tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738062031052371885.post8913096645536896638..comments2024-03-17T10:07:53.205-07:00Comments on The Well-Rounded Mama: Obesity and Weight Gain in Pregnancy, part 3Well-Rounded Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04129621631406155340noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738062031052371885.post-50269908324105464132008-07-29T19:14:00.000-07:002008-07-29T19:14:00.000-07:00Well-Rounded Mama, have you seen this?http://www.a...Well-Rounded Mama, have you seen this?<BR/>http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2004/s1097210.htm<BR/><BR/>It's about a possible cause of pre-eclampsia. I know I've seen plenty of doctors blame weight in fat women with pre-eclampsia, but this is very interesting. (What's the bet that a fat-hatin' doctor would take this and interpret it as "fat women don't get much sex".)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738062031052371885.post-30495947434203181362008-07-29T11:03:00.000-07:002008-07-29T11:03:00.000-07:00This was a wonderful topic for me to read. I am c...This was a wonderful topic for me to read. I am currently 6 months pregnant with my third child. With my first two, I had horrible hyperemesis, and gained less than 10 lbs with each of them, one weighting 7'14 and one weighting 8'8. With this one, oddly enough, I feel great and am able to eat well and exercise regularly. <BR/><BR/>I am shocked at the weight I am gaining, and while my doctors haven't said anything yet, I'm fully bracing myself for when they do... It's nice to hear that there is a range of what is normal for an overweight woman to gain. I do wonder how much it will affect the birth weight of this baby, although, ironically, the perinatologist warned me that I am at a high risk for IUGR this time around.mMmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06788155520700877985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738062031052371885.post-51118521303547397412008-07-29T10:15:00.000-07:002008-07-29T10:15:00.000-07:00Deborah M, try small frequent snacks of protein wi...Deborah M, try small frequent snacks of protein with a little bit of carbs. It may not make you feel hungry and you may still not feel like eating, but it might help you get in the food you need more easily. <BR/><BR/>Many hyperinsulinemic women have issues with low blood sugar or strongly swinging blood sugars (pregnancy makes the insulin issue more volatile), and experience a lot of nausea and general yuck. Eating a little bit of protein every TWO hours can help keep the blood sugar more steady and might even improve how you feel. No promises, it's not a miracle cure, but it might help. And if you are still feeling yucky, acupuncture has actually been shown to be quite successful at mediating nausea issues.<BR/><BR/>Katier10381, you can absolutely have a natural childbirth with a midwife, no matter what your size! Some birth centers have a weight limit, but some do not. And don't forget, a natural hospital birth with a certifed nurse-midwife is still possible, as is a homebirth with a certified professional midwife.<BR/><BR/>I had a home waterbirth with my last child and it was wonderful. I highly recommend waterbirth! I also know of women, "supersized" included, who have had natural childbirths, in the hospital, in birth centers, and at home. <BR/><BR/>For inspirational stories, you can read the "Journey to Motherhood" book (see sidebar on my blog) or the BBW Birth Stories (vaginal births) on my website. Best wishes, and don't give up!Well-Rounded Mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129621631406155340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738062031052371885.post-76891406346168106102008-07-29T09:05:00.000-07:002008-07-29T09:05:00.000-07:00I think that the 'advice' for 'overweight' women t...I think that the 'advice' for 'overweight' women to even gain only fifteen pounds is totally hypocritical. Every pregnancy book I've read has firmly stated that you should not try and lose weight while pregnant, but as you proved, if the *minimum* a woman can put on not including *any* fat stores is seventeen pounds, then how is advising a weight gain of at most fifteen pounds not advocating dieting?<BR/><BR/>I also find it almost laughable to try and control weight when pregnant. It may sound sensible to do so, but now that I'm pregnant myself (first pregnancy, now twenty-seven weeks), I know how ridiculous the idea is. <BR/><BR/>I have hyperinsulinemia, which means I have a very very heightened response to carbs, and when I eat them, I put on weight far in excess of what I 'should' if any of us believed the old 'calories in/calories out' line. I eat low-carb most of the time because of this (and because I feel much better that way, not just because of stabilising my weight). From week 5 of my pregnancy, I couldn't face anything but bland carbs I felt so ill. But between weeks 5 and 13 I threw up so much that I didn't gain any weight - although I also didn't lose, even though I was throwing up 3 times a day, such is my body's reaction to carbs. (I was 158 pounds when I got pregnant, 'overweight' for my height). Then between weeks 13 and 23, still throwing up at least once a day, I gradually gained, until by week 23 I'd already put on 26 pounds - six pounds more than the most I 'should have' at that point. At one point I put on 8 pounds in two weeks because of the carbs.<BR/><BR/>At week 23, I finally felt well enough to begin eating normally for me again. I lost 4 pounds in a week, and since then have regained 2 of them, so that now at week 27, I am in the 'upper range' of what is considered acceptable weight gain for this stage of my pregnancy. Right now I'm dealing with the weirdest experience - no appetite. I've never had no appetite in my life. And so I have to force myself to eat to quell the hunger but I'd really rather not eat anything. Nothing appeals at all (so much for pregnancy cravings!).<BR/><BR/>I don't know how much I'll end up having gained by the time I give birth - it looks from the experience of the last month that it'll end up more in the 'correct' range than I thought it might when I was gaining so rapidly at one point.<BR/><BR/>We all have different bodies, which is why some of us are bigger than others to begin with. And that's the same reason different women react to pregnancy in different ways. I have friends who are skinny who look like they've never given birth six weeks after they've had babies, and other friends who are still carrying extra post baby weight a year on, even though they were not overweight before they got pregnant. To try and guilt women who are already dealing with huge changes in their bodies about weight gain is ridiculous. Advocate healthy nutritious eating for what it will give to the baby - sure - even though that too can prove impossible and guilt inducing for those who are so sick that they just can't eat 'healthy'. But to try and 'control' the amount of weight you are going to gain and at the same time tell women 'but don't diet!' is just stupid. <BR/><BR/>Sorry this is so long!!<BR/><BR/>DeborahAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738062031052371885.post-14460373964620444152008-07-29T07:41:00.000-07:002008-07-29T07:41:00.000-07:00Wow. That was an outstanding series of posts. Tha...Wow. That was an outstanding series of posts. Thanks. I forsee myself printing these off for reference (when I finally conceive, that is).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738062031052371885.post-22087065522343207362008-07-29T06:45:00.000-07:002008-07-29T06:45:00.000-07:00Thank you so much for this series. I'm not at a pl...Thank you so much for this series. I'm not at a place right now where I'm ready to have kids, but it's great to know what resources are available for plus-sized moms-to-be. One question I have is about natural childbirth. For as long as I can remember, I've wanted a natural childbirth, ideally with a midwife attendant, in a birthing center type of place. The reading I've done though makes me concerned that I wouldn't be able to find a midwife willing to work with me, since my weight would automatically classify me as high-risk! This is very upsetting, and I'm wondering if this is true, or if you have any experience with this topic. Thank you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com