Weight loss Surgery and Pregnancy
Well surprise, surprise. I remember I had a chiropractor appointment close to Christmas and the doctor asked me what I wanted from Santa. I actually gave it some thought. I have 2 wonderful children, a beautiful home, a supportive partner. I didn't need/want/care about material items. I really felt blessed, lucky and fulfilled. I replied with "nothing" I have everything I want and need. Well on Christmas morning Santa decided that our family wasn't quite complete and that I needed a baby for Christmas.
When I saw the positive line...I was honestly scared shitless. This may sound a little selfish but some thoughts about what was going to happen to my body after all the weightloss and all the hard work I put into my lifestyle change. I gained 70-90lbs with each of my pregnancies in the past. I was already struggling with the Y closing down and finding a regular work out routine.....I had a 10lbs regain. What about the races I had signed up for? 15km Hot Chocolate, Foam Fest, Rugged Maniac, Tough Mudder along with the hotels booked and paid for. What about the the townhouse I just bought,,,,,it's only a 3 bedroom. Where is the baby going to go? What about time off work? With EI my income will be cut by 3/4 and I am the" breadwinner". What about daycare? Diapers? Formula? Baby stuff?
Once the news settled in this pregnancy became really exciting for me. I had tried for 8 years after my daughter to have more children but was diagnosed with an infertility disorder. I always wanted more children but had come comfortable with the fact that is just wasn't going to happen. I was past the baby making stage and onto raising teenagers. The thought of having more children would still cross my mind from time to time. I had pondered about being a surrogate, I missed the feeling of a baby kicking and growing inside. I had decided against it as I had placed a baby for adoption and I didn't know how being a surrogate would effect my emotions. I then started looking into egg donation.....but then I discovered I had my own bundle of joy growing inside me.
When I saw the positive line...I was honestly scared shitless. This may sound a little selfish but some thoughts about what was going to happen to my body after all the weightloss and all the hard work I put into my lifestyle change. I gained 70-90lbs with each of my pregnancies in the past. I was already struggling with the Y closing down and finding a regular work out routine.....I had a 10lbs regain. What about the races I had signed up for? 15km Hot Chocolate, Foam Fest, Rugged Maniac, Tough Mudder along with the hotels booked and paid for. What about the the townhouse I just bought,,,,,it's only a 3 bedroom. Where is the baby going to go? What about time off work? With EI my income will be cut by 3/4 and I am the" breadwinner". What about daycare? Diapers? Formula? Baby stuff?
Once the news settled in this pregnancy became really exciting for me. I had tried for 8 years after my daughter to have more children but was diagnosed with an infertility disorder. I always wanted more children but had come comfortable with the fact that is just wasn't going to happen. I was past the baby making stage and onto raising teenagers. The thought of having more children would still cross my mind from time to time. I had pondered about being a surrogate, I missed the feeling of a baby kicking and growing inside. I had decided against it as I had placed a baby for adoption and I didn't know how being a surrogate would effect my emotions. I then started looking into egg donation.....but then I discovered I had my own bundle of joy growing inside me.
Because this was a joyous surprise and I don't get my periods regularly I had no idea how far along I was. I got to go for a dating ultrasound and our little one was swimming around like crazy. I was given a due date of August 25, 2018 and I was currently 9 weeks along. When Dave and I saw the little one on the screen we had tears in our eyes and were completely in love. We quickly gave a nickname of "Peanut" because it looked like a little peanut.
My daughter is 10 and she is absolutely thrilled about being a big sister. She is really hoping that Peanut is a girl because she already has 2 brothers. The things she says to me cracks me up. "When I'm 20 Peanut will be 10 and I won't get to live with them any more" This was her biggest worry. My reply was " Don't worry Dear, Peanut can come to your house for sleepovers" She is always asking about Peanut, she got to hear the heartbeat at the doctors office and she will be coming to the next ultrasound when we hopefully find out the sex.
My son is excited as well. He has been asking to babysit. But of course him being a teen boy doesn't quite have the same excitement as my daughter.
