Annie B.
DS and Pregnancy
Aug 18, 2007
I had a bouncing baby girl on June 13th, 2007. She weighed 7 lbs. even, and measured 20 in. long. Here is my experience being pregnant post-DS:
My surgeon originally recommended 18 months to 2 years before trying to conceive. At 12 months out I asked Jackie (our aftercare nurse) if I could start trying now. She was adamant about 18 months. Like a little brat asking daddy when mommy said no, I brought Dr. Hares into the discussion and got him to whittle it down to 15 months. A week later I got my lab results back and everything looked phenomenal. My weight had also been stable at 150 for nearly 6 months. After much consideration I decided to start trying against medical advice. I was worried it might take me a little while and did not want my kids to be any further apart than 3 years. This was the first time I ever deliberately disobeyed Dr. Hares and Jackie, but I felt confident I was making the right decision for me. I began charting my cycle and using ovulation prediction devices with the help of the website fertilityfriend.com. After 3 months and no pregnancy I noticed a somewhat alarming trend in my cycle showing that my "luteal phase" was very short, meaning after ovulation I would get my period before an embryo would have a chance to implant. My cycle was still 28-30 days so I wouldn't have noticed this if I wasn't taking my temperature and charting. So I went to a Reproductive Endocrinologist and she prescribed progesterone suppositories to prolong my luteal phase. After 2 cycles it worked and I got pregnant, roughly 17 months post-op, still at 150 pounds. I have no way of knowing if my luteal phase was naturally short, or if it was related to just coming off hormonal birth control (essential after the DS if you're fertile). It is probably not related to my DS, but I'm throwing it out here just in case.
While still holding the positive pregnancy test I called Jackie to let her know. She was elated and had me make an appointment for baseline labs. Everything looked great and she had me stop taking the extra Vitamin A (which I had already done based on research and Darcy's advice). She also had me add Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids twice a day to aid in absorption. I'm glad she did, because a few months later research came out that it boosts IQ in babies when taken by pregnant women, along with a host of other benefits. Other than that, it was 2 multivitamins a day, only I switched one to a prenatal, and then my regular CitraCals and D. I also dropped my Nexium to 20-40mg a day instead of the 80mg I was taking before. Zoloft remained at 100mg. I made sure to get in at least 40g through protein drinks first thing in the morning, and sometimes 60g.
I was referred to the high risk practice at the U of Michigan, due to my history of gestational diabetes. It was basically the same group as I saw with my pregnancy in 2004, but I wasn't part of the "diabetes clinic." For the most part, I saw an excellent OB who I had seen once while I was trying to get pregnant. At that first appointment I gave her info on my DS and she researched it on her own, and was so happy to see me back and pregnant. Her research interests happen to be women's fitness and nutrition and she was thrilled with my DS and my progress. She supported me 110% and praised me over and over at every appointment at how far I've come and what an inspiration I am. I was so humbled by the compliments. My appointments for much of my pregnancy were 5 minutes or so. Totally boring. There was never a single complication or reason to worry. I didn't gain much weight, and I got a lot of "Where you hiding that baby?" but I knew I was eating quite well and that starting at 150 lbs. and being 5'4" it wasn't like I was underweight and didn't have some fat stores anyway. Each appointment ended with "Whatever you're doing, keep doing it, as you and the baby look and sound great."
I was tested twice for gestational diabetes. The first was earlier than normal, I think around 16 or 18 weeks. And then again around 24-26 weeks. After drinking the glucose drink, an hour later, my number was around 80. Contrast to the 200 in my first pregnancy (normal is under 140). So the whole diabetes worry was gone for good and every doctor who saw me was thrilled. I even had to "reintroduce" myself to the OB/endocrinologist who saw me when I was pregnant with Jack. The poor man looked quite confused to see my name yet not know who he was looking at . Before I knew it he was rounding up the nurses who remembered me to show me off. I was very proud and made sure to let them all know about the DS.
