# BBW pregnancy....



## Aust99 (Feb 19, 2010)

I just came home form a night out so forgive me if this doesn't make sense or should be in a different forum... But I was checking my email and this news artical caught my eye... http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/6828123/woman-weighing-240kg-gives-birth/ It's a news story about a 240kg woman, so about 530 pounds, giving birth to a healthy baby born by cesarean section. It surprised me as I always thought, as my friends have been told by their doctors, that they would need to be at a lower weight to conceive a baby and have a safe pregnancy. I understand this woman was watched very carefully when she was pregnant. I think this woman is amazing....

What do you think? Have you been told similar things by your doctor? How did being larger affect your pregnancy??


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## Aust99 (Feb 20, 2010)

Wow... 50 views but no responses... 


I'll have to let this thread disappear into the abyss...


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## littlefairywren (Feb 20, 2010)

Hey Natalie, I will respond....

I have been told by a doctor that my weight would make it next to impossible to carry a healthy baby to term. And that was quite a while ago now, maybe 15 or so years. I was pretty much half the size I am now, which is just under the 300 lb mark. So I would no doubt hear the same thing.

I am in awe of that lady....good luck to her and her beautiful baby.


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## LillyBBBW (Feb 20, 2010)

You might find this weblink interesting:

http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/firstindex.html

From what I know, pregnancy depends on the person. If supersized people could not get pregnant of have children nearly a third of my entire family wouldn't exist, including me.


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## Aust99 (Feb 20, 2010)

Thanks Kimberley for your input, and thanks for the link LillyBBBW


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## olwen (Feb 20, 2010)

Aust, there are also quite a few pregnancy links in the important threads thread here in the bbw forum.


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## jewels_mystery (Feb 21, 2010)

I am not surprised your friends dr's told them they could not conceive. It was not until last year I found a gyn that would put me on birth control. I have always been told because of my weight, I would not conceive. It pissed off my last gyn dr that her collegues are so ignorant. Apparently she has heard the horror stories before.


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## MissStacie (Feb 21, 2010)

about 10 years ago, I was very early into the BBW/SSBBW community and was pretty ignorant to the fact that I, indeed, could get pregnant. I thought I was too fat. Sure enough, I wasn't, and I did. Now, the pregnancy obviously didn't run its course, but please, please educate yourself when you consult your GYN.

First, if your periods are regular, you can indeed get pregnant. I'm like clockwork, and can almost pinpoint the hour that AF comes, so why I thought I couldn't was beyond me. You need a period to conceive, bottom line.

Second, if your provider/GYN starts that "well, you are obese and its unlikely that you will be able to conceive, never mind carry to term" bullshit, it is just that: BULLSHIT. Find another provider and educate yourself! If you are relatively healthy and albeit the fatty part, there is no reason that you can't get pregnant. Get yourself checked out thoroughly, labs, internal testing, medical history, etc, and find out the truth about your body.

Lastly: Keep the faith! When you want a child like I do, you sometimes have to give it up to G-d or whatever Higher Power you rely on to allow yourself to be blessed. Take care of yourself, stay positive and above all, FIND A DOCTOR THAT WON'T TELL YOU THAT YOU CANNOT GET PREGNANT without doing a battery of testing on you.

I wish anyone trying to conceive the best of luck!

Stacie


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## Aust99 (Feb 21, 2010)

Thank you to those who have contributed to this thread... it is such a contentious issue, I appreciate your input.


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## Shala (Feb 21, 2010)

I am trying to conceive and have been for about a year. When I asked my gynecologist if my weight would affect my ability to have a child, he assured me that women larger than me have babies every day.

He did say there was a slight chance my weight could affect my ability to conceive in that my ovulation could be irregular at times. But he assured me that my reproductive system was healthy and capable.

I am still trying......I won't say that I don't ever worry that my weight is preventing conception. I do. I also worry about a few other risk factors such as gestational diabetes and high blood pressure occuring during pregnancy. But I am not letting my weight stop me!


