Plus Sized Pregnancy

Hi all,

I too have the same thing with BMI. My BMI has always been high even when I was 18 - and now I look at pics of me at 18 and think how damn skinny I was in comparison to now! I mean, my collar bones were all sticky outy and everything! So I try not to focus on it too much even though it is pretty depressing. I normally throw it back at doctors that go on about BMI that I don't believe it's an accurate representation of health and that it doesn't take a lot of important factors into account. Generally they don't want to get into a debate and they shut up :)

Had my appointment. They're a little concerned as they think I had a few contractions last night, most likely because of extreme stress, and that I need to keep an eye on it but not to panic just yet but that somehow we need to make the situation with my mum calm down for the sake of me and the baby. Fun times!

Sorry that I've been missing in action ladies... I have no idea where time has gone... I will back track the thread tomorrow when I have a bit more time and update the front page....

Had our OB appointment yesterday, went briefly over history (2nd time, different OB)... she said that they wouldn't decide on when baby was to be born until 36 weeks as ANYTHING could happen between now and then... "things could get exciting" were her words. Due to issues last pregnancy caused by going into labour I was told to avoid labour.

She was very direct and to the point, which amused me rather than upsetting, I have a referral to a dietitian, to try to and keep my weight pretty much the same for the rest of the pregnancy, but they won't manage me but give me the resources to do it on my own. I've booked in for my next scan which unfortunately isn't until 3rd December (19 weeks 6 days) as they are pretty busy in the hospital.

She has asked for me to get some bloods done now so she has something to compare the next lot to (which are at 26-28 weeks) and she would also like to test for diabetes now and then again later due to my weight. Although after reading the updates from everyone else I'm a little surprised, after my discussion with the OB on the GD test I just assumed that it was 2 hours over here (not 1 hour like NZ) because she is getting me to do that one... wonder why?

Unfortunately we couldn't hear the baby's heart beat (too much interference on the machine) so she brought in a scanner and Josh and her got to see it (I was at the wrong angle).

So all in all a pretty good appointment, nothing "exciting" to report :-)

In regards to clothes... anything that sits in the middle of my belly is avoided due to it being uncomfortable... and the singlets that I LIVED IN last pregnancy are too small (up top) this time and I can't seem to find shelf support singlets in my size that are long enough to cover the tummy, and cheap enough to have 1/2 a dozen in different colours.... for that I miss the Warehouse in NZ... every summer they bring out new singlets....

Oh and I have belly pictures on my blog (listed below)... or what there is of a belly for now....

Ahurani how did your scan go? did you find out the sex of your little monkey?

Yarrawin- you need to tell your mum to lay off you! If she effects you that bad tell her to behave or dont call at all.

Yowie- sorry about your GD, Glad your little fella knows how to make mummy feel better.

Thanks for the bra tips ladies :)

Oh and the BMI think is a total crock of S**T. I remember doing mine when i first started aged care nursing, so 35 kgs ago. I was practically anorexic but still measured as obese because im tall and have heavy bones.

Danielle: scan went good I have to go back on Friday for another scan. She said they couldn't get clear enough photos. Probably cos I'm fat oh well.

She thinks I'm having a baby girl :). She wasn't that sure though

Yarrawin, can your DH deal with your mum and tell her you're resting if she calls? That's what my DH does when he thinks my mum is causing me too much stress. Maybe if she keeps getting the message that your Dr is telling you to rest she may work out you really do need a break?

Danielle, my understanding is the 1 hour test is a screening test. Some people fail it even if they don't have GD (ie they fail the 1 hour but pass the 2 hour). It's the longer test that gives more conclusive results and is diagnostic. I'm going straight to the 2 hour test as well because my dad has a history of hyperglycaemia. They also frequently test for GD early for us plus-sizers. I was actually surprised I didn't get sent for an early GTT. I'd be interested to hear what sorts of things the dietician recommends.

Ahurani, FX you get the shots you need at the repeat scan. I had to get a repeat one too and one of the two reasons listed on the report was pretty much the same as what you said (but in medical terms -> maternal habitus)...

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for that I miss the Warehouse in NZ... every summer they bring out new singlets....

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do they have a website, so you could buy online and ship over?

Can I join this discussion?

I'm 5'10', 16-18 on top, 24 on the bottom, 15 weeks pregnant. Pre-Eclampsia with last pregnancy (not diagnosed until labour, but I knew I had it. Hello sausage fingers.), and was rejected from birth centre and home birth becuase of my weight.