To sum this all up, my pregnancy at 150 lbs. was drastically different from my pregnancy at 275 lbs. In both pregnancies I escaped morning sickness yet was plagued by fatigue in the 1st and 3rd trimesters (normal stuff). Other than that, pretty much everything was different. Reflux and heartburn was under control, no finger poking, special diets, or diabetes meds. Even though I liked my naps, I was active with my 2 year old the whole pregnancy. I went to basketball games through the Playoffs and bopped around at a Gwen Stefani concert less than 2 weeks before I was due. With pregnancy #1 I was pretty much couchbound for the last 20 weeks. The only negative I really suffered this time was frequent backaches. I never had a "bad back" but I'm not one to exercise and in general am not a "high energy" person, so I feel achy muscles more often than someone who is fit. My back muscles are probably weakened from carrying around so much weight for so long and not exercising like I should be. And chasing and lifting my very active 2 year old for most of my pregnancy really knocked me out. Once my husband took a leave from work 3 weeks before I was due to help me out my backaches disappeared. As I wasn't diabetic with this pregnancy there was no reason to induce, and I went into labor spontaneously and had a normal vaginal delivery with no epidural after less than 3 hours of active labor. I was totally bouncing off the walls feeling fantastic for days after the birth. I had no pain or stitches, and breastfeeding actually WORKED this time. The advantages of being a mom at a normal weight are never ending.
When my son was a year old, and I was 300 lbs., I knew I wanted another child but knew I couldn't get pregnant again at my current weight. I didn't plan to get pregnant at 275 lbs. but it was a surprise and thankfully with excellent medical care and diligence by me, my child was born healthy. Even if I could conceive at 300 lbs., the risks of going through another pregnancy super morbidly obese were not ones I wanted to take. That is when I found the DS. If you think getting pregnant after weight loss surgery is too risky, think about the risks at your current weight. That's the best advice I can give. And I can't be entirely medical and practical about this... YES I EVEN HAD A CUTE BASKETBALL BELLY!!! I got to wear all the cute celebrity-type designer maternity clothes and tight belly protruding shirts. I've also lost all modesty regarding my draping pot belly, sagging deflated breasts, and arms flapping in the breeze. A woman's body is so much more, ya know?
This post took me the entire day to compose, and once again I hear my sweetie crying for a feeding, so I better go. If anyone is contemplating the DS and/or a pregnancy, feel free to email me. As you can tell, I am happy to carry on about my experience .
My surgeon originally recommended 18 months to 2 years before trying to conceive. At 12 months out I asked Jackie (our aftercare nurse) if I could start trying now. She was adamant about 18 months. Like a little brat asking daddy when mommy said no, I brought Dr. Hares into the discussion and got him to whittle it down to 15 months. A week later I got my lab results back and everything looked phenomenal. My weight had also been stable at 150 for nearly 6 months. After much consideration I decided to start trying against medical advice. I was worried it might take me a little while and did not want my kids to be any further apart than 3 years. This was the first time I ever deliberately disobeyed Dr. Hares and Jackie, but I felt confident I was making the right decision for me. I began charting my cycle and using ovulation prediction devices with the help of the website fertilityfriend.com. After 3 months and no pregnancy I noticed a somewhat alarming trend in my cycle showing that my "luteal phase" was very short, meaning after ovulation I would get my period before an embryo would have a chance to implant. My cycle was still 28-30 days so I wouldn't have noticed this if I wasn't taking my temperature and charting. So I went to a Reproductive Endocrinologist and she prescribed progesterone suppositories to prolong my luteal phase. After 2 cycles it worked and I got pregnant, roughly 17 months post-op, still at 150 pounds. I have no way of knowing if my luteal phase was naturally short, or if it was related to just coming off hormonal birth control (essential after the DS if you're fertile). It is probably not related to my DS, but I'm throwing it out here just in case.
While still holding the positive pregnancy test I called Jackie to let her know. She was elated and had me make an appointment for baseline labs. Everything looked great and she had me stop taking the extra Vitamin A (which I had already done based on research and Darcy's advice). She also had me add Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids twice a day to aid in absorption. I'm glad she did, because a few months later research came out that it boosts IQ in babies when taken by pregnant women, along with a host of other benefits. Other than that, it was 2 multivitamins a day, only I switched one to a prenatal, and then my regular CitraCals and D. I also dropped my Nexium to 20-40mg a day instead of the 80mg I was taking before. Zoloft remained at 100mg. I made sure to get in at least 40g through protein drinks first thing in the morning, and sometimes 60g.