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## HottiMegan (Feb 21, 2010)

I am what one might call a fertile Myrtle. I conceived both of my kids on the first time without protection. I was well into my 300's too. In my first pregnancy, my OB said i'd be lucky to carry to the 27th week. I have no idea why he said that but he was a sucky doc. I ended up having a c-section since he wanted to induce at 37 weeks. (i think he was anxious to get rid of me)
Max was born with special needs but not because of my weight. He is very intelligent and an awesome kid, just has some deformities and a short stature. My second son was born 18 months ago after a very uneventful, easy pregnancy and he's a huge, normal little guy. Perfect in every way. 
I think it's crap to really honestly think that our reproductive systems stop working properly after we get some fat on us. Sure if there are other factors or illnesses, one could have issues, but that's not because of the fat. It seems like, to doctors, we're aliens that they don't really know how to deal with us.


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## Shala (Feb 21, 2010)

HottiMegan said:


> I am what one might call a fertile Myrtle. I conceived both of my kids on the first time without protection. I was well into my 300's too. In my first pregnancy, my OB said i'd be lucky to carry to the 27th week. I have no idea why he said that but he was a sucky doc. I ended up having a c-section since he wanted to induce at 37 weeks. (i think he was anxious to get rid of me)
> Max was born with special needs but not because of my weight. He is very intelligent and an awesome kid, just has some deformities and a short stature. My second son was born 18 months ago after a very uneventful, easy pregnancy and he's a huge, normal little guy. Perfect in every way.
> I think it's crap to really honestly think that our reproductive systems stop working properly after we get some fat on us. Sure if there are other factors or illnesses, one could have issues, but that's not because of the fat. It seems like, to doctors, we're aliens that they don't really know how to deal with us.



Thank you for the inspiration, HottieMegan. Your post means soooo much to me!


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## jewels_mystery (Feb 21, 2010)

Shala said:


> I am trying to conceive and have been for about a year. When I asked my gynecologist if my weight would affect my ability to have a child, he assured me that women larger than me have babies every day.
> 
> He did say there was a slight chance my weight could affect my ability to conceive in that my ovulation could be irregular at times. But he assured me that my reproductive system was healthy and capable.
> 
> I am still trying......I won't say that I don't ever worry that my weight is preventing conception. I do. I also worry about a few other risk factors such as gestational diabetes and high blood pressure occuring during pregnancy. But I am not letting my weight stop me!



Good Luck!!!!!


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## Adrian (Feb 21, 2010)

It is so sad to hear the medical community is still pushing that BS! Back in the mid to late 1960s doctors told my wife it would be difficult for her to carry a baby to term because of her weight. She weighed 240-lbs and 5'-8" tall. My wife delivered a four pound 'premi', eights weeks early and her weight was cited as part of the reason that happen. She had a sixth month miscarriage and again her weight was supposed to have been a problem. (We then adopted the first of our four children.) Two years later she got pregnant and at her highest weight (290-lbs) and she delivered a health healthy six pound daughter two weeks late... on my birthday!!!! We also discovered the problems of BBWs trying to purchase nursing bras above a "46D"!
My wife had an intestinal bypass operation, lost about 110-lbs. She then had two miscarriages! (All three miscarriages were in the sixth month!) Her weight turned out to be a non-factor in her pregnancies!
There are a whole lot of women 'of size' who get pregnant and deliver healthy babies and a bunch of thin women who have problems either getting pregnant and or delivering a healthy full term infant.
Weight might be a factor but, it is NOT the end all be all some members of the medical community would have you believe.