Have gained 60kg in the 5 years since my Dad died...it had a huge affect on me, obviously. I used to be large and fit, but now it's damaging my health and I have recently made the commitment to turn myself and my diet around and get healthy again.

Lost 5kg in my 1st tri this time. Doing okay so far.

Sick and tired of people telling me that my pregnancy will be wrought with problems becuase I'm fat. Okay, I generally don't like pregnancy and it doesn't like me either, but it doesn't mean it has to do with my weight.

Here's a gem from a workmate when I was last pregnant with P (just before I went on leave...even for a fat chick I was visibly preg):

"Oh I had no idea you are pregnant. I though you were just getting fatter."

Effect, rather. All this fat must be blocking the grammar correcting parts of my brain. :-P

Hi angelaartstudent. Congrats on your pg. I hope this one goes smoothly for you. Sorry to hear you've had to deal with some insensitive comments in the past. :( I can relate to your story about your workmate. Yesterday two of my workmates were asked if they knew I was pg and they had no idea, so clearly they just thought I was putting on weight (even though I've lost 15kg since the start of the pg).

Welcome Angela!

Hi Angela, welcome! I too have had insensitive comments, sorry to hear you've had to have that experience.

AFM
Sorted the mum issues for now! Phew. Ob appt went well yesterday too, phew. Will bbl, but feeling the heat in Melbourne today and since I'm trying to resist turning the aircon on since I know it's going to get a lot hotter before Cupcake arrives in january! I'm going to take myself off and go and lie down in front of the fan for a while. I think the reason i'm struggling when it's only 28 is the way the temperature goes up and down so quickly! We're having a 10 degree drop tomorrow, so I reckon I'll be cold again! lol. That and three years of living in England has turned me into a wimp when it gets over 25! :redface:

Welcome Angela... sorry to hear of your horrid comment last pregnancy and congrats on the loss so far this pregnancy... let me know your stat's for the first post and I'll update :-)

Yarrawin - I know how you feel with the heat... I shiver, pull on a blanket have a nap then wake up soooo hot it's sickly... not looking forward to the middle of summer at all... I believe I'm going to live on ice drinks and ice blocks....

I have a little ice shaving machine here and intend to use it all summer! Summer was hard enough when I was preg with P (the pregnancies are 23 months apart, so almost pregnant in the exact same months) but now I live in a unit on a major highway with no heating or cooling, and I am NOT loooking forward to summer at all.

I am due 22 April 2011, thanks Danielle. I suspect it's another girl but we shall see at the anatomy scan...

Must admit I am sooo glad this time I will be pregnant throug summer and not just the beginning!
Charlotte was born end of Nov and this one is due beginning of Feb... Would never choose to do newborn in Perth summer... it was horrbile. Christmas day and Boing day were oth over 44c and she spent the whole time passed out or attached to the boob every half hour - with no air con - it was hell. Compared to being pregnant it was way worse!
I will be big but I will be mobile and not attached lol AND we will have air con in a few weeks ready for summer! :dance:


AAS heya chicky!! *mwah* And you should be looking forward to it, you can come flop out with me and we can be hot whales together :)

Hi Angela! You are due a few days after me... I'm due the 19th with my second too. You should join the belly buddies too :) nice bunch over there.
I had a spring baby last time and it was great...def not looking forward to being pg in the summer. I swell at the best of times so it is going to be nasty in summer. Super giant kankles for me!! I understand what you mean Limey about newborns in summer... rather it me than them! Dd was 3 months in summer and I was so worried about her!!

Hi AAS!!!! <3

So

Im feeling really fat

That is all :(

Ditto!

I havent gained any weight but my body shape is obviously changing as all my clothes aren't fitting right.

All my maternity shirts are stretched from my pregnancy with P so they don't actually fit at the moment (too big and floppy) and everything else is professional work clothes that I just dont feel comfortable in at the moment.

And undies...ARGH! I just want some comfy nanna ones LOL

Hi girls,

It has been a while since I have posted in here! Welcome to the newbies! And congrats on all of your pg's.

