Hello everyone! I was hoping to get some of your opinions on something. Let me start with some history. I was banded in 1/08 (love my band) and have lost 39lbs since the surgery. I have been married for 6 years now and am 28 years old. My hubby and I really feel its time to start a family. Right now my weight is still 320lbs :cursing:. I really don't want to have to wait until I get to my goal weight to start trying to have a baby but I also want to have a healthy pregnancy and baby. I'm wondering how much more I should loose before we start trying. Other than being the weight I am, I am a healthy person. I don't have have diabeties or High blood pressure and I'm working out at least 4 days a week for an hour or more. I plan on talking to my doctor about this but I was hopping for some feed back from some people who have been through the same thing. Thanks!!

my GYN wanted me in a 'normal' BMI before i became pregnant. that is about 35-40 pounds from now.

im 7 weeks pregnant right now and have my first OB visit (same doctor) next week.

she does know that i've lost about 165 pounds, so she knows i'm getting there, but i dunno how happy she will be to see me...

my suggestion, talk this over with your Gyn and see what they say.

I started my WLS at 333lb, on a tall 6'0 frame. I was way too overweight to be having a kid, that's one reason I wanted to drop the weight.

I am not planning to wait to 'goal', but I would not think 320lb would be a good weight to start having kids. Not that it couldn't go fine, but since you HAVE the band and you're losing weight, I think it would be better till you waited a little longer. Just my opinion :biggrin:) I know when I was 320lb I would have probably had gestational diabetes at the least.

I'm going through the same considerations that you are right now. I started at 320 and am now at 265. While I'd LOVE to get to goal first (around 170 is my goal) I've decided to give myself a solid year of working on weight loss. At the end of the year, if I'm under 200 pounds, then we can go ahead and start trying. If I'm NOT under 200 pounds, then I'll probably re-evaluate.

Most doctors recommend 12-18 months after banding before getting pregnant. I definitely agree. I was banded 10/06 and the first 6 months were a breeze! Then the next 8 months were really difficult with band related acid reflux. I am newly pregnant and very happy that I had a full year and a half of getting to know the band before adding the craziness of pregnancy to it as well.

I'm just under 6 feet tall. My personal weight goal to start trying was 250. It was out of the question before then. At 250 I talked with my doctor about it and she said I would be OK -- that she'd prefer to see me down another 20 first -- but that my obesity in and of itself was not a significant enough factor to delay conception. Byt he time I conceived I was down about 15 more.

I don't know your height, but I'm fairly tall and was 70 lbs under your current weight -- so for me, 320 is too high and I personally would not have started trying at that weight.

Oh and in terms of time vs, weight, definitely at least a full year. I found out I was pregnant when I was banded for 2 years (to the date, actually -- cute little coincidence). My surgeon actually had his patients sign a contract that you would not get pregnant for a minimum of 12 months (I hear it's now either 18 or 24), and part of the pre-op requirements included disclosure/proof of your current birth control methods.

When I got pregant the first time I was a healthy weight and only gained a small amount and had preeclampsia - its not only obesity that causes problems. I actually had a healthier pregnancy third time round when I was well and truly obese.

But its such a risk. To lose a baby would be one of the worst things that could happen to you. Obesity doesnt mean it WILL happen, but its a risk factor, and it can be serious, you could be endangering both your lives. Then again it may be perfectly and absolutely fine.

I'd wait personally, you'll enjoy it a lot more if you can do things like breath and digest your food and bend over without vomiting. At 300 lb you are liable to be mighty uncomfortable with a baby sharing your abdominal space. The third time I became pregnant I was a BMI of about 33 and I literally could not bend over without regurgitating my lunch. It was very different to being normal weight and pregnant.

Thanks everyone for your reply's. My goal weight is 160-170, I am 5'8". I plan on waiting until I get to atleast 250. I just keep telling myself its only 70 more pounds you can wait its just really hard but I know its best for me and my baby. My surgeon never said to wait a full year after the surgery infact I know someone who didn't, but by the time I get that 70 lbs off I'm sure it will be Jan. and thats my bandaversary. Some of my thinking is that it took my mom almost 2 years to get pregnant with her first so I keep thinking that what if I wait another year then it takes two to get pregnant it seems so far away:angry:. I don't know its all in Gods hands anyway. I do plan on watching another 70lbs drop off me before I try. Thanks again for your reply's :tt1:

After my experiences with my two pregnancies, I wouldn't even consider it until I was below 200 at least, preferably at goal (160). I was about 240 when I got pregnant with my first. It was a relatively easy pregnancy, save for massive morning sickness and reflux, then I was induced at 36 weeks due to pre-eclampsia. Not easy for most, but compared to the horrible experience with my second, I call it easy. My second was born 18 months later. I had a pre-preg weight of about 270. I developed pre-eclampsia at 14 weeks. I was told my baby might not make it, that she might be sick/small due to the restricted blood flow caused by the pre- eclampsia. At 23 weeks, I was admitted to the hospital for a few days because my BP was no longer controlled by the meds and bed rest. They told me that they didn't recusitate before 24 weeks so if I had to deliver then, they couldn't do anything for her. Fortunately they tweaked my meds and put me on strict bedrest and let me go home. I developed gestational diabetes. I went into preterm labor at 32 weeks and was hospitalized until delivery, which ended up being a week later. My liver and kidneys were failing due to the pre-eclampsia. My DD was born at 33 weeks exactly, 4 lbs 5 ozs. She was VERY healthy, only needed oxygen support for about 18 hours and spent 12 days in NICU. She has suffered no lasting effects from her prematurity. It took me a good 2 years to recover from the pregnancy, get my BP stablized, etc.

Yes, these things can and do happen to moms of lower weights, but the risk is much higher when you are obese.

I know for me I decided to get down to a normal BMI before pregnancy. I am hoping it will be a little later this year. I want a very healthy pregnancy along with a cute baby bump as well :0).

Also, I have a child who is 16. I know all to well what it is like to have a new baby. It will be extremely hard to focus on exercise and diet when a baby is taking up so much time and attention. Anything having to do with "you" time will go on a back burner. Even sleep becomes a luxury. I need to get the work done to get back on the healthy track before I complicate everything with a new arrival. I really want this weight off and it is my first priority.

I don't know its all in Gods hands anyway.

You're absolutely right, Crystal. It IS in God's hands...if you allow it to be! Just give it to Him and He will work it all out. His timing is perfect!

I feel for you. I am going through the same thing. I was banded on June 11, 2007 and have only lost 30 pounds. I now weigh 240. I have been married for a whole week (July 12, 2008) and I'm ready to have a baby! Actually, we have been talking about it for a little over a year now and have both decided it would be better for me to get at least below 200 before we start trying. Needless to say, our wedding night was not the "typical" couples' wedding night. We opted out of plain sex and chose other ways to satisfy each other :scared2: I wish it could have been different but we're THAT afraid of putting a baby at risk because of MY own weight problems that we avoided it. I am generally healthy other than being obese but I'm worried about the possible issues related to being obese and pregnant (i.e. justational diabetes, etc.). I'm at a standstill with my weight, though, and I am just wanting a baby so badly that I'm not sure I want to wait any longer. I have a 9 year old son from another relationship but I weighed at least 100 pounds less when I first became pregnant with him. Maybe you ladies in this forum can give me some advice. You can check out my profile, too and see my wedding pictures to get an idea of what I look like! :smile: The pictures are in my albums section. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks!! :wink2: