Am 27 weeks and Dr has told me I mustn't gain any weight during pregnancy

[hackneybird]

I?m 27 weeks pg. Last week at an ante natal appt I saw a doctor rather than a MW as the MWs were so busy the docs were helping out and seeing their patients. According to my booking in appt I have a BMI of 28, which places me in the ?overweight? category. I?m 5?3? and 10.5 stone so I know I need to lose some pounds but I?ve never been that worried about it.

Anyway, due to my BMI the Dr says I mustn?t put on ANY weight during this pregnancy ? perhaps 1 or 2kgs would be acceptable. I haven?t been weighed again since booking in so I don?t know whether I have gained weight or not. I know that ?eating for two? during pregnancy is nonsense and that I should still take care to eat well, which I am doing, but I also thought that some weight gain would be inevitable, due to bump and body?s need to store fat for breast feeding.

I?ve had a very easy and straightforward pregnancy up until now and I have really enjoyed it, but now I am anxious and a bit stressed about it.

Anyone else had this experience?

Tell him not to be so bloody stupid and unrealistic. He should be offering advice on how to eat healthily, rather than scaring you into not putting on ANY weight which just will not happen no matter how much you starve yourself.

Don't listen to him. Continue to eat healthily, don't overeat, and enjoy your pregnancy.

No - but I fail to see how you're going to avoid putting on extra weight during pregnancy...

Try not to worry. Eat as healthily as you can, and bring it up with your midwife to say what she says at your next MW appt.

to SEE what she says.

Whilst I haven't been through the same experience, my view is that the main concern is that you and your baby are happy and healthy. Eat well and try to do some exercise most days (walking/swimming) but don't focus on your weight and don't worry about it, I say! Surely it's not as if you're so massively overweight that it is posing a health risk to you and your baby - you are only overweight, not morbidly obese or something?!!!!

The doctor is a loon. It would be impossible not to put any weight on as your baby will gain - a normal baby plus placenta weighs over a stone. In effect he is asking you to lose weight. Speak to your MW.

Has the doctor ever seen a pregnant woman before? What a ridiculous and frankly dangerous thing for him to say. Of course you will gain weight, there is a growing baby inside you! Tell your midwife next time you see her so that she can make sure this GP doesn't see any more of her patients.

My weight and height are very similar to yours and nobody ever suggested during my two pregnancies that it was the slightest problem.

erm my BMI is 29 and my MW didn't give it a second comment - when I asked about it being overweight she said something along the lines of yes it is, but it's not considered a risk factor in pg unless you're over 30.
I didn't put on much weight last time as I was so sick to begin with, but I did! This time I've had less sickness and the urge to eat like a gannet, I dread to think how much I've put on. MW still not concerned - in fact after the first time I've never been weighed.

I make your bmi to be 26 anyway, which is only just overweight. He is an idiot.

I don't know if it makes you feel any better, but I'm an inch taller than you but several stones heavier. I specifically asked about my weight and both MW and Consultants have said it is not an issue. My BMI is higher than yours.

Further, as others have said, its impossible not to put on some weight during pregnancy! I just try not to see it as an excuse to eat any old crap (hides box of chocolates )

Ah what nonsense!

I have had BMIs of 35-39 at the begining of each of my pregnancies, put on between 2 and 2.5 stone each time, had good BP throughout, normal pregnancies, normal labours, and big healthy babies at the end.

What's more, I was never weighed again after my checking-in visit.

You eat sensibly, enjoy your food, and you put on what you put on.

By the end of the pregnancy the baby, fluid and increased uterus together weigh about 1 stone, and your blood volume also increases. So if you did not put on at least 1 stone over the course of the pregnancy, it would mean you had actually lost weight.

My BMI was 35 when I got pregnant, and I have mentioned my concerns about my BMI probably now being higher a couple of times to both my doctor and MW, both just shrugged and said, yes but you are pregnant now so you will out on a bit of weight, don't worry about it you are having a healthy pregnancy.