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## DitzyBrunette (Feb 22, 2010)

I have great blood pressure, my doctor never puts me down because of my weight (and they take blood tests all the time so everything is checked), I love going on long walks with my son, I don't feel at all "unhealthy". When I got pregnant almost 10 yrs ago, I felt the same as now, I felt great. The first OBGYN I saw, before she even examined me started talking about how she'll be treating my pregnancy as a high risk pregnancy, I'll have to be monitored bi-monthly in addition to regular visits, I mean she was acting like i was 60 years old and knocked up with triplets. I weighed 230lbs at 5ft6. When I left what was supposed to be the greatest appointment of my life I felt bad and hated the bitch so I immediately called a new doctor and saw her three days later. She was wonderful, never said anything about high risk anything and at the end of the appointment after being checked out and poked and prodded all over I asked her point blank how she thinks this pregnancy will go. She said "I see no reason that this won't be a perfectly healthy easy pregnancy." (Ironically the amniotic fluid dropped dangerously low 7 months in and I was on bed rest for a few weeks but it wasn't weight related lol). I gained only in my stomach and boobs, I didn't start swelling bad until the last month (normal), I wasn't overeating like a maniac, it was like 99% smooth sailing and my son was a perfectly healthy baby and now a perfectly healthy little boy (and slender and athletic, so that also dispels the myth that fat parents make fat kids). 
Being a heavier girl didn't affect my pregnancy or comfort levels at all, if anything it was probably easier to love my pregnancy because I was used to bigger boobs and a curvier waist. The only change in lifestyle was I was afraid to sleep on my stomach and at the end of the last month shoes didn't fit because of swollen feet.


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## Aust99 (Feb 22, 2010)

Some really great posts.. Thanks for sharing your stories everyone.


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## LillyBBBW (Feb 22, 2010)

Adrian said:


> It is so sad to hear the medical community is still pushing that BS! Back in the mid to late 1960s doctors told my wife it would be difficult for her to carry a baby to term because of her weight. She weighed 240-lbs and 5'-8" tall. My wife delivered a four pound 'premi', eights weeks early and her weight was cited as part of the reason that happen. She had a sixth month miscarriage and again her weight was supposed to have been a problem. (We then adopted the first of our four children.) Two years later she got pregnant and at her highest weight (290-lbs) and she delivered a health healthy six pound daughter two weeks late... on my birthday!!!! We also discovered the problems of BBWs trying to purchase nursing bras above a "46D"!
> My wife had an intestinal bypass operation, lost about 110-lbs. She then had two miscarriages! (All three miscarriages were in the sixth month!) Her weight turned out to be a non-factor in her pregnancies!
> There are a whole lot of women 'of size' who get pregnant and deliver healthy babies and a bunch of thin women who have problems either getting pregnant and or delivering a healthy full term infant.
> Weight might be a factor but, it is NOT the end all be all some members of the medical community would have you believe.



Oh Adrian that's terrible! I'm so sorry to hear of your losses, that must have been devastating. I hope you all are doing well.


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## cinnamitch (Feb 22, 2010)

I have had 4 kids. All of them were c sections but that was due to the fact that i just don't have the pelvic spread to have them naturally. It would have been the same whether i had weighed 100 lbs or 500 lbs. All the pregnancies were uneventful all were within a span from 1985 to 1990. I was right around 400 with all of them . NO medical issues with me or them. 

The biggest trick is finding a supportive doctor. I wish i could say that i had found one but truthfully i never had the support from any of the doctors i had during any of my pregnancies.


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## HottiMegan (Feb 22, 2010)

I want to reiterate what cinnamitch said, a good doctor is really a big thing! I had a GREAT bbw doctor my second pregnancy. She listened to me, heard me whine when life got hard and was way awesome throughout. It was such a different experience than my first pregnancy. I desperately want one more kid but we're just not financially able to.


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## Miss Vickie (Feb 23, 2010)

Aust, there are some great threads about plus size pregnancy in the health forum of this site. We've had some great discussions about the topic, so you might look there for more information.

My feelings are complex, having both been a plus size pregnant mamma, a doula caring for women of all sizes, and now an RN who cares for women while they labor and give birth, and then in the days after delivery.

What I noticed as a patient was that my health had far more to do with how I ate and the relative stress level I was under than anything else. During my first pregnancy I was young, ate healthily, and had no problems other than a migraine and a bit of carpal tunnel. During my second pregnancy I was in a stressful and unhealthy marriage, and perhaps coincidentally I had hypertension, an ovarian cyst that required surgery and had a difficult birth. My third pregnancy saw me at my heaviest (and oldest), but I was in a new and emotionally healthy relationship, ate well, and had my daughter at home with two midwives and no complications.