August still seems so far away, it's hard to believe I'm 20 weeks already (5 months). I've got a little baby bump but for the most part I can hide it and don't even look pregnant. I actually squeezed into my size 8 skinny jeans on the weekend. Movement started at week 18. It's pretty cool to feel the long stretches and the swift kicks. This baby has definitely been the most active out of all of my pregnancies. Dave has been able to feel some little kicks as well. Seeing the smile on his face when he can feel what I feel makes my heart feel so full and warm. I know he is nervous about being a first time dad but one of his most attractive qualities was seeing how he interacts with his baby neice and nephews.
My daughter is 10 and she is absolutely thrilled about being a big sister. She is really hoping that Peanut is a girl because she already has 2 brothers. The things she says to me cracks me up. "When I'm 20 Peanut will be 10 and I won't get to live with them any more" This was her biggest worry. My reply was " Don't worry Dear, Peanut can come to your house for sleepovers" She is always asking about Peanut, she got to hear the heartbeat at the doctors office and she will be coming to the next ultrasound when we hopefully find out the sex.
My son is excited as well. He has been asking to babysit. But of course him being a teen boy doesn't quite have the same excitement as my daughter.
August still seems so far away, it's hard to believe I'm 20 weeks already (5 months). I've got a little baby bump but for the most part I can hide it and don't even look pregnant. I actually squeezed into my size 8 skinny jeans on the weekend. Movement started at week 18. It's pretty cool to feel the long stretches and the swift kicks. This baby has definitely been the most active out of all of my pregnancies. Dave has been able to feel some little kicks as well. Seeing the smile on his face when he can feel what I feel makes my heart feel so full and warm. I know he is nervous about being a first time dad but one of his most attractive qualities was seeing how he interacts with his baby neice and nephews.
With my weightloss and being in really good health I really thought this pregnancy would be a breeze. Once I got past the first trimester it was like a whirlwind hit me. My family doc referred me to a clinic for some extra prenatal care due to my age, weightloss surgery and past history of pre-eclampsia. This turned into a huge mountain.
The prenatal clinic then sent me to internal medicine because of the weightloss surgery which in turn sent me to the diabetes clinic. I had 1 urine test come back high in sugar so that put me at risk for gestational diabetes. I now have 2 family doctors, 3 specialists and an intern looking after me. I thought this was all a little much as other then regular pregnancy symptoms I am feeling fine. My blood pressure has been fine, I have generally been healthy. I ended up not pursuing the diabetic clinic as all the specialists are an hour and half away from home. That paired with time off work and 10$ parking it wasn't feesable to travel there twice a week. I am now currently testing 4 times a day with a glucometer. I can't do the glucose tolerance test because of the weightloss surgery, due to the sugar content it can cause dumping syndrome and worse case put me in the hospital. Also due to the weightloss surgery my family doctor told me the A1C would not be an accurate test, So I do have to say I really have sympathy for diabetics.
There is nothing fun having to stick yourself with a needle 4 times a day. On top of everything else my blood work came back that I am anemic so I am currently waiting for the hospital to call me to set up IV iron infusions. My weightloss program also wants to start seeing me again because I am pregnant. So as you can imagine with all these appointments and doctors life has been pretty overwhelming lately. I keep telling myself it's only 4 more months.
The prenatal clinic then sent me to internal medicine because of the weightloss surgery which in turn sent me to the diabetes clinic. I had 1 urine test come back high in sugar so that put me at risk for gestational diabetes. I now have 2 family doctors, 3 specialists and an intern looking after me. I thought this was all a little much as other then regular pregnancy symptoms I am feeling fine. My blood pressure has been fine, I have generally been healthy. I ended up not pursuing the diabetic clinic as all the specialists are an hour and half away from home. That paired with time off work and 10$ parking it wasn't feesable to travel there twice a week. I am now currently testing 4 times a day with a glucometer. I can't do the glucose tolerance test because of the weightloss surgery, due to the sugar content it can cause dumping syndrome and worse case put me in the hospital. Also due to the weightloss surgery my family doctor told me the A1C would not be an accurate test, So I do have to say I really have sympathy for diabetics.
