Being Overweight And Loosing Weight In Pregnancy

Being overweight before falling pregnant with this pregnancy it would be fair to say I was anxious about pregnancy weight gain.

In my previous 2 pregnancies I had gained almost 5 stones in each one and back in 2012-2013 I finally won the battle and got down to my pre pregnancy weight after my second child only to decide to stop smoking and then gain it back again in 2013 -2014. 

Having had abdominal surgery for my adhesions on my previous section scar in 2014 and then gallbladder surgery in March this year, we knew this year we would love to get pregnant and we fell fairly quickly after my gallbladder surgery finding out in June that we were expecting the newest member of the family. 

After the initial excitement I am not afraid to admit I did begin to panic, being one of the tiny percentage of people who SPD never gets better from it after pregnancy, my pelvis is already damaged and awaiting surgery to repair, however the consultant won’t consider it till we have finished having children so it’s a catch 22 but being at my heaviest on finding out we were pregnant I was terrified of the weight gain and did lots of research. 

Throughout my Midwife appointments and hospital consultants appointments the fact I have a high BMI was brought up over and over again and this pressure actually helped me decide that this pregnancy I would be proactive at making healthier choices and not eating for the sake of it which is prime cause for my weight gain through my adult life. 

The first few months I struggled to eat as healthily as I should with morning sickness but as I crept into month 4, 5 and 6 it became far easier. I gave up snacking after 6pm and decided instead of steadfast times for breakfast lunch and tea I went for eating when I was hungry and being more aware of what I was consuming in a day and making changes to ensure it was fairly varied. 

My pregnancy cravings nearly scuppered this well-known carb fiend as I developed a love of cheese sandwiches but staved off eating 3 at a time I ate one at a time and tried to stick to a max of one a day (although on a couple of days there was no subsiding it!)

My prime objective from the beginning was to eat well but not gain too much weight as I knew I would be having a caesarean section and high BMI’s and surgery are not a good mix so when I saw my consultant a few weeks ago and had a check up at 8 months pregnant she was just as thrilled with my weight as I was having only gained 4kgs (8lbs 13ozs) for the whole 8 months! 

Obviously this still means I am overweight, I am no fool but it certainly means that after baby is born in a couple of weeks I will be lighter than before I was pregnant by the time he is born and the fluid, placenta and baby have gone. 

I am feeling very proud of myself right now at how just being more positive and aware has helped me to healthier this pregnancy. 

However if you are embarking on weight loss in pregnancy it really is a must that you take medical advice first as it is not right for everyone and to be fully aware of what you are doing with the right support as starving a growing unborn baby is not the way to go about it! 

There is some super information on the NHS website about being overweight and pregnant but do make sure you speak to your midwife before you embark on anything first.