Well, I'm not going so well, my back and right hip (in particular) are really starting to play up and hurt me big time. Some days (like today) I can barely get up to walk. I am pushing 100kg too:(. I weighed myself at the docs and I was so depressed! I was hoping to avoid being 100kg or more. But I am 98.5, with 11ish weeks to go. I seriously doubt I will stay under. I can't exercise with my back, so that won't help at all either. On the upside baby is getting so big I can't eat alot, and I don't have GD! Another doc I took my kids to see is worried I might have thyroid issues though. In some sort of sick way I'm hoping I do because then me getting this fat wouldn't entirely be my fault, kwim? Crazy I know, but I can't believe I have gotten sooo big. DH showed me photos of me which I sent him when he was in the navy, so about 7ish yrs ago (pre kidlets, well we only had our first angel bub) and my goodness I was so slim! And the sad thing is I used to think I wasn't back then. I have never enjoyed my body or me very much for some reason. I find that so sad. And now it's been ravaged by being pg and being so overweight, I will never look very nice with all my saggy baggy skin and stretchmarks from (literally) under my ribs to my pubic bone, to around my sides.

AAS, I am having issues with mat clothes too. I am nearly 30wks pg though. I just can't find any pants to fit. I brought some size 16 pants the other day and they barely came over my hips, so I then got some 18's at a different store and they wouldn't even come above my thighs. I have no shorts or skirts to wear for summer and I'm going to die of heat exhaustion if I don't find any since we are living in the sticks where it gets really hot. Plus I can't just go out and buy anything because we are living in the stick where there's no clothes shops for miles! Plus I don't want to be spending too much money on things now when I am nearly ready to pop and this is our last bub, and we don't have alot of spare $$ at all.

Ok enough whining from me. LOL, not in the best of moods if you can't tell! Sorry to dump it all here.....

OMG I so hear you on the undies!!! I have some really daggy kmart undies that I got at the beginning of the year and they were a bit big. Now they're all I can wear and they're getting a bit uncomfy too. I went to kmart today thinking I'd just buy a size up and I'd be right, especially as they're cotton and I need that because I've had a few thrush issues and I was devastated to find they've started making the same design in this yucky shiny synthetic material and have stopped making them in cotton! :( I find undies dig into my hips when I sleep. I woke up a few nights ago dreaming that I'd fallen over and taken all the skin off my hip... nope! Was just my undies digging into my skin.

I'm not feeling as bad as I was in terms of feeling fat in the beginning, but my back has gained rolls where before it was just flab. It's not nice and very uncomfy now I'm getting hot quite often. It comes around onto my sides too which makes it feel even worse!

How is everyone doing? I'm okay. Getting really uncomfortable now and finding I can't sleep. So then after a few sleepless nights I end up really emotional and I have a meltdown over something-or-other. Getting a bit fed up now, I just want January to be here so I can have her!!!!

Lilias - We posted at the same time! We're at about the same point in our pregnancies and I'm having the same issues. I'm just wearing dresses a lot - big maxi dresses - and I spend ALL my time at home walking around in either a singlet and undies or a sarong. Its all I'm comfy in! I think its crazy that they make maternity clothes so rigid. Pregnant body shapes change and they don't seem to allow for that at all, do they? I have two pairs of shorts that are good... I have a pair from pumpkin patch in XL that are quite a good size and relatively comfy (and I think I saw the same pair online!) and a pair of shorts from Plus Maternity that have a big scoop front and are a lovely cut, but they're not exactly casual and thus I haven't worn them anywhere. I modelled them and she gave them to me, that's the only reason I have them! Definitely recommend them though if you're stuck and don't mind the style.

Thanks for those links you sent me Yarrawin, I appreciate it!!

For those of you looking for clothes, PP is having a sale now, 30% off maternitny clothes. Some nice stuff there too. And the 30% makes it that much more affordable!! I find most of their XL-XXL clothes are pretty generous and fit my size 16-18 butt!

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Thanks for those links you sent me Yarrawin, I appreciate it!!

For those of you looking for clothes, PP is having a sale now, 30% off maternitny clothes. Some nice stuff there too. And the 30% makes it that much more affordable!! I find most of their XL-XXL clothes are pretty generous and fit my size 16-18 butt!

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Really? I was there the day before yesterday and nothing I wanted was reduced. I'm eyeing off the button up shirts atm but not willing to pay $56 for them! Hmmm might have to go back I think... thanks!

I think everything is 30% off??.....Maybe I should check again!

Y ep I just had another look andit's 305 off. If you click on the quick buy option, then look in your shopping bag, it will have the price of it at 30% off and show you the saving on it.

Which website??

