Hi all!!!

Im Nikki and Im newly preggers!!! Super excited but at the same time deathly afraid bc Ive heard everyones horror stories!!! Im obviously very overweight and its a blessingthat this has happened! Can someone please give me advice or tell me a positive story about being overweight and pregnant, or even tell me what to do or shouldnt do BC im overweight?!! any help would be fantastic!!! I also still wanna continue to eat healthy and exercise. I recently lost 15 lbs. I am 5.5 weeks prego..............

Hello! Congratulations!

I was in the overweight category when I got pregnant with my first, and probably obese with my second (got pregnant right away after the first). Everything went fine. I definitely had my fair share of aches and pains throughout the pregnancies, especially the 2nd. I don't know how much of that was because of the extra weight, but I would guess that didn't help things much. I also didn't do much in terms of physical activity, and I'm sure that didn't help much either. I would say to try to stay active at least a little...go for walks, that kind of thing.

I never had anything like gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, or anything else.

Definitely let your doctor know your concerns. S/he can probably refer you to a nutritionist and provide advice about how much weight you should gain and how to eat while pregnant.

Oh, and a BIG piece of advice I wish I had. When I was pregnant with my first, I had morning sickness pretty bad and lost a couple of pounds in the first trimester. Then in my second trimester I REALLY made up for it. Man. I think one month I gained 9 pounds and that really freaked me out. What I wished someone told me was that the weight gain would not continue on that level in the 3rd trimester. I put on almost all my weight in the 2nd trimester. (That's not exactly how it happened the second time around, the 2nd and 3rd trimesters were almost switched).

When all was said and done, I gained about the same weight both pregnancies, even though the pattern was different. I think the body kind of knows what it needs to do. So talk to your doctor and nutritionist about the best way to eat, but don't necessarily get stressed out about it either. You have enough to worry about when you're pregnant!

Anyway, I'll stop babbling now. Good luck!

I know exactly how you are feeling. I have had three successful pregnancies and with each I was very overweight (over 200 lbs). But each of my babies were healthy and beautiful.

One thing I would say is to try not to gain much weight during your pregnancy.
Eat healthy, but don't try to lose weight unless your doctor recommends it. I think with each of my pregnancies I gained less than 15 pounds. DO NOT allow people to tell you that "you're eating for two" and you should have that extra brownie! That sweet little life is the exact reason you should be healthy, because you have more reason than ever to be around for a very long time!

I am preaching to myself here too, because I have three beautiful kiddos and I need to be healthy for them! Anyways, try not to worry and work on being healthy for your little bundle of joy! HTH!

The best place for advice is from your doctor. Ask him/her, don't be shy , they have heard everything.

my advice - keep exercising! I was about 190 when I had my son (8.5 months ago). I exercised the whole time (treadmill, biking, walking, weights), got up to 225. I ended up having a c-section but recovered soooo quickly and am now down 40 pounds. With my daughter (4 yo) - I did NO exercise and recovery was horrible!

thanks so much!!!

Im not shy at all!!!! I just have to wait 3 more weeks till i can get into the drs! lol I just wanna hear good stories instead of horror stories lol. I wanna know that it is possible for overweight women to have a successful pregnancy and a healthy baby, thats all

I weighed over 250 when I delivered baby #1 and I weigh 252 now, 13 weeks along with #2.

Avoiding too much weight gain is good, but don't put yourself into a tizzy about it. Stress is bad. Whoever said you're NOT eating for 2 is right. You're eating for one and a little bit. We're talking about 200-300 calories per day, that's not a lot!!

Enjoy being pregnant, don't freak out about the things you can't control. It's such a privilege, IMO.

One of the best things my midwife told me this last pregnancy was to just continue to eat healthy and exercise as I had been as long as it wasn't anything strenuous ( i was mostly walking for exercise when I got pg). I was 225 when I got pg and then I was *super* sick for 24 weeks I delivered DS2 at 233 lbs.

All I can offer is similar to what is above, and to remember that you are not "eating for two" in a literal sense. Many women (not just overweight, this is quite an epidemic) gain far too much weight in pregnancy because they completely let go and that can lead to serious complications. I'm not sure if you have ever seen a woman with GD (gestational diabetes) but I have a few friends that got it (partly from excessive weight gain) and their labours were quite traumatic and scary. You may lose the drive to eat well and workout in the first trimester - this is normal - when the sickness goes away, you will get back into it (late first tri, second tri).

And if you are 5.5 weeks... dry toast dry crackers And enjoy it (well, at least try to after the nausea goes away). It goes fast.

I'm 26 weeks.

Sacha~ Congrats girly!!!!!! thanks for the advice. I have pretty much been sticking to the plan I was on before finding out w a lil more cals here and there not many though. I was walking 4.5 miles a day and now can barely get up the strength to do one thats scary lol

Good Luck and we should keep in touch!!

Hey, one mile is just fine I worked out almost daily for 6 years straight but not in my 1st trimester. It's a really hard time with the fatigue and sickness. Just do what you can, your body will let you know what is right and what isn't

Don't push yourself too hard You're growing a baby, it's a lot of work and it's completely okay to be tired and need to rest more!

Very true. In the first trimester I fluctuated my workout depending on how I felt. Some days I would do 30 minutes and others I would do a whole hour. Some I would even drop the speed. Some days I was so beat that I couldn't do it.
Don't beat yourself over it, do what you can.

Hi,

I am new to this forum, but wanted to offer my 2 cents! One thing my doctor recommended was to not let yourself get hungry, this aggrevates morning sickness. Don't eat all the time, but with most preggers getting hungry brings on morning sickness. Not sure if it's true, but I was so sick for the first 20 weeks and when I followed her advice it got a lot better! But as always, what works for one may not work for another.

As everyone has said, definitely keep up the walking. When I got pregnant with my first I was also in the process of losing weight. I met with a nutritionist and the plan I was following was perfectly acceptable to continue during my pregnancy. It provided all the nutritional value I needed, starting in my second trimester I added roughly 200-300 calories more per day. This was enough to provide the extra nourishment my body needed. Worked for me and I delivered a healthy baby boy and only gained 10 lbs my whole pregnancy. Plus, the good news is if you follow a sensible diet and exercise program throughout, losing the baby weight is a ton easier!

One last bit of advice, don't listen to everyone's horror stories. Most pregnancies and deliveries are complication free. Please remember that your experience will be unlike anyone else's and stressing about "what others have gone through" isn't helping! Relax and enjoy your journey!

Take care,
Losing It In Colorado

Hi Nikki-Congrats!!! i myself am expecting while overweight and suffering from PCOS-(i say suffering cause of the weight gain...) haha. But i am 13 wks along and have had so far, no probs. I was sick through most of it so far, so i have lost about 4 lbs. My dr seemed more concerned that i had lost weight, rather than i am overweight. The best advice ive seen so far is to talk to your dr..i saw you have to wait 3 wks (tough!!), but once you get there, and see your little baby it will all be worth it! good luck!!