Hi everyone. I recently found out that I am pregnant (yay!!) and due in March. I had my band surgery November '05 and I've had 2 fills so far... 1cc each time (4cc band). I have no restriction, only the occasional "almost PB" when I eat something dry. I was down 12 lbs, but now that I am bloated and holding Water weight, I'm down about 5 from my original surgery weight. I know I'm going to need more fills to lose weight, and before we found out we are pregnant, I was planning a fill.

So, do you think it's smart to get a fill while pregnant? Do you think my doc will even consider? I don't want to gain more than the recommended 20-30 lbs, and I definitely wouldn't be getting the fill to LOSE weight while pregnant.... just make it easier to keep things under control. Ya know?

Honest opinions welcome. TIA :help:

Anyone?

Personally I think you would be better off waiting for the fill and seeing how especially the first trimester goes. In my opinion, the band is already in place, and will still be there when the pregnancy is over, ready for you to get filled and get on with it. Right now tho, your body has more important work to do! The obvious thing to do is discuss it with your Dr... but as I say, I would wait til I had my sweet baby in my arms, then worry about it! You have incentive now to eat right, it is amazing even before birth the things we can do for them (our children) that we won't do for ourselves!! Congratulations, and I wish you a wonderful pregnancy!

Kat

My OB/GYN told me that her 1st lap band patient who was pregnant didn't have any of her fill removed during her entire pregnancy. She was properly restricted and was able to get enough nutrition for both her and her baby. You may wish to speak to your OB/GYN and your surgeon to see what they recommend.

First off, Congrats on your pregnancy!! I think I would keep the restriction that you have to make sure that you dont' gain a bunch of weight--that is what I am planning on doing. Your body will hold on to some lbs naturally for the baby but the band should help keep you in check from gaining 50 or more. As long as you are able to eat all important foods that your baby needs, then I don't see how a fill can hurt you. I probably would wait until after the baby is born to get any further fills at this point though. Your baby needs all the nourishment you can give him/her. Good luck to you!!

~Liz~

03/10/06

241/190/150ish

5'7''

one of my banded bridesmaids JUST had her baby in may and she had been banded alomost 3 years...

during the first trimester...she had great restrction. she was quite ill with morning sickness and vomited ALOT. it caused her band to tightent up and she got a .4 unfill. this left her with no restriction.

as she moved along in her pregnancy the morning sickness got better and she wanted a fill. dr said no! she was mad but as time went on and she got closer to her date she got tighter and tighter...almost to the point of shutting off completely!

she had made an appt for a fill 1 week after delivery, she went a week early so she had 2 weeks before her first fill. the gave her .4 (what they had removed originally) she was TO TIGHT!!! her body was still swollen and she went 1 week with her band WAY TO TIGHT. when she went in to the dr she was vomiting blood and they took ALL her fill out. her breast milk dried up because she was so dehydrated.

what i learned from her:

you should be loose enough that you could vomit daily without causing to much pressure on the band. not sweet spot restriction.

during the last 3 months your restriction could change and get progressivly tighter.

out band dr said she WOULD have filled her a SMALL fill is she hadnt been retaining SOOOOO much Water.

i would like tricia said talk to your OBgyn and surgeon. everyone is different!

CONGRATS!!!!

I would hope your doctor wouldnt do it. If you can keep to about 1500 calories a day you'll be able to eat enough to nourish yourself and your baby but you'll probably lose weight as well, holding the scale steadyish, or having a small gain but losing body fat.

I wasnt banded when I was pregnant but with my doctors blessing I stuck to about 28 weight watchers points a day and gained about 4kg for the entire pregnancy, two weeks after Eliza was born I was 10kg less than when I'd conceived her. She was a healthy 9lb baby, so she didnt do without anything.

You never know either, to me being banded feels almost exactly like being pregnant with Eliza felt - she was a weirdly positioned breech baby - I could eat more than a mouthful or two at a time with her as I just had no stomach capacity whatsoever (lets not even talk about the heartburn and reflux). It literally fell off me in my last trimester.

Congratulations on your pregnancy, and there's no reason for it to spell disaster to your diet or long term weight plans.

I just had a baby 3 months ago and I had to get an unfill when I found out that I was pregant. My start weight when I found out that I was pregnant was 204 and I went up to 228 and I am 3 months out and I am 197. Don't get a fill, dieting when you are pregnant isnt good for the baby. I was filled to 2.2 cc and took some out to 1.1 and I could still eat very little, it also helped that I never craved anything and if I did I could'nt eat it. E-mail me if you have any questions.

during the first trimester...she had great restrction. she was quite ill with morning sickness and vomited ALOT. it caused her band to tightent up and she got a .4 unfill. this left her with no restriction.

as she moved along in her pregnancy the morning sickness got better and she wanted a fill. dr said no! she was mad but as time went on and she got closer to her date she got tighter and tighter...almost to the point of shutting off completely!

Vomiting can make your band tighter? I thought it made it looser?

Vomiting can make your band tighter? I thought it made it looser?

hi tipper, when you vomit or PB it causes the area around your band to swell, this gives you more restriction. thats why after any 'episode' you usually go on liquids or soft foods for a few days to let the swelling go down. if you vomit or PB again you swell even more, get even tighter etc.

sometimes after you PB if you keep eating anyway you seem more open. i dont know why that is but overdoing it at that point can also further aggrivate an already swollen stomach.

michelle

:clap2: Michelle -

Thanks for the feedback. You wouldn't believe that my doc never told me that. I mean, they tell me that vomiting or pbing is bad, but never quite explained it that way! So Thanks. Since I got my last fill, I had been PBing / vomiting alot. But never went on liquids for a few days. Actually, I did last night (ate too much soup) so I think I'll do liquids today and tomorrow and see if that helps.

Also, I love your signature -- all of your 16's button! Go 'head girl. I feel the same way. :clap2: I still weigh more than I want but I was as The Avenue the other day. My latest size 18 in these great jeans were unavailable, so I had to chose between a 20 and a 16...tried on a 16 and guess what --- they fit!!!!!

Also, I had a pair of Baby Phat 20's that I wore to party last week,too big in the waist now. Still fit the butt a bit, but definitely need a belt.

Isn't it those little successes that help us make it through?

well i am not pregnant..LOL.. but just wanted to say i had my surgery dec 13th 05 and doing ok with it,,no fill and dropping avg of 2-3 lbs a week so far a total loss of 62 lbs...went from size 24-26 to size 20 so inches just fell,,good luck to everyone,,geegee