Over Weight Mum to be

Hi Everyone

I'm a new member to the forum and have been enjoying having a read of the many topics available. I am currently 13 weeks pregnant, awaiting to become a mum for the first time. I have previously had 2 m/c in the past two years, all by the 11 week period so I'm now in new territory and hoping for a successful pregnancy.

Other than being extremely over weight (112kg), I am otherwise a very healthy person, but being my first pregnancy I have some concerns about how I am going to handle the pregnancy as I get further along. Since finding out I was pregnant again I have lost 4kg just by not eating 'junk' but don't think too much more loss will happen as now entering the second trimester, weight gain is on the cards.

I'm hoping to hear from anyone out there that is either currently pregnant or had been pregnant and were also quite overweight whilst carrying just to see what I'm in for. Maybe some tips and suggestions of how to make things easier/how to cope.

Ultimately, I would like to at least remain at this weight t/out the pregnancy, therefore lose weight whilst gaining pregnancy weight, but natrually would like to do it safely.

Another one of my concerns is that I am already extremely busty - bra size 22H (+?) - it's the biggest bra I've been able to find but I still think more cup would be better. I'm really concerned that I'm going to be outsized in bras which would be most embarrasing! What is in store for me in that arena....?

Would really appreciate any feedback on this.

Thank you

Grabbie

hey,
welcome.. this forum isnt that active latley, but I'm here and and trying too loose weight.I was pregnant have a lil boy 2 and half years old but he lives with his father way over in england so i get depressed and therefore put on weight..

im really short so i look more overweight then iam its just my stomach that annoys me. I have just started to do some excerise to try and loose weight for my wedding thats in 3 months (no not to the father of my child.. its a long story)

anyway if u ever want help or support ill be here for an ear to listen

take care
Lesley

Hi there Grabbie,

I was overweight with Paris I found I actually lost weight. The dr told me its quite common with overweight women to lose it and smaller women to gain it. When I gave birth I actually ended up lighter than what I was before I got pg ;)

Try and take care of your back, first and foremost as thats the first thing to play up. I had to get physio during my pregnancy for pelvic instability and back pain.

I agree with the weight gain too, everyone is different.

*hugs*
Cailin

Hey Grabbie,

I've gone into this PG carrying additional pre-PG weight also. Weight gain is a pretty big issue for me as a whole - I was a comfortable size 12 for many years (I had never previously had a weight problem) and then all of a sudden I piled weight on when I was given injections of depo-provera! Things kind of snowballed really and because of the weight gain and becoming very self-conscious about it, I found myself hiding away and not being as active which obviously made the problem even worse!! It was very hard for me to accept that within the space of a few months I was considerably larger and very uncomfortable in my own skin. In fact I still struggle with this a lot and am very unhappy about it, despite losing 10kg a couple of years ago (the loss did make me feel a lot better, but I still feel the need to lose a lot more). So I do KWYM and understand your concerns. I've put on 13kg so far during the PG which really worries me, although I can still fit my legs into my pre-PG trousers (obviously the tummy no longer fits!) and my arms etc still look exactly the same, so I'm not sure if it's just a lot of fluid or what (the OB did suggest to me that a lot of it was fluid). I look a little rounder in the face is all, and my hands get a little puffy as do my ankles and feet if I'm on them all day! Strangely enough I don't look particularly big in the stomach despite the estimated size of this bubs!! Anyway, I've prattled on a bit, but I just wanted to say that I understand where you're coming from and why you're worried. I'm ultimately not sure where my weight will end up as a result of the PG but the fact that I don't seem to have completely blown up is reassuring and I'm doing my best diet wise, although I do still indulge because I find that if I want something and don't have it, then I will go out and eat a truckload more than what I would have done had I just had what I wanted in the first place LOL!!! (Despite what the scales say it's pretty good to still get my legs in my old trousers....I know, totally ridiculous that I have even done this but that's the extent to which weight gain worries me!)

My only real suggestion to you is to try to make sure that you eat as well as you can for you and the baby, and if you can do some exercise a couple of times a week, then that's great too. Personally, I either swim or go for a walk 2 - 3 times per week. It really helps my frame of mind too. I've found exercising makes me feel much better about myself, i.e. I know that I am making an effort and that it's good for me and the baby.

