is interesting to know.

I brought it up at my booking appointment in my last pregnancy and was actually never weighed again even although it stated i would be weighed at 36 weeks etc so i wonder if they took it in to account

I had to talk to someone about it in previous pregnancy and it was a great help.

I will defo bring it up with my midwife , i think she could tell it was a big trigger for me when i spoke to her yesterday

She was so lovely and i felt so bad later about calling her with such a issue instead of a baby query , she must of expected the worst when i said my scan had upset me

I'm pretty sure it was just a mistake, when using drop downs it's pretty easy to accidental nudge the cursor on the mouse and make the wrong selection

Drop down menus can be a real nightmare - particularly annoying is if the system is lagging you do the drop down, click outside the drop down to "set" it then scroll down to move to the next area, but the lag means your "click" hadn't been registered so you've just gone to the bottom of the drop down area.

Which is really obvious when you have put in an impossible date or credit card expiry date (because the computer says no), but not so much if the computer accepts the answer.

It does sound like a drop down selection error - I received some scan pictures with the wrong name and DOB on them. I called immediately as soon as I realised and the sonographer said she'd already reported her mistake so things probably happen all the time.

Sorry this has sent you in a spin about your weight, it's probably worth a good chat with your midwife.