They have not re weighed me or had any concerns. They said they are only really concerned and monitor womnen when they start pregnancy at a BMI over 40.

Don't worry about it, it's pure nonsense!
It is pretty much impossible not to gain even a little weight while pregnant unless you have bad morning sickness or are put on a gestational diabetes low sugar diet. Our bodies store up a bit extra to get us through breat feeding... or so my docotr and midwife both say (both female and parents!)

Just a thought but could your doctor have measured you incorrectly, hence the attitude to weight gain?

I was pregnant in April and at my booking in appointment my m/w basically told me off as my BMI was in the overweight category. This really played on my mind as I knew I could have done with losing some weight but didn't think it was a major issue. Anyhow since then I had a MMC and am pregnant again. I had another booking in appointment yesterday and my BMI was normal, somehow my M/W had managed to measure my weight & height totally wrong (5kg out!).

What your doctor has said is totally unrealitic and a load of rubbish, just eat healthily and enjoy your pregnancy.

The breakdown of what makes up the most of the weight gain after nine months can be seen below:

the baby accounts for about 7 pounds (3.1 Kg),
the placenta is about 2 pounds (0.9 Kg),
the amniotic fluid is another 2.2 pounds (1 Kg),
the enlarged uterus is 2 pounds (0.9 Kg)
the extra retained fluids, body fats and enlarged breasts make up the other 16 pounds or so (7.2 Kg).
This all adds up to about 29 pounds (13.3 Kg)
congratulations hun and have a happy pregnancy

Thanks all, I feel much better now.

I was wondering whether I should be going on a diet in order to counteract baby related weight gain!

I've been trying to be good and have been doing plenty of walking and yoga and have been eating well (except for chocolate in lieu of wine) all through the pregancy and don't actually feel like I have gained a great deal.

I will indeed mention to my MW though. This Dr was young and female btw. I wonder if she was just inexperienced.

"They said they are only really concerned and monitor womnen when they start pregnancy at a BMI over 40."
Didn't realise that, sorry. The over 30 thing I mention in my post was probably around having a glucose tolerance test as standard now I think about it - and that might be a local thing.
OP - definitely mention it! You sounds sensible, but someone less confident or with issues around their weight could take it really seriously and do some damage If you don't mind me asking, if you're under the care of a MW, why was the GP doing these tests?

I checked your BMI on NHS site ( didn't check your age just put in 30!) and you came out at 25.3 which is .3 above average so doctor must have measured you wrong!!!

Am relieved to see so many people disproving the OP's BMI. I'm 5' 3" and 10 stone 1 lb and have always reassured myself that my BMI is 25 and therefore just about OK. Was a bit to read that you get a BMI of 28 from being just 6 pounds heavier..... (I think that's right - was only taught metric measurements at school but always think of weight and height the old fashioned way!)

Don't want to encourage anyone to obsess about their weight, but there's an interesting article on this website about 'normal' levels of weight gain.

Not to pick holes, hackneybird, but I don't know why the doctor being female should have been a factor in her giving you wrong advice. Young and inexperienced, maybe, but I think male doctors are equally capable of making mistakes........

I'm almost exactly the same size as you, and would be horrified if I was told this. I put on nearly 3 stone with DS, which I gradually lost after he was born. I can't imagine for one minute that it would be possible for you to not put on any weight at all.

My midwife did say to me that overweight - and I mean medically obese - women often lose weight in pregnancy becuase they change their eating habits. She said the rule of thumb is, if you are underweight you gain 3 stone, if you are normal, you gain 2 stone, and if you are overweight 1 stone (because of the aforementioned weight loss)

I think you should discuss this with your midwife, she will probably be horrified!!

