Is it safe to get pregnant soon after lap band surgery?

[navywife86 0]

Hi, My name is Nicole and I just joined this site. I was banded on May 26th and i've had only one fill..working on getting a 2nd scheduled because I have absolutely no restriction and am relying only on my will power, which Isn't perfect but I'd say im doing ok. I've lost 35lbs so far and i've had no complications. Basically, i'm considering getting pregnant soon and am concerned about possible weight gain. I've heard of many women managing to loose weight still during pregnancy and they have perfectly healthy little ones. Im 24 and I have a 16 month old son who is amazing =). My husband and I conceived him very easily and almost immediately. I also had zero health problems or complications during my pregnancy..not even any normal pregnancy symptoms ( morning sickness, back pain, heart burn, swollen feet..ect) however I did gain about 40lbs with him and so the thought of gaining all that back scares me. At my heaviest I was 315lbs and 9 months prego. i know the doctors recommend waiting at least a year before getting prego but its becoming more and more important to me to keep my children close in age. We are a military family and with all the moving around that comes with that Im realizing more and more that I want my son to have a sibling to bond with during hard times( first day at a new school, leaving friends behind, daddy going on deployments...ect) I'm a pretty healthy person..even at my heaviest I had no health problems. I would appreciate any similar stories or advice from women already pregnant or gone through a pregnancy while banded. =)

[aliciab 8]

I can only say that my doctor feels that it's up to my OB/GYN. If they feel I'm healthy enough to have a baby then I have his blessing. It doesn't matter if I've been banded a 2 months or a year. That's just my doctor though.

[MelindaH 3]

Hi, My name is Nicole and I just joined this site. I was banded on May 26th and i've had only one fill..working on getting a 2nd scheduled because I have absolutely no restriction and am relying only on my will power, which Isn't perfect but I'd say im doing ok. I've lost 35lbs so far and i've had no complications. Basically, i'm considering getting pregnant soon and am concerned about possible weight gain. I've heard of many women managing to loose weight still during pregnancy and they have perfectly healthy little ones. Im 24 and I have a 16 month old son who is amazing =). My husband and I conceived him very easily and almost immediately. I also had zero health problems or complications during my pregnancy..not even any normal pregnancy symptoms ( morning sickness, back pain, heart burn, swollen feet..ect) however I did gain about 40lbs with him and so the thought of gaining all that back scares me. At my heaviest I was 315lbs and 9 months prego. i know the doctors recommend waiting at least a year before getting prego but its becoming more and more important to me to keep my children close in age. We are a military family and with all the moving around that comes with that Im realizing more and more that I want my son to have a sibling to bond with during hard times( first day at a new school, leaving friends behind, daddy going on deployments...ect) I'm a pretty healthy person..even at my heaviest I had no health problems. I would appreciate any similar stories or advice from women already pregnant or gone through a pregnancy while banded. =)

Hon, I know you want more children but I would seriously encourage you to wait. The clinic I am using requires that you use contraception for two years. Since I am done having children that wasn't a concern for me. But I am certainly not qyalified to give you medical advice. Please work with your surgeon and your OB/GYN. They are the only ones qualified to give you medical advice. I sincerely wish you all the best. Please thank your husband for me for serving our country. HUGS

Melinda

[navywife86 0]

I can only say that my doctor feels that it's up to my OB/GYN. If they feel I'm healthy enough to have a baby then I have his blessing. It doesn't matter if I've been banded a 2 months or a year. That's just my doctor though.

i know i'm healthy enough to conceive and have a normal pregnancy...i'm just worried about my doctor wanting to unfill me all the way and then i'll end up gaining all kinds of weight..i'm mostly wondering what other women have experienced during their pregnancy...i'd like to have a healthy child of course but i'd like to also keep loosing weight and i'm wondering if having both is possible.

[TracyW2 137]

I got pregnancy 4 months after being banded. I had no issues related to my band with my pregnancy.

[navywife86 0]

I got pregnancy 4 months after being banded. I had no issues related to my band with my pregnancy.

did you gain a lot of weight? thats my main concern

[MyDay2Shine 1]

I got pregnant 1 year after my band surgery. My baby is perfect. My incisions hurt like hell while my belly was stretching, but I gained 80 pounds. Nobody needs to gain that much, I was obviously making poor choices. My surgeons PA gave me a half unfill and I should have never agreed to that. Of course the PA was not the one making my crappy food & portion choices, I did that all myself... But like I said my baby is perfect and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat (with better food choices). Having a baby is one of many reasons I got banded in the first place. Make the choice that is right for you!

[HeatherO 7]

I got banded in January '08 and got pregnant the same year in September . I had already lost almost all of my excess weight and was pregnant within 2 weeks of going off the pill.

For me, it was a mistake. I got really sick with the pregnancy and had a lot of problems with my band. I had to go in for several emergency unfills due to sporadic tightness where I couldn't drink Water. I had a slip while in the hospital after having the baby in June. I had my band replaced in September of '09. I am now 30 weeks pregnant with my second band baby and am not gaining any weight, frequently sick, having band problems.

Some of us are fine with pregnancy and the band, some of us have a lot of complications. Several people I knew who were banded and pregnant at the same time as me in '08/'09 also had band complications during pregnancy and required resurgery.

My personal opinion is that it is better to let your body adjust to banding for at least 1 or 2 years before putting your body through the strains of pregnancy. If I could go back, I would have changed the timing.

If it is more important to have children quickly then to be banded for right now, it would be better to put off banding until you can really focus on it. On the other hand, if you are already banded, the difference of waiting at least 1 year post banding to have a baby is not such a big sacrifice when you think about it.