That being said, what I've seen from my patients is that yes, fat women who get pregnant do have higher rates of some pregnancy complications. I've seen higher rates of hypertension, preeclampsia and diabetes. However, I've seen these same complications in thin women as well. But even if being fat was a risk factor for some pregnancy related complications, that's no reason not to get pregnant if a woman wants to carry a child. Expecting a woman to lose and maintain weight to have a "healthier" pregnancy is mean, in my opinion. It's also very unrealistic. Most of us can't lose weight and keep it off, so what it ends up doing is delaying conception so that a woman is not only fatter, but older as well (which is another risk factor).

My advice is just for women to be as healthy as possible when entering pregnancy. She should take prenatal vitamins in the months before conception. She should eat as healthily as possible, avoid known substances that can harm babies, quit smoking obviously, and be as active as she can safely be. She should be in a healthy relationship with a supportive partner or have good family support. And she should have a good and supportive provider (midwife, family practice doc or OB) to give her the best care available.

Doing all this still won't guarantee a healthy pregnancy but it will increase the odds.


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## penguin (Jan 19, 2011)

I know this is an old post, but I thought I'd chime in with my experience. I was around 415lbs when I fell pregnant (I'm 5'9.5" if it matters). It wasn't planned, and despite always having regular periods, I'd bought into the "too fat to get pregnant" line you hear, so it was a bit of a surprise. 

I wasn't sure that I'd be able to have a healthy pregnancy due to my weight, but my doctor said they'd have to monitor me a bit more closely, as I'd be considered high risk, but otherwise things should be fine. I was lucky enough to take part of a research study the hospital was doing on overweight/obese pregnant women, which meant I got some extra attention and care. 

Aside from all day nausea for the first thirteen or so weeks, I only had two problems - lower back pain that started at 15 weeks and grew progressively worse as the pregnancy went on, and obstetric Cholestasis. Neither of them were definitely weight related, as plenty of smaller women have back problems during pregnancy, but the weight certainly didn't help. I quit work at 6 months as I couldn't sit all day, and at home had to alternate between sitting, standing, lying and moving about to relieve the pain. The Cholestasis appeared at 37 weeks, and that might have been due to my no longer having a gall bladder (was removed 7 years prior to this). My insulin levels were higher than normal, but not high enough for me to have any form of diabetes during or after my pregnancy.

They tried to induce me early, at 38 weeks, as Cholestasis is potentially dangerous to the baby, but the little bugger refused to come out. I was given two doses of the gel on my cervix (I can never remember what it's called), and my cervix didn't soften or open up at all, which surprised my doctors. After being in hospital a few days waiting to see if the induction would take, I was sent home - with the news that my Cholestasis had started to clear up, and that was something else that also surprised the doctors, as it normally doesn't clear up until you've delivered. 

I then went 9 days over and delivered vaginally. I had an epidural, which went in on the second go, and my weight didn't (as far as I can tell) cause any problems during delivery. I was able to see my daughter crowning, with the help of a friend and a mirror, and she was perfectly normal. I tore, haemorrhaged, and had lots of stitches, but was otherwise fine, and healed up fine. I'd only gained about 15lbs during my pregnancy, which was what I was told I was allowed to gain, and by the time I left the hospital I was almost 20lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight. I breastfed without trouble, too. My daughter was 9lbs 10oz, but that was to be expected. In my family, a 7lb baby is considered small/undercooked. My sister in law, who's slim and shorter than me, had her daughter 3 weeks later and she was 9lbs 3oz, so I think it's just family genetics rather than my weight that had my daughter be so big.

I tried to walk as much as I could during my pregnancy, though it was incredibly painful towards the end. I would want to be a lower weight when I get pregnant again, and I'll work harder at being more active to hopefully avoid the same back problems. I had a great medical team at the hospital, and they were fully supportive during my pregnancy, which helped a lot.


