Hi, my hope is to have the sleeve and then have IVF soon afterwards... has anyone done that here?

Thanks, I desperately want more kids, but because of my age I have to have my IVF sooner rather than later...

As much and as desperately as you want to get pregnant- I can not encourage you enough to wait. Your body had undergone a MAJOR surgery and it really needs the time to adjust to all of those changes.

Wait the extra 6 months. In the grand scheme of things it will go by super fast and you will maximize your chances for the most healthy pregnancy possible.

Just so you know VSG won't complicate the pregnancy. I just delivered a healthy, full term daughter on 30 October. The key to pregnancy post ANY weight loss surgery is the ability to eat enough to support YOUR body and the developing baby. The baby will take from your body what it needs so it's a high priority that you can eat enough nutrients to protect your body, teeth, bones, hair and skin can all be effected by you being under-nourished in a pregnancy.

There are several women on obesityhelp on the pregnancy forum who conceive earlier than recommended. Most have normal, healthy pregnancies and babies.

I don't know how much weight you have to lose, but remember being pregnant while still obese and overweight can complicate your pregnancy further including pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and an entire slew of other complications for you and the baby. Of course, obese and overweight women give birth to healthy, happy babies every day, but if you are having to pay for IVF, or go through that process, I would hope you would be as close to a normal weight as you can possibly get to prevent as many complications as possible.

Depending on your starting weight, goal weight, and 6 month post-op weight, the doctors will guide you with your calorie, Protein, carb intake. You can not under any circumstances remain in ketosis (low carb dieting) while pregnant due to the risk of fetal brain damage. So, one thing to consider is that most of all VSG patients need to eat protein first and have little room for carbs especially the first 6 months, you will have to eat more often to stay out of ketosis and your weight loss could be effected.

I gained a total of 35lbs in the pregnancy. I was below goal by 20 pounds, and had been in maintenance for nearly a year. Today, Tatum is 16 weeks old, and I am 7 weeks pregnant again(no it wasn't planned, nor were we being irresponsible). I had lost 25lbs of the 35lbs gained, and had just started low carbing it again to lose the last of my weight. It's been proven that low carb dieting increases fertility.

The calorie/carb/protein guideline will be based on your starting weight at the beginning of the pregnancy. You may not gain much at all if you still have weight to lose and your calorie requirements will not as high as say someone like me who was in a normal BMI range and had been in maintenance for a year. My maintenance calorie intake was 1400-1600 calories and for my pregnancy, I was advised to increase it to 1700-1800 calories. I can say without any hesitation that the body is amazing machine. During the last half of the second trimester and the entire 3rd trimester, my restriction went completely lax, I could eat way more food, and then within about 2 weeks of delivery, my restriction was back on full force so hitting those calorie goals were not difficult for me.

Best wishes, and if you have specific questions, please feel free to shoot me a message.

Just so you know VSG won't complicate the pregnancy. I just delivered a healthy, full term daughter on 30 October. The key to pregnancy post ANY weight loss surgery is the ability to eat enough to support YOUR body and the developing baby. The baby will take from your body what it needs so it's a high priority that you can eat enough nutrients to protect your body, teeth, bones, hair and skin can all be effected by you being under-nourished in a pregnancy.

There are several women on obesityhelp on the pregnancy forum who conceive earlier than recommended. Most have normal, healthy pregnancies and babies.

I don't know how much weight you have to lose, but remember being pregnant while still obese and overweight can complicate your pregnancy further including pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and an entire slew of other complications for you and the baby. Of course, obese and overweight women give birth to healthy, happy babies every day, but if you are having to pay for IVF, or go through that process, I would hope you would be as close to a normal weight as you can possibly get to prevent as many complications as possible.

Depending on your starting weight, goal weight, and 6 month post-op weight, the doctors will guide you with your calorie, Protein, carb intake. You can not under any circumstances remain in ketosis (low carb dieting) while pregnant due to the risk of fetal brain damage. So, one thing to consider is that most of all VSG patients need to eat protein first and have little room for carbs especially the first 6 months, you will have to eat more often to stay out of ketosis and your weight loss could be effected.

I gained a total of 35lbs in the pregnancy. I was below goal by 20 pounds, and had been in maintenance for nearly a year. Today, Tatum is 16 weeks old, and I am 7 weeks pregnant again(no it wasn't planned, nor were we being irresponsible). I had lost 25lbs of the 35lbs gained, and had just started low carbing it again to lose the last of my weight. It's been proven that low carb dieting increases fertility.

The calorie/carb/protein guideline will be based on your starting weight at the beginning of the pregnancy. You may not gain much at all if you still have weight to lose and your calorie requirements will not as high as say someone like me who was in a normal BMI range and had been in maintenance for a year. My maintenance calorie intake was 1400-1600 calories and for my pregnancy, I was advised to increase it to 1700-1800 calories. I can say without any hesitation that the body is amazing machine. During the last half of the second trimester and the entire 3rd trimester, my restriction went completely lax, I could eat way more food, and then within about 2 weeks of delivery, my restriction was back on full force so hitting those calorie goals were not difficult for me.

Best wishes, and if you have specific questions, please feel free to shoot me a message.