There is nothing fun having to stick yourself with a needle 4 times a day. On top of everything else my blood work came back that I am anemic so I am currently waiting for the hospital to call me to set up IV iron infusions. My weightloss program also wants to start seeing me again because I am pregnant. So as you can imagine with all these appointments and doctors life has been pretty overwhelming lately. I keep telling myself it's only 4 more months.
3rd Trimester
It's hard to believe I'm on the final stretch already. My due date is August 25, 2018 but my doctor is wanting to do an induction the 2nd week of August so that means I have about 5 weeks left until I meet this sweet precious baby girl.
I have to say up until about 2 weeks ago generally speaking this pregnancy has been relatively easy. I haven't gained much weight overall, my baby bump doesn't look overly large although now a days I can hardly breath and am so out of breath. I had a decent amount of nausea with a side of vomiting and lots of headaches, but all normal pregnancy things and I can't really say it has been hard.
Now after saying that, these last 2 weeks have been anything but fun. I was crippled with nausea and vomiting worse then ever. Funny thing is I had an appetite. When I would eat I would puke or after 2/3 bites feel like I was about to puke yet be so hungry I felt like I was starving but just couldn't get food in or to stay in.
CONTRACTIONS!!!!! OMG!!! The internet is lies!!!! Painless, gentle tightening my ass!!! There has been about 2 occasions now where I thought the real deal was about to happen. I've had some serious ongoing contractions for 3 hours at a time last about 2 mins coming every minute apart. The braxton hicks I have been experiencing have gone from about 2-3 times a week to daily.
This week has been a scary week. I think I have been a bit naive. With a relatively quiet pregnancy, being in the best shape of my life going into it I really thought I would fly through and thought all the doctors were over reacting and I didn't need all the specialist's and medical attention I have been receiving. Well it sure has been an eye opener. I spent some time in the hospital in the maternity unit because I suffered from something called a hypoglycemic episode. I had stopped testing my sugars because everything was fine and I was in the green. Recently I was refered to an OBYGN who requested I start testing again. For the 1st week my sugars were all normal and stable. Again I figured this was pointless I'm in the clear, I hate sticking myself with a needle 4X a days and for what?? Well this week is reason to continue. My sugars have been all over the place.
With this hypoglycemic episode I had no idea what was happening. For about 30 mins I was feeling a little off. Kinda light headed, almost like I might pass out. Then bang! I started shaking, sweating, my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest, I couldn't think properly. My hear rate was at 50/55 yet my blood pressure spiked to 148/88 (normal for me is 117-125/70-75), my sugars were testing high that day and I went from a 10.7 to 3.1 in an hour. I called my doctor and was told to go to the hospital. They hooked me up to all the machines. Did a non-stress test and basically monitored me and got me stabalized. Baby is fine and happy as can be...that was the main thing. The doctor on the maternity ward doesn't know why this happened and said it may happen again. I tell you it put the scare into me and I need to take my health more seriously.
I feel like a bit of a pussy. Being pregnant at 260-350lbs I never felt like I was done, or it was hard to breath. Looking at others around me they are working until the day they go into labour, or week before. At 32 weeks gestation I feel like I am done. I feel HUGE, it's hard to breath, I have no energy, I can't bend over, 1 flight of stairs and I'm breathing like I just ran a marathon, the pressure on my pubic bone makes it hard to walk at times, contractions that I have to breathe thru, my boobs burn, hemmroids, her kicks hurt...they aren't the gentle little flutters any more. These last 2 weeks have been really hard and taken a toll on me. I actually feel like I'm done and some days I don't think I can handle it but I don't have a choice, she isn't ready yet. I feel defeated that I'm feeling like things are so hard right now when so many other women are chasing their toddlers, walking and exercising. I have to keep in mind everyone is different, every pregnancy is different and I'm 37 years old. I'm not the 22/25 year old that I was the last time. Even simple tasks such as cleaning the house are so difficult to accomplish.
