Pregnancy post gastric bypass surgery

[taf1700]

Hi all!:wavey:

I had my gastric bypass surgey on 3rd of feb this year. I was almost 22 st then and now Im down to about 14.9st and I found out at the end of July I was pregnant.

I will be 10 weeks into my pregnancy tomorrow and will be having my first scan on wed which will be the 9th of Sept. Im hoping everything will be ok with the baby. Obviously having got pregnant only 5 mounths post opp Im well under the the suggested time scale to be getting pregnant so I do tend to worry alot.:cry:

If anyone else is pregnant following weightloss surgery or has had a baby after surgery I would love to hear from you as I do feel as though I have no support or advice at the moment as my gp and midwife don't seem to be able to help me as they dont seem to have had much experience with gastric bypass surgery and to top it all off I wont be seeing my surgan until after my baby is born in april. :lost:

I last saw him in aug and he said I should see him in June next year as he wont be able to check my progress while Im pregnant.

I would be SO greatful for any tips or advice from anyone.:gen147:

Thanks in advance Tracey.:thankyou:

 

[Caroline101061]

email shelbell - she is pregnant now and due at Christmas.

 

[shelbell]

Hello

I am currently 26 weeks pregnant, fell at 8 months post op. I'm suprised by the attitude of your surgeon, my team are seeing me regularly through the pregnancy!

OK, the most important things are -

Medication, are you taking lanzaprazole or forceval? Neither are good during pregnancy. You should be on a pregnancy multi-vitamin and if you need an antacid omeprazole is better. Make sure your iron levels are checked regularly as you are more likely to develop anaemia.

Tests - Do not let your midwife talk you into the standard glucose tolerance test! It is obviously very unwise post op, as it will lead to a major dump-fest. There is a blood test they can do instead.

Food - This depends on where you are at with your weight loss. I was lucky, I was just above a healthy BMI when I fell so my focus was on not losing any more weight. That said, I'm nearly a stone down since the start of the pregnancy! You need to be eating enough to prevent malnutrition and to allow your baby to develop. This is where your surgical team come in as you should be seeing a dietician who specialises in bariatric patients regularly.

I was assured that the RNY offers no additional risks during pregnancy, and if anything most women have a healthier pregnancy as a result of it. You are far less likely to develop gestational diabetes etc and any weight loss acheived pre-pregnancy will help make you and baby healthier.

Think that's all. It's a scary time at the beginning so feel free to shout any time! I've not found anyone else on mini's who has been through post-op pregnancy so I'm afraid I'm all you're going to get

 

[taf1700]

WOW!!!

Thanks for all that info shelbell.

Can I say your baby is gorgious and congrats on reaching your goal weight.

Anyway, I think I should let you know that I also have a condition Known as P.K.U thats detected shortly after birth with the heal prick that all babies have.

It is quite a serious condition and is treated with a low protien diet but it can cause serious coplications for an unborn baby (in short it could cause servere brain dammage and physical abnormalities). To prevent this I have to be very strict with the amount of protein I take in my diet and gradualy as the baby grows I will be able to take more protein. I have had 2 boys before my surgery and both of them are perfectly fine.

In answer to your previous questions about folic acid, iron and vitamins. Im still taking my multivits and I also take an ameno acid supliment for my P.K.U which is also packed with vitamins iron and more than enough folic acid. I have my bloods checked for vitamins iron and all that other stuff on a monthly basis by my medical team that keep an eye on my P.K.U so they can make sure that it isnt affecting baby.

Is there anything that you struggle with because of the surgery like eating, drinking or sickness? At my local hospital in Bolton they dont use the glucose solution for the GTT they use lucozade. I know this as I have had the test with both my previous pregnancies because there is a family history of diabetese in my family so I know they will want me to have another one this time. Do you think I will be able to take the test with the lucozade. I have drunk Lucozade before and it hasn't caused me any problems appart from a bit of wind and bloating.

Thanks again for your reply and hope everything goes well for you with your pregnancy. xx

 

[PinkDaisy]

Taf can I ask if ur periods were regular before u lost the weight? My heaviest is 22.7 and I am now at 20.4 and had my op a week ago.

We would like to try for a baby when my weight gets a lot lower but at the moment I have no periods due to my weight xx

 

[shelbell]

Hi,

That's not my baby in the ticker, its just a random image that gets updated every week. Here's mine at 22 weeks -

I've struggled with eating enough to maintain my weight, and basically graze on high fat foods all day long! I've been prescribed some high calorie nutritional shakes to help but still no weight gain. I had a hard time with sickness up until about 20 weeks, and still get the odd bout now.

Lucozade would make me dump big time, but we're all different. Dumping won't harm your baby, but it's not great fun for you! I would ask if you can have an alternative test due to the bypass, but I've heard of women being forced to have the GTT!

Hopefully the consultants that are monitoring your P.K.U. will keep an eye on the bariatric side of things for you. I have a long list of health probs and am considered very high risk pregnancy, so see a specialist regularly. Bean will be induced early, any time from 28 weeks, dependant on growth. My obstetrician has been in contact with my surgical team as she hasn't dealt with anyone post bypass before! She's got her head around things now but struggled initially with my very low calorie intake.

Atleast this isn't your first pregnancy, you'll know what's normal and what's not so follow your instincts and you'll be fine. This is my 5th pregnancy, I have an 8 year old son and 3 angels.

 

[taf1700]

Hi PinkDaisy!

Can I say well done on your amazing weightloss. How are you finding life post opp?

I didnt have regular periods before my opp i didnt know when they would appear and my gp wouldn't put me on the pill to regulate them because of my weight.

As my weight dropped my periods did become more regular I had about a 35 day cycle.

Hope this helps and if there is anything else i can help you with just let me know.

Thanks Tracey xx

 

[taf1700]

Hi again Shelbell

Thanks for that I will ask about an alternitive test for my GTT.

Im also struggling to stabilize my weight my dietition that monitors my P.K.U keeps increasing my Calorie supliment that I add to my ameno acid supliment but it still keeps creeping down.

Im quite lucky as I haven't sufferd any morning sickness and didn't with my first 2 pregnancies but I do feel a little queezy if I try to force food or drink down in an attempt to eat enough for baby.

Oh and your real baby is gorgious too. Lol.

Thanks Tracey xx

 

[Lady_in_London]

Hi all!:wavey:

I had my gastric bypass surgey on 3rd of feb this year. I was almost 22 st then and now Im down to about 14.9st and I found out at the end of July I was pregnant.

I will be 10 weeks into my pregnancy tomorrow and will be having my first scan on wed which will be the 9th of Sept. Im hoping everything will be ok with the baby. Obviously having got pregnant only 5 mounths post opp Im well under the the suggested time scale to be getting pregnant so I do tend to worry alot.:cry:

If anyone else is pregnant following weightloss surgery or has had a baby after surgery I would love to hear from you as I do feel as though I have no support or advice at the moment as my gp and midwife don't seem to be able to help me as they dont seem to have had much experience with gastric bypass surgery and to top it all off I wont be seeing my surgan until after my baby is born in april. :lost:

I last saw him in aug and he said I should see him in June next year as he wont be able to check my progress while Im pregnant.

I would be SO greatful for any tips or advice from anyone.:gen147:

Thanks in advance Tracey.:thankyou:

Wow - you have lost an amazing amount and congrats on being pregnant. I am surprised at your surgeon's attitude. He should see you and make sure your diet is ok, or at least he should refer you urgently to the team's dietician. Your baby will be taking the nutrients and you need them too, so you should have a blood test. Your surgeon should be liaising with your obstetrician and midwife, together with your wls dietician. You should make an appointment. Well done again.