BMI

[mummyS2022]

Can you refuse doing your BMI on your first midwife appointment? I know I'm over weight but feel embarrassed to do it. Thanks

You can decline any aspect of your care however your weight/BMI will determine your care pathway ie growth scans/folic acid etc

I felt this way, but the midwives act like they don't care, I didn't feel judged they didn't tell me I was overweight or really speak about it, if your bmi is over 35 they'll usually just say you'll get extra growth scans (was great to have more scans), will have to have a glucose test around 28 weeks and possibly have a consultant, but my consultant also mentioned nothing about my weight just did the usual checks.

I’ve not been made to be feel embarrassed in either pregnancy. Don’t get me wrong I don’t like being weighed because I know my weight and I know it’s too high. But they’re only interested for medical purposes.

If you’re BMI is over 30 you definitely need to start taking stronger folic acid asap which you can only get on prescription.

And you are also likely to be referred for a gestational diabetes test, again it’s hugely in both yours and your baby’s best interests to know if you have GD so it can be treated properly.

The only comment I once got from a midwife was that it’s a myth that you need to eat for two and that that’s extra important to bear in mind if you’re a bit cuddly, she was referring to both herself and me in that statement so I wasn’t offended or embarrassed at all.

Just tell them that you don’t want to know what the number is!

I was classed as a high risk pregnancy due to my BMI. It never impacted how I was talked to, but did lead to additional tests, and I had to meet with an anaesthetist to check whether there would be any potential issues (if you're obese, there can be issues with breathing tubes, and getting the needles in).

Fortunately I had an obnoxiously easy pregnancy and birth! I'm a bit of a tubber, but most of my weight is on my arse and thighs (so there was no issues with potential epidural/anaesthetic), so BMI isn't the be all and end all. It can just flag up things they need to check.

Let the staff look after you properly - that includes cooperating as much as possible do that they have all the information that they need.

You can decline anything you don't want. However if you want to have the screening at 12 weeks for trisomies they will need your weight as that makes up part of the results.

You can ask them not to tell you however if you don't want to know.

I didn't like getting mine done, but it's worth it for the sake of your unborn child. I had some extra growth scans at the end due to my slightly high BMI and they showed baby was happy and healthy.

Don't be silly. It has a bearing on your care and the safety of your baby. Midwives don't bat an eyelid at peoples weight. They need to weigh you anyway at the beginning of the pregnancy to help monitor baby growth.

At my booking appointment she said they don’t have to tell you your weight or BMI (you probably no how tall you are which they also check) but they have to include both in your notes as it’s relevant to the things people have mentioned - midwife or consultant led care, folic dosage, blood thinners, clarity of scans, GD test further on, birth plan/anaesthetic considerations.

High weight is a risk factor, like age, smoking, medical history etc. No one will try to embarrass you, they want to offer the best and most appropriate care for you and your baby.

I was worried about being judged too as I know I'm overweight but honestly everyone I've been in contact with has been lovely. I told my midwife I was embarrassed and she was so lovely about it, saying I didn't need to see the numbers if I didn't want to. Turns out though that it's not actually as bad as I thought it was and really important to know too - because it's a little higher than it should be I take an increased dose of folic acid, which needs to start as early as possible.

Your healthcare professionals are there to care, not judge x

Would definitely recommend letting them weigh you at booking - if it helps, they havent weighed me since booking and noone made me feel bad but with BMI of 40 I have had extra scans and tests and feel well looked after, so if you can grin and bear it just for that one appointment it is worth it to make sure you get the right care (mine meant taking extra folic acid, aspirin, vitamin d and also having blood thinner injections later down the line, none of which was particularly pleasant but 100% glad I did for sake of baby!)

As people have said you can refused to be weight but I wouldn’t worried about being embarrassed.
my bmi is over 30 and my widow e didn’t seem to care in the slightest just gave me a prescription for more folic acid to take. and that was the only thing mentioned about my weight for the rest of the appointment!

I would do it and say you don't want to know the numbers and the midwife will just take a note and not let on. My bmi is high so I require a higher dose of folic acid for baby, it also meant I was consultant led care rather than midwife led care and I was given aspirin to prevent pre-eclampsia developing. So it's good to do and none of the midwives made a deal of it in the slightest.