tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738062031052371885.post104482342491476409..comments2024-03-17T10:07:53.205-07:00Comments on The Well-Rounded Mama: Just The Tip of the IcebergWell-Rounded Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04129621631406155340noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738062031052371885.post-7399452154450894202009-08-01T08:59:18.454-07:002009-08-01T08:59:18.454-07:00So grateful to you for your sites! Lots of hard w...So grateful to you for your sites! Lots of hard work. I actually gained weight on purpose, I truly like my body and consider my size "normal". I find flesh more attractive than skin and bones by far! While "obese" I wouldn't consider myself "fat" exactly because my flesh is muscled. But my weight is high enough that walking becomes difficult if I lose fitness. The extra weight I gained over the past 9 months has me calling myself "fat", but that changes quickly with a little exercise. My perceptions so diverge from the skinny conformists that it makes me laugh (with gusto.) Although slim can be ok too. Another thing. I'm very interested in data on hormonal differences in bigger and middle-aged women that make pregnancy tests inaccurate. (I'm nowhere near Methusala's age BTW.) My beliefs are that starting my family now is better and moving towards, well, back towards Eden. Just wondering what might make tests (incl ultrasound) not work in some women. I think it's so cool that I have a better chance of having twins naturally now too - aren't we a marvelous work!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738062031052371885.post-19151638978942562772009-04-29T20:19:00.000-07:002009-04-29T20:19:00.000-07:00Thank you for your comment on BP cuffs, the ladies...Thank you for your comment on BP cuffs, the ladies I care for will thank you too!! Especially with borderline high pressures!!<br /><br />And thank you too for the overall discussion of banned VBAC. Women need to step up and raise hell with ACOG and with the busted malpractice system. <br /><br />Bad doctors need to be stopped by REAL peer review and iatrogenic tragedies need to be re-compensated in a different way. The economic stick is beating the patients not the bad doctors!!Adirondack Autumnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14510975626951181951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738062031052371885.post-86753067660647504862009-02-24T00:36:00.000-08:002009-02-24T00:36:00.000-08:00An excellent question, Lori. I don't have a great...An excellent question, Lori. I don't have a great answer for you, alas.<BR/><BR/>Studies show that around 13 inches is where a larger cuff needs to be used. However, studies also show that error starts to show up earlier than that, just not really as significant an error. Elevated pressures start to happen around 11.5 to 12 inches, iirc. <BR/><BR/>So you are really right there on the border. You could use either. Which you SHOULD do, I really couldn't say. It's a difficult call.<BR/><BR/>The risk of using the smaller cuff is that you might get an elevated pressure that's not really accurate, and get unnecessary treatment with all the risks of that. That can be significant.<BR/><BR/>The risk of using a too-large cuff is that it can underestimate BPs, and so they might miss a problem starting to happen. That might also be worrisome.<BR/><BR/>So really, when you are in that borderline area, you are in no-man's-land. It's really not clear if you should use the smaller or larger cuff in that situation.<BR/><BR/>I'm also on the border of 2 cuff sizes, the large and the thigh cuff. Generally I'm okay with a large cuff and don't need a thigh cuff but if my BP comes out borderline or high, I check the cuff size and if I'm really close to the top cutoff, I ask for the thigh cuff. If I'm not really close to the top cutoff, I stick with the large cuff. Now, my BP has mostly been normal so that's why I err on the side of the larger cuff if in doubt, but if I tended towards significantly high BP I might err on the other side, you know?<BR/><BR/>I don't really know if that's the best course or not, but it seemed a reasonable compromise to me.<BR/><BR/>Sorry I don't have a definitive answer for you; it's a question I've long wondered about myself.Well-Rounded Mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129621631406155340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738062031052371885.post-61865797597053727842009-02-23T09:33:00.000-08:002009-02-23T09:33:00.000-08:00An entry on BP cuffs would be great. I've known a...An entry on BP cuffs would be great. I've known a few other plus-size moms who've had similar issues with the BP cuffs.<BR/><BR/>This is sort of an aside, but I'm thinking of it again because we're about to start trying again. What are the recommendations for cuff size when your arm circumference is on the border? My arm is 12-1/2" around, and I have some doctors who will use a smaller cuff, and some who use a larger cuff. Right now it doesn't matter either way, but obviously it will be more of an issue in a pregnancy. <BR/><BR/>Is it generally safer to err on the side of a larger cuff or a smaller cuff?Lorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18372844766775696414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738062031052371885.post-18816161082048374482009-02-22T12:04:00.000-08:002009-02-22T12:04:00.000-08:00Mai oui, c'est moi. Yup, I'm kmom, and I still ru...Mai oui, c'est moi. <BR/><BR/>Yup, I'm kmom, and I still run my website, www.plus-size-pregnancy.org. The blog takes up more of my time these days but I still work on the website too.<BR/><BR/>I'm glad to hear my website was helpful to you!! Always great to hear feedback like that. I'll have to do a blog entry on BP cuffs one of these days, then link to my website FAQ on the topic. Thanks for the reminder!Well-Rounded Mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129621631406155340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738062031052371885.post-39204424167429044692009-02-22T10:53:00.000-08:002009-02-22T10:53:00.000-08:00I've been reading your blog for a while, but I thi...I've been reading your blog for a while, but I think I just realized that you used to run the Plus-Size Pregnancy website? Are you kmom?<BR/><BR/>If so, I want to give you a huge, hearty thanks for your website. I think I e-mailed you several years back, about how much your website helped me when I was pregnant. I had some high blood pressure readings that caused all sorts of concern, and after reading your site I realized it was likely because the weight I'd gained in the pregnancy was enough to make me need a larger blood pressure cuff. After that my blood pressure readings came down, and I felt empowered to request the larger cuff, even when nurses who I think were trying to be nice would tell me "Oh, you don't need it; you're not that big." I had measured my arm, and I knew what cuff I needed, thanks to your site.<BR/><BR/>Your blog is great. Keep up the good work! I'm actually headed to the doctor tomorrow to get my IUD removed and start trying for #2, and I'm so happy to see that you're still out there advocating for larger pregnant women.Lorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18372844766775696414noreply@blogger.com