BMI - why all the fuss during pregnancy?

Hi. Just thought I'd share my thoughts as I'm a bit bummed at the moment.

I had my 38 week appointment at KEMH - BC, and they have been monitoring my weight throughout my pregnancy. My starting weight (initial 18 week appointment) was 74kgs. I'm 164cm tall. At my 28 week appointment I was 81kgs. At my 38 week appointment I was 94.9kgs - calculated BMI of 35. The big thing about this is that if I am over 35 BMI when I go into labor, the midwife advised me that I won't be able to use the bath for health and safety reasons (which is a bit crushing seeing as I have been planning to have a water birth). The thing is that I have always eaten a well balanced ovo-lacto vegetarian diet and exercised throughout my life (walking, swimming, running), and I have always had an athletic body type. I am still wearing all of my pregnancy clothes that I bought when I was 15 weeks pregnant and they all still comfortably fit despite having put on so much weight. All of my tops are size 12, bottoms size 14 - the same clothing sizes I have worn for the past 10 years. Everyone tells me how great I look in my pregnancy and my belly skin is so tight you could pop it with a pin! So please tell me how and why do they use BMI in pregnancy when it is a way of determining body fat - when it doesn't take into account a baby, fluid, placenta, breast growth etc. Surely there has to be a better system for pregnancy?

I wasn't weighed once during my pregnancy, by the hospital. However, in the week i gave birth i lost over 20kg, 3.5kg was baby and the majority of the rest was fluid. IF my BMI had sent me over the limit for a water birth i would be pee-ed off because it was due to excess fluid as a results of the pregnancy, not excess fat.

Good luck for the birth, and welcoming your new bub

I cant help u hun but sympathise I have been refused to book into the hospital I wasnt due to my BMI and its not fair
I have no advice but I hope like anything u can use the bath in ur labouring

:hug: I'm not sure but it sounds like they have some kind of policy about how much the nursing staff can lift if needed, in and out of the bath?

I wasn't weighed either during pg but I didn't have the option of a water birth. It will really suck if you miss out because of a stupid number. Muscle weighs more than fat, as you no doubt know which to me means that you are more likely to be able to assist in getting yourself in and out of the bath (having the strength itms?) but I don't really know.

Blujooce, just wanted to pop in and give you a :hug: the whole BMI thing sounds pretty stoopid to me!

I too have never been weighed during pregnancy, and it's never come up with regards to me having a waterbirth or not. So I'm not really sure why they'd be focusing on that. Good luck with it all.

I asked if they were going to weigh me at my 18 week appt, and they actually said "no"! I'm currently 76kg, and planning a waterbirth.

That's just weird.

I got weighed every checkup as a matter of course. They never did anything with the numbers, though. I put on a LOT of weight each time.

Was interesting that I put on most of the weight before 5 months with my last pregnancy and put most of it on *after* 5 months with this one. I got to almost exactly the same end weight (give or take a kilo) with each pregnancy and lost every last gram of it with the first two so I'm not really concerned this time around, although I'm currently suffering from not having any larger sized winter clothes so I'm living in rather stretched maternity gear and safety pins right now.

As to waterbirths - last baby they hadn't quite finished the fancy new birthing suite so the big bath wasn't plumbed up yet and this time everything went so quick the bath wasn't an option :)

Fooey. I weighed 105kgs when I fell pregnant (and weighed the same after I gave birth too interestingly, I'm 5'5) and I had a home waterbirth with the approval of my backup hospital, KEMH!. I honestly think this sort of stuff depends largely on who you end up with when you're in labour. But remember, they can't stop you from doing ANYTHING you want to so if you want to give birth in water, do so! By all means!