Pumpkin Patch

Ohh ok, bet nothing would fit me there. I have this Kmart top on atm and its ****ting me it keeps riding up

What size are you hun, thier sixes can be VERY generous. I'd say their xl's could be up to a size 20 and the xxl's 20-22, maybe more. Though you would probably have totry stuff on. It can be a bit hit and miss. The sizes aren't small though. I tried on a pair of xl jeans and they literally fell off me. I'd be at about an 18 now.

im a size 18-20 depends on the clothes

Pumpkin patch clothes are extreemly generous!!!!!!! I have heaps from there. And I have to get size L as XL would defo fit size 20+. Their denims are really comfy and look great :)

I may have to go in tomorrow and have a looksie

Ooo, I had no idea they were that generous. Wish I'd taken time to pop in when I went past yesterday.

I got some jeans, shorts and a top from pumpkin patch! and omg they fit awesome! 30% off too

Also got my u/s report, they didnt mention my fatness lol

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I got some jeans, shorts and a top from pumpkin patch! and omg they fit awesome! 30% off too

Also got my u/s report, they didnt mention my fatness lol

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Glad you've got some comfy clothes! :) I've made the horrid discovery that I've expanded out of my pumpkin patch jeans :( My belly is just too big and they're sooo uncomfy.

Hey, how's everyone doing?

I thought I was doing very well with minimal weight gain... UNTIL.... I picked up my son then hopped on the scales and my weight stayed the same ARGH so now I have no idea on how much I've put on STUPID SCALES. I do know that my clothes are feeling really uncomfortable but I'll have to make do in the meantime due to financial reasons...

I can't believe how exhausted I am this pregnancy, not sure if it's just due to our 2.5 year old or my size... I'm ready find it difficult to get out of deep chairs, and I'm sure I'm starting to walk funny, not waddling yet but won't be long

I hope all is well for everyone else...

I have put back on 3kg of the 7kg I lost in my 1st tri....but I havent had a very good diet lately and am DYING for some veggies, so I put it down to that. It certinally doesn't help that until yesterday, I had been constipated for 4 weeks (so was very bloated too).

I think I am needing a new bra...when I was preg with P my breasts never chaged size, engorged or whatever, so I am having a hard time telling if I actually need a bigger one or not this time. I don't wear maternity bras - my boobs are too big and I need proper support.

I HATE being measured up for a bra so I really don't want to go. I usually go to a specialist bra store in the city, but still don't like flashing them to people.

I might have a look at the Pumpkin Patch tops. Tops are my main problem even when I am not preg...I am tall and have a long torso so 99% of the stuff I try on is too short. I have big boobs but tiny shoulders, so it's a pain in the ass to try to get something to fit. In my last preg, I never wore any maternity clothes...all too big in the boobs and shoulders (despite my large chest).

Where do I get the PP maternity stuff? I have only been to one PP store - in the city - and it has no maternity stuff. Can I get it online?

Hi all :)

Danielle - I'm really uncomfy and tired too :(

Angela - Yep, you can get the PP stuff online. Where abouts do you live?

AFM
Been having a few dramas here. I'm hot, uncomfy and I just want this next 8 weeks to be over and done with. Having blood pressure issues (stress related) and found out today that I have put 15kg on this pregnancy so I'm really not happy. Not much I can do about it - due to my PKU I have no choice but to keep pumping in the calorie supplements or risk an unhealthy, maybe even brain damaged baby. I'm really going to have my work cut out for me on losing the weight once she's here though :(

So yeah. The blood pressure isn't great. I had an appointment today and I completely freaked them out and they sent me straight up to fetal monitoring. By the time I got there my blood pressure had bottomed out and so they were very confused. They were expecting me to just collapse in a heap, not end up with blood pressure on the lower end of normal when it had been dangerously high less than 15 minutes earlier. So now I've had my blood pressure taken so many times today that I feel like my arm is about to drop off!

On the upside, bub is doing very well... measuring slightly ahead for dates, great heart rate, lots of movement and she's head down and ready to go :)

Argh my blood pressure did that ALL the time in my first pregnancy! Had v high bp and all the signs of pre-eclampsia (protein in wee and etc) but then once they got me in for monitoring, it would level off. It wasn't until I was in labour and my bp reached 250-something over 250-something that they diagnosed me with pre-eclampsia.

Yep...also very uncomfortable here. Boobs STILL sore - I thought that was meant to go away after 1st tri!?

Have my frst clinic appointment next week (apparently - Hospie called me on Tues and said I missed an appointment, but I wasn't even told I had one!) and also my anatomy scan.