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## ciccialover (Feb 10, 2011)

Thank you penguin for your story, so you didn't encountered any particular problems, right? Just back pains, but it seems to be pretty normal. It would be sad to make my future wife diet before getting pregnant!


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## penguin (Feb 10, 2011)

ciccialover said:


> Thank you penguin for your story, so you didn't encountered any particular problems, right? Just back pains, but it seems to be pretty normal. It would be sad to make my future wife diet before getting pregnant!



None of my problems were definitely weight related, but being so overweight did make them harder. They say that the heavier you are the harder it is to fall pregnant, which can be true for a lot of women, but wasn't for me. It is possible to have a healthy pregnancy while being overweight. Good luck!


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## ciccialover (Feb 12, 2011)

Thank you, even if is not the right time yet! Did you have regular periods?


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## penguin (Feb 12, 2011)

ciccialover said:


> Thank you, even if is not the right time yet! Did you have regular periods?



Yup, always have.


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## bigmac (Feb 12, 2011)

All five of my kids were delivered by fat mothers (2). The mother of my two oldest was a little over 300lbs when she delivered -- both times natural childbirth with no complications. My wife weighed about 450lbs when delivered her oldest naturally and without any complications. She was about 370lbs when she delivered our two youngest by C-sections, again, without any complications.

For fat women, who are otherwise healthy, there doesn't seem to be any impediment to either conception or delivery.


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## Russell Williams (Aug 4, 2012)

Peggy Williams became pregnant at about 480 pounds. Her metabolism changed in ways that made her burn a lot more energy. She delivered at 440 pounds. She delivered by cesarean section and her daughter was over 9 pounds. Other than the cesarean section she had no problem with the pregnancy. Her daughter is now 33 years old.


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## CrimsonRibbon (Aug 7, 2012)

I was 300 lbs when I conceived my son (2 weeks post spinal cord resection)Delivered him weighing 355# 17hrs of natural labor then via emergency horizontally csection. He was born @ 38wks @ 4.13oz. He was overall healthy and only spent 6 days in NICU. He is now a perfect and healthy 4 year old.

At 360# we conceived our daughter. Carried her until 38 weeks delivered @405# via vertical csection. She weighed 5#14oz perfectly healthy! With her I was sent home with a woundvac. Notice I specified which way they chose to cut my c sections. I healed perfectly fine horizontally even rgi there was a risk of yeast infections I still healed great. After being cut vertically and being sent home with a open wound with wound vac on thar wasn't maintained for 2 weeks. I went for my 2wk post op appt and they pulled the wound vac off and low and behold I had a seroma form (a pocket of fluid). The pocket of fluid had a tunnel leading to it 10.5cm deep. I was under constant care with private nurses in home and eventually was cut back open. Granted I was blessed with 2 wonderful children, I opted to have a tubal litigation.  

Pregnancy wise, my sons was easy.My daughters almost killed me. HBP, bed rest at 22wks with a active 3yo! yeah right!


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## BBW_Curious1 (Aug 19, 2012)

Went to the doctor this past week and she would not even discuss a baby plan with me "due to my weight" totally pissed me off!!! Current weight is 275 lbs at 5'6"--glad to hear stories of successful BBW pregnancies


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## Lke_Stacies_Mom (Aug 22, 2012)

I have 5 so...


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## bigmac (Aug 23, 2012)

BBW_Curious1 said:


> Went to the doctor this past week and she would not even discuss a baby plan with me "due to my weight" totally pissed me off!!! Current weight is 275 lbs at 5'6"--glad to hear stories of successful BBW pregnancies



You need a new doctor. My ex's original doctor was similar -- she ditched him and found a doctor who was much more supportive.

Also, what world is this doctor living in. Most of the women in the Fresno maternity ward where my 3rd daughter was born were fat.


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## BBW_Curious1 (Aug 23, 2012)

I agree--my cousin is a bit bigger than me and has a beautiful baby girl no prenatal complications and no birth defects


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