Congrats Tiff Those are amazing news

Thanks, I didn't know you could eat as much as 1400 calories after the sleeve, I have talked to people who can only eat one quarter of a sandwich, but perhaps they were trying to control their appetite. When you say your restriction was on, does that mean that you couldn't eat that much anymore, just because your body changed somehow?

I have about 50lbs to loose, so I thought I could do that in six months and they try for the baby...

Thanks,

Sarah

As much and as desperately as you want to get pregnant- I can not encourage you enough to wait. Your body had undergone a MAJOR surgery and it really needs the time to adjust to all of those changes.

Wait the extra 6 months. In the grand scheme of things it will go by super fast and you will maximize your chances for the most healthy pregnancy possible.

I wish time was on my side, I just need to loose about 50 lbs but I am soon turning 50 and I can only get ivf up till 50th year! So I am under the gun..... ...

I have a friend who is a nurse at the leading maternity hospital here in Kuwait and she advised that we wait for the full year after surgery before trying for a baby. She says they have a lot of people who have complications because they get pregnant too soon after getting the sleeve. However, I think the best thing to do is to consult with your OB and your bariatric surgeon as each persons body is different and heals differently.

Thanks Nadz,

Wow from Kuwait! Are you in the military? Thanks for your reply, but I can't ask my OB because in Canada they don't even do ivf at my age!!!

Thanks, I didn't know you could eat as much as 1400 calories after the sleeve, I have talked to people who can only eat one quarter of a sandwich, but perhaps they were trying to control their appetite. When you say your restriction was on, does that mean that you couldn't eat that much anymore, just because your body changed somehow?

I have about 50lbs to loose, so I thought I could do that in six months and they try for the baby...

Thanks,

Sarah

Under no circumstances, could I consume 1400 calories a day at 6 months out. I was barely able to get in 1000-1100 at 8-9 months out, but I could add Snacks with 100 calories to get it up. At a year, the sleeve has typically matured to max capacity, and you can add calories very easily by eating 6-7 times a day, with 150-200 calories per meal. I had to add higher caloric and fat content foods to just get my body to stop losing. My choices were Peanut Butter, avocados, nuts, and cheese. Soft foods that didn't change my portion size, but gave me healthy fats and calories without the carbs. And, I won't lie, my cravings were absurd, and I gave in to every single one of them. I ate hoards of jalapeno cheddar cheetos and Thai food in my pregnancy. Mainly meat and veggies, but I craved candy and stupid red velvet cake. I didn't a lot of junk in the pregnancy, but I ate my fair share. It's a crazy, hormonal, and exhausting ride for sure. I can honestly say that my energy is completely gone with this pregnancy. Make sure you have your labs pulled frequently and that you are supplementing your B12 with a sublingual dosing or injections from your surgeon. B12 and folic acids are essential in pregnancy.

And, yes, during pregnancy, my restriction was much more relaxed, but within 2 weeks of delivery, I had my old, pre-pregnancy restriction back It's kind of the same thing we see/read about when women start their periods or are having PMS symptoms and they can eat more and want to eat more. Hormones are a really booger. My hungry also returned full-force in the pregnancy, but disappeared again after giving birth. It's the weirdest thing I ever experienced post-VSG. I still max out with 4-6oz of dense Protein, 1 slice of medium thin crust pizza, 1-1.5 soft taco, I can eat an entire sandwich on thin bread with 1 slice of meat, 1 slice of cheese, but that's because bready type foods are sliders for me. The further out we get, the better the stomach returns to normal functioning of mushing, grinding down food, very little absorption of anything occurs in the stomach, it's main purpose is to prepare food for digestion and absorption of macro and micro nutrients in the intestines. Early out, due to the trauma of being stapled off, the stomach needs time to recover. Transit time is simply the time it takes for food to pass from the stomach to the intestines. It's not hard to hit calorie goals especially with slider foods. Also, adding sauces, condiments(ketchup, salad dressings, sauces, other condiments, steak sauce) ups calories very easily. A few tablespoons of salad dressing can give you a good chunk of calories. I never relied on liquid/drinks for calories.

Not to be discouraging, with having just 50lbs to lose, you might lose it slower than someone like me who had 100+ to lose. If you want to hit that goal, I would do everything to really maximize that 6 months, low carbs, muscle building to burn the fat, and really focus on pushing clear fluids.

Edited February 25, 201214 yr by Tiffykins

I just wanted to say thank you Tiffykins for all this information. Like the OP, I want to get pregnant after having the sleeve. But I'll wait the year even though at 43, time is running out for me too!

Have you spoken to your doctor and asked which would be the better route? I mean your OB/GYN and IVF people. They are going to be the experts and they will tell you if age is the more important factor.

There was another post where the questions was between trying now and waiting on the surgery or getting the surgery now and waiting to try. In that case the doctor had told the person their age is the determining factor. If you are up against an age bullet, personally, I would try to lose weight on your own. If you worked hard with your doctor on a liquid or VLCD you could probably lose a lot of that weight in 6 months or at least half of it. I wouldn't want to get a surgery, have potential complications, and then miss the timeframe for conceiving. You have to decide what is best for your body like how well you heal, how fast you can lose, etc.