Need Help! Stomach Stretched While Pregnant

[mellifrits 25]

July 2010 I had my weight-loss surgery and a year later I hit my goal weight of 130 pounds and got into a size 4. Three weeks later I found out I was pregnant with my first child. My weight-loss surgery continued to work the first half of my pregnancy but the second half I became very hungry and started to over eat. Now my stomach has stretched out and it is no longer helping me to lose weight. The day before I gave birth to my son they weighed me and I was 191 pounds. 10 of those pounds i gained in two days because I had preeclampsia. I am 165 pounds now four months after my son's birth. I would like to get my stomach back to the way it was but I am not having very much luck. Does anyone have any advice?

PS

One thing that you should know is that I am 100% breast-feeding. With that said I can't go a few days on little to no food to get my stomach to go back down because I'm also feeding my son. La Leche League and other breastfeeding groups, books, and other references recommend that you do not go under 1800 calories a day while nursing an infant. Which I use to have a hard time getting a 1000 calories a day.

[mellifrits 25]

Me and my son

[BeautyVGSJourney 99]

I also breastfed my daugther and at the time I had less weight problems that I do now. breastfeeding helps your uterus contract and get smaller sooner, so that is good news. You will also be sharing some of your calories with the new baby. I will suggest exercising and making sure you do not gain anymore weight. I don't think the number of calories is quite has important as the quality of them when you are breastfeeding, I would suggest getting enough Protein and healthy vegetables in. Drink lots of fluids! Congratulations on your decision to breastfeed, I know it was the right decision for me.

[Ms skinniness 3,003]

Wowwwww, what a beautiful baby! You are looking really good. I would eat a lot of Protein and veggies and make sure you get all your Vitamins. I would kick up the exercise and start working out more. It will come off, it will just take some work.

[Tiffykins 672]

The hormones during pregnancy and while breastfeeding help our stomachs stay more relaxed. The body is an amazing machine and it adapts especially since we have altered guts. I breastfed Tatum for 4 weeks and almost no restriction. Within a week of having to quit nursing, my restriction was back on full force.

The pregnancy did NOT stretch your stomach. It's not physically possible. There is not enough tissue to stretch. What is happening is your stomach is relaxed and it's mushing the food more efficiently, moving it to the intestines faster, thus allowing you to eat more because your body needs more while pregnant and nursing.

This is NOT uncommon among VSG and RNY patients. I read about this for a year on obesityhelp pregnancy forum, didn't believe it would happen to me, but low and behold it did. Here I am with Tatum being 5 months old now, and I'm 12 weeks pregnant again, I still have the same restriction I had around my 9 month post-VSG experience and my hunger hasn't returned yet, but I know it will all happen again sometime in my 3rd trimester.

The best advice I got was to eat as much dense Protein as possible and avoid sliders and super soft foods to give the best restriction.

Edit to add:

Awww crap, I forgot you had plication. Totally not the same, hmmm I've read a few topics about the tummy stretching out at your point post-op. But, it could be the hormones contributing to stretchiness and lack of restriction.

[Wheetsin 714]

You might want to post your story at http://www.sleeveplicationtalk.com/.

[TheSkinnyCow73 72]

Here I am with Tatum being 5 months old now, and I'm 12 weeks pregnant again, I still have the same restriction I had around my 9 month post-VSG experience and my hunger hasn't returned yet, but I know it will all happen again sometime in my 3rd trimester.

Congrats!!!!!!! How exciting!!!!!!!

[Catracks 865]

I had never heard of plication. It's not even covered by insurance yet. I think I still like the idea of that great curvature gone instead of folded up inside. I guess it must work similarly, but might be reversible. That is the only advantage I see. Can they stretch then because they have the more stretchy part of the stomach intact?

[hadouni 301]

Congrats on your darling son! The breastfeeding will really help with the weight loss. I think I got down as low as 240 when I was nursing (got pregnant at about 250 and I think I was around 280 when he was born- all the weight gained in the last 1.5 months!).

My body is way different since I had a baby. I'm about 217 today and at 217 pre-baby I was not as thick through the middle as I am now. From about an inch above my belly button to about 3 inches below is just thicker around, darn it! I also have a lovely flab roll hanging over my c-section scar... so not pretty! Nor are all my stretch marks but I wouldn't trade them for my son!

[bellabbr 50]

Relax. Some people will drop weight easily while breast feeding, others their body will hold everything until you are done breast feeding. I know a lot of woman that will not loose one ounce while breast feeding. After they wean, they drop 20-30 lbs easily. So just keep an eye on your carbs, eat protein/veggies. Exercise and give it time. Do make sure you are drinking lots of fluids or that can mess up your supply. Good luck.