I was referred to the high risk practice at the U of Michigan, due to my history of gestational diabetes. It was basically the same group as I saw with my pregnancy in 2004, but I wasn't part of the "diabetes clinic." For the most part, I saw an excellent OB who I had seen once while I was trying to get pregnant. At that first appointment I gave her info on my DS and she researched it on her own, and was so happy to see me back and pregnant. Her research interests happen to be women's fitness and nutrition and she was thrilled with my DS and my progress. She supported me 110% and praised me over and over at every appointment at how far I've come and what an inspiration I am. I was so humbled by the compliments. My appointments for much of my pregnancy were 5 minutes or so. Totally boring. There was never a single complication or reason to worry. I didn't gain much weight, and I got a lot of "Where you hiding that baby?" but I knew I was eating quite well and that starting at 150 lbs. and being 5'4" it wasn't like I was underweight and didn't have some fat stores anyway. Each appointment ended with "Whatever you're doing, keep doing it, as you and the baby look and sound great."
I was tested twice for gestational diabetes. The first was earlier than normal, I think around 16 or 18 weeks. And then again around 24-26 weeks. After drinking the glucose drink, an hour later, my number was around 80. Contrast to the 200 in my first pregnancy (normal is under 140). So the whole diabetes worry was gone for good and every doctor who saw me was thrilled. I even had to "reintroduce" myself to the OB/endocrinologist who saw me when I was pregnant with Jack. The poor man looked quite confused to see my name yet not know who he was looking at . Before I knew it he was rounding up the nurses who remembered me to show me off. I was very proud and made sure to let them all know about the DS.
To sum this all up, my pregnancy at 150 lbs. was drastically different from my pregnancy at 275 lbs. In both pregnancies I escaped morning sickness yet was plagued by fatigue in the 1st and 3rd trimesters (normal stuff). Other than that, pretty much everything was different. Reflux and heartburn was under control, no finger poking, special diets, or diabetes meds. Even though I liked my naps, I was active with my 2 year old the whole pregnancy. I went to basketball games through the Playoffs and bopped around at a Gwen Stefani concert less than 2 weeks before I was due. With pregnancy #1 I was pretty much couchbound for the last 20 weeks. The only negative I really suffered this time was frequent backaches. I never had a "bad back" but I'm not one to exercise and in general am not a "high energy" person, so I feel achy muscles more often than someone who is fit. My back muscles are probably weakened from carrying around so much weight for so long and not exercising like I should be. And chasing and lifting my very active 2 year old for most of my pregnancy really knocked me out. Once my husband took a leave from work 3 weeks before I was due to help me out my backaches disappeared. As I wasn't diabetic with this pregnancy there was no reason to induce, and I went into labor spontaneously and had a normal vaginal delivery with no epidural after less than 3 hours of active labor. I was totally bouncing off the walls feeling fantastic for days after the birth. I had no pain or stitches, and breastfeeding actually WORKED this time. The advantages of being a mom at a normal weight are never ending.
When my son was a year old, and I was 300 lbs., I knew I wanted another child but knew I couldn't get pregnant again at my current weight. I didn't plan to get pregnant at 275 lbs. but it was a surprise and thankfully with excellent medical care and diligence by me, my child was born healthy. Even if I could conceive at 300 lbs., the risks of going through another pregnancy super morbidly obese were not ones I wanted to take. That is when I found the DS. If you think getting pregnant after weight loss surgery is too risky, think about the risks at your current weight. That's the best advice I can give. And I can't be entirely medical and practical about this... YES I EVEN HAD A CUTE BASKETBALL BELLY!!! I got to wear all the cute celebrity-type designer maternity clothes and tight belly protruding shirts. I've also lost all modesty regarding my draping pot belly, sagging deflated breasts, and arms flapping in the breeze. A woman's body is so much more, ya know?
This post took me the entire day to compose, and once again I hear my sweetie crying for a feeding, so I better go. If anyone is contemplating the DS and/or a pregnancy, feel free to email me. As you can tell, I am happy to carry on about my experience .