Oh god, it's so hard though isn't it. Im 5'2 and before my DS was always around 9stone. When PG I put on 3.5 stone, had high blood pressure, swolen everything and couldn't walk the length of myself by 30 weeks, it was so uncomfortable and took a year before I settled for 9.6 stone. I SWORE i would not make the same mistake 2nd time around and here I am, 15 weeks and eating like a scaffolder! Im just SOOOOOO hungry and even more bored, there's no wine in my life, no nights out with the girls, hardly any excercise therefore....there is food! I am spending more time in coffee shops, not good, sitting in on saturday nights eating take aways, kettle chips, ice cream, I know what's going to happen but can I stop myself, nope, only a single shot to the head with a rifle would do that. Any tips would be appreciated!

HackneyBird

That's utter twaddle from your doctor, don't take any notice!

I had a booking BMI of over 40 (despite being nearly 5stone lighter then when I had DC1) , and am now 38 weeks pregnant and can vouch for aside from being prodded and poked a bit more for gestational diabetes (all clear) nothing else has been an issue. I have never been weighed since my initial booking weight and the MW was not overly concerned, yes I have to see a consultant because of the increased BMI but he hasnt done anything except stick a big red label in my notes saying I have to be assessed by the anesthetist upon admitting to hositol incase I need an epidural. I was almost upset that I havent been weighed since the begining as I have only gained just over a stone! lol

Typical, but all in all dont worry my dear, the doctor is wrong and just worry on having healthy pregnancy, and rest assured some of us manage to have children whilst being much bigger lol

Hi

My BMI was 26.5 at booking. I've been keeping a strict eye on my weight as I have back probs/asthma. I've been using:

www.thebabycorner.com/tools/pregnancy/calculators/weightcalculator.php

I am 22 weeks now and have been entering my weight every week. Up until this week, I have been exactly on target for an overweight lady using this calculator. This week I am a pound over as I seem to have developed a ravenous hunger that cannot be controlled!

I am hoping to stick to the weight gain limits but as you can see, you are EXPECTED even if quite overweight to gain 15-25lbs. I have gained 11 - 12 lbs at 22 weeks (a lot this week as I must be having a growth spurt!)

You do not have a BMI of 28!! 10.5 stone is not a lot at all!!! I started last pregnancy at 10 and ended up 13, but went down to size 8/10 afterwards after I breastfed.

Ignore him! Your BMI is 25-6 which is absolutely fine!

Really glad i read this thread. I had a booking in BMI of 39 and the midwife made me feel so crap i was starting to wonder if i should be considering a termination. I had an appointment with the consultant last week who was lovely and said that if i didn't have any problems with DD 3 and am fine now they don't need to see me again. I have had a letter saying that if BMI is over 40 i have to see anaesthetist while pregnant or if it's over 35 i can choose if i want to see one. I now can't decide what to do as i don't know whether the anaesthetist will act the same way as the midwife or the same as the consultant.

Well I have to say its utter tosh! (love that word, just rediscovered it). After a lifelong battle with my weight (I started dieting with a BMI of 55!) I got down to a BMI of 29/30 for IVF, then fell pg naturally! I went up to a BMI of 36 with DD1 (born early 08), never lost the weight and am now 37 weeks pg with no.2 with a BMI of 43 (eek). My consultant (who happens to be the head of the department) - who I see regularly as I am high risk for other non-weight-related reasons - is weight obsessed and has weighed me at every appt throughout my pregnancies...
when i asked him last week about weight gain and possible impact on my delivery etc, he said, "well you have gained weight this time but not as much as I expected ... but don't worry, we see lots of women have very successful outcomes who are (believe it or not) much heavier than you!" So apart from the "believe it or not" comment, I think you have to not worry about what the doctor said and focus on having a happy and healthy pregnancy and a successful outcome.

Good luck, eat wisely (I've been really careful and still gained 2 stone this time) and you'll be fine. There are silly people wherever you go who comment on your bump (too big, too small, too round, too high etc) and your weight, but at the end of the day its your body and your baby.

Good luck!!!