So as I approach the end it comes with yet another specialist added to my list. 3 doctor appointments this week, an ultrasound and lab work. I'm excited to see this little princess on the screen again. The last time she was bum down so I'm really hopping we are head down now. We have the crib set up for her now and her hospital bag packed. I can honestly say that I feel so blessed that God chose me to be Bronwyn's mom and I can't wait to hold this little girl in my arms.
I have to say up until about 2 weeks ago generally speaking this pregnancy has been relatively easy. I haven't gained much weight overall, my baby bump doesn't look overly large although now a days I can hardly breath and am so out of breath. I had a decent amount of nausea with a side of vomiting and lots of headaches, but all normal pregnancy things and I can't really say it has been hard.
Now after saying that, these last 2 weeks have been anything but fun. I was crippled with nausea and vomiting worse then ever. Funny thing is I had an appetite. When I would eat I would puke or after 2/3 bites feel like I was about to puke yet be so hungry I felt like I was starving but just couldn't get food in or to stay in.
CONTRACTIONS!!!!! OMG!!! The internet is lies!!!! Painless, gentle tightening my ass!!! There has been about 2 occasions now where I thought the real deal was about to happen. I've had some serious ongoing contractions for 3 hours at a time last about 2 mins coming every minute apart. The braxton hicks I have been experiencing have gone from about 2-3 times a week to daily.
This week has been a scary week. I think I have been a bit naive. With a relatively quiet pregnancy, being in the best shape of my life going into it I really thought I would fly through and thought all the doctors were over reacting and I didn't need all the specialist's and medical attention I have been receiving. Well it sure has been an eye opener. I spent some time in the hospital in the maternity unit because I suffered from something called a hypoglycemic episode. I had stopped testing my sugars because everything was fine and I was in the green. Recently I was refered to an OBYGN who requested I start testing again. For the 1st week my sugars were all normal and stable. Again I figured this was pointless I'm in the clear, I hate sticking myself with a needle 4X a days and for what?? Well this week is reason to continue. My sugars have been all over the place.
With this hypoglycemic episode I had no idea what was happening. For about 30 mins I was feeling a little off. Kinda light headed, almost like I might pass out. Then bang! I started shaking, sweating, my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest, I couldn't think properly. My hear rate was at 50/55 yet my blood pressure spiked to 148/88 (normal for me is 117-125/70-75), my sugars were testing high that day and I went from a 10.7 to 3.1 in an hour. I called my doctor and was told to go to the hospital. They hooked me up to all the machines. Did a non-stress test and basically monitored me and got me stabalized. Baby is fine and happy as can be...that was the main thing. The doctor on the maternity ward doesn't know why this happened and said it may happen again. I tell you it put the scare into me and I need to take my health more seriously.
I feel like a bit of a pussy. Being pregnant at 260-350lbs I never felt like I was done, or it was hard to breath. Looking at others around me they are working until the day they go into labour, or week before. At 32 weeks gestation I feel like I am done. I feel HUGE, it's hard to breath, I have no energy, I can't bend over, 1 flight of stairs and I'm breathing like I just ran a marathon, the pressure on my pubic bone makes it hard to walk at times, contractions that I have to breathe thru, my boobs burn, hemmroids, her kicks hurt...they aren't the gentle little flutters any more. These last 2 weeks have been really hard and taken a toll on me. I actually feel like I'm done and some days I don't think I can handle it but I don't have a choice, she isn't ready yet. I feel defeated that I'm feeling like things are so hard right now when so many other women are chasing their toddlers, walking and exercising. I have to keep in mind everyone is different, every pregnancy is different and I'm 37 years old. I'm not the 22/25 year old that I was the last time. Even simple tasks such as cleaning the house are so difficult to accomplish.
So as I approach the end it comes with yet another specialist added to my list. 3 doctor appointments this week, an ultrasound and lab work. I'm excited to see this little princess on the screen again. The last time she was bum down so I'm really hopping we are head down now. We have the crib set up for her now and her hospital bag packed. I can honestly say that I feel so blessed that God chose me to be Bronwyn's mom and I can't wait to hold this little girl in my arms.