On the bra size front, I'm well-endowed myself LOL. I'm a 16E but thankfully my boobs haven't grown one iota!! I can't tell you what a relief that is, but obviously that's going to change, either b/w now and the birth or at the very least post-birth when the milk comes in! So I'm a bit concerned about it too and am just thanking my lucky stars that I haven't grown yet! LOL

OMG I really have raved on....sorry!!!

Hi Grabbie,

Personally I was 117kgs when I fell PG with my first child & managed to only put on 7kgs to the 32wk mark (that is when my son was born). I watched what I ate & more often than not the baby put on the weight that I lost so I guess I was lucky. However with my second PG I started out at 122kg & got up to 127kg before I unfortuanately lost him. I joined WW 13wks ago & have so far managed to lose 11.3kgs & am over the moon as I am now lighter than when I fell PG the first time. Like you I am well endowed but like Tootie I didn't change sizes in my bra until after I gave birth & my milk came in, so I think that may be a wait & see thing. Hope all goes well for you & try to continue some form of gentle exercise throughout your PG - it really helps for the labour process too>

Hi Grabbie,
I too am very overweight. I haven't weighed myself lately but I know that I am around the 110kg mark. I am 5'5" tall and carry most of my weight around the belly. I also have skin that is prone to stretch marks so I guess I will be adding a few soon!
Last year I lost 15kgs at weight watchers (starting at 113kgs) and got down to 94kgs but I hit a rut and lost the plot. I got a new job which takes up a lot of my time so I lost interest in counting points and being a good girl. So, naturally, I stacked it right back on again. Originally I lost the weight so that I would be healthier for pregnancy but when we seemed to be taking so long to conceive, the initial motivation wore off.
My blood pressure is high so I know I have to get out and about walking to get it down but nothing more strenuous than that. I am hoping to not put on too much weight through the pregnancy (though I know that it's going to be hard) and try to lose weight at the same time.
I am 9 weeks tomorrow so I am still going through the m/s stage which isn't helping. The only foods I want to eat are loaded with carbos and sugar (oh and fruit - but that's a good one!). Once the m/s clears, I think I will just have to be diciplined and remind myself that I am accountable not just for myself but for the baby too.
My main concern is coming up against medical staff that can be downright rude about weight problems. One of my friends who is a very large girl was told off by the Dr. because she was "obscenely obese" - not something you wanna hear when you are about to have a baby! Surly Dr.s know that we are aware of our condition and that chastising only makes us feel worse. If making us feel bad worked, then we would all be skinny just from looking at the stereotypical models we have all around us in the media!
Anyway, I wish you all the best for the rest of your pregnancy. Hopefully your weight won't even factor in to it and you will have a healthy and happy bubby soon enough.
All the best!

Hi Grabbie,
I actually was a little underweight when I fell pregnant (58kg), - probably due to an unhealthy lifestyle. However by my 9th month my weight had escalated to 97kg! That is almost a 40kg gain...
My sister who was pregnant the same time as me was around 105kg when she became pregnant, and only put on another 9kgs throughout her whole pregnancy, without doing any extra excercise etc. She did have a few problems with high BP towards the end of the pregnancy, but that was really the only complication. She also had an easy labour (her 3rd time) even though the Dr's told her to expect it to be harder than her pervious ones, due to her weight.
I think maybe you are at less risk of putting on lots more weight in your prenancy if you already are overweight. Whereas in my case my body was previously a bit starved, so when I started eating heaps for my baby it would store every little bit of extra fat - I guess it wanted to store it as reserves just incase I stopped eating again.
I still have 20kg to lose from my pregnancy weight, and it is very hard going, I have been stuck at the same weight for 2 months, even though I am eating healthy and excercising more.
I think the only reason I gained so much is because I quit smoking. I also had to eat every hour to stop myself from throwing up, and I also overate heaps too because I felt that being pregnant was an excuse to eat as much as I wanted.
I found the one thing that stopped me gaining weight so fast was when I joined the Pregnastics class at the RBH. It is low impact aerobics (at your own pace), as well as pilates, excerball and stretching, - the class instructors were physiotherapists. I did classes twice a week from weeks 23 to 37 of my pregnancy, and if I hadn't I probably would have put on another 10kgs! Maybe they hold classes like that somewhere near where you live? It is also great to talk to other pregnant ladies there.
Swimming is also really good - its so much easier to excercise as the water makes you so much lighter!!
So anyway, even if you feel like you're always hungry, you should listen to your body and your baby's needs, dont worry too much about gaining extra weight, as good nutrition for bub is so important.