I Survived Pregnancy After Gastric Bypass!!!

Same maternity shirt... but it fits very, very differently!!!

Today I’m 39 weeks and 4 days pregnant and scheduled to be induced tomorrow, so I figured I should probably give a quick synopsis on being pregnant after having gastric bypass. My overall assessment is that it has been an awesome experience! It has been so much fun to actually look pregnant and have people rub my belly and not feel all weird about it. Both my husband and I have been able to actually feel the baby move more and have been able to actually distinguish body parts because they weren’t hidden by layers of fat! I haven’t had to worry about getting stretch marks—because I already have them—so I really have been able to just enjoy being pregnant (at least as much as you can when pregnant) J

I’m very proud to report that I’ve been able to keep my weight within reason. I’ve gained a total of 20 pounds this pregnancy which is still actually under average, so I’m happy with that. I was able to work out daily until around 35 weeks when exercising started contractions so I had to slow things down a bit, but I’ve always tried to do something active everyday even if it was just taking a walk during my lunch break at work. I hate to admit that this past week I haven’t exactly eaten well as I’ve been doing crazy amounts of stress eating trying to plan my husband’s 30^th birthday surprise party while worrying that I’d go into labor at any minute. But it has made me feel so yucky that I’m actually looking forward to getting back into diet mode again and getting the baby weight off.

That’s definitely going to be the hardest part about this entire pregnancy though… getting back into pre-pregnancy shape. I know I can do it though because I’ve already done it!!! Well, I’ll try to keep this blog updated about how my post-pregnancy weight loss goes, and hopefully it will be good news. J

Happily and Healthily Gaining Weight

Sorry it's been over 12 weeks since my last post, but it's safe to say that no news is usually good news - and luckily that happens to be the case. My pregnancy is progressing fabulously. It's everything I'd hope it would be - weight gain and all! I'm currently up 15 pounds, which I couldn't be happier about. It's a healthy gain and even though I'll be probably still go up more, I'm alright with it and taking it in stride. Even though my exercise routine isn't what it used to be, I still try to be "active" everyday - whether it's going on a walk, lifting light weights or doing the elliptical machine for an hour while I watch my guilty pleasure "The Bachelorette" - it's all good. :)

Me at 28 weeks pregnant. I've definitely put on an inch or two around my waist!

Some other happy, exciting news is that my sister was able to get the gastric bypass just two weeks ago - almost two years to the day that I had mine! She too had Dr. Sherman Smith as her surgeon, and everything went great. I can't express how thrilled I am for her. She's doing phenomenal, and I couldn't be more proud. She has far surpassed my expectations of where she'd be right now, and believe it or not, I can't wait for her to loose even more weight than me and kick my trash! And who knows, with my weight going up and hers dropping like crazy, it just might happen sooner than later. Kudos to my sis, and may she cherish every new freedom this opportunity will give her!!!  

16 Weeks and Still Smiling...

Another month has come and gone since my last post, and I’m now a happy and healthy 16 weeks pregnant. This month has had its ups and downs. Good news is that my sickness is all but gone and I felt my little baby move for the first time a couple of days ago, which is by far the coolest part about being pregnant! Bad news is that I spent several hours the other day going through clothes and storing almost half of them away because I can no longer zip them up. I knew that day would come – I just honestly didn’t expect it to come so soon.

Even though I haven’t gained any weight in pounds yet, in fact I’m actually still down from my beginning weight, my stomach has gained inches – seemingly every day! I knew I would get bigger faster than usual because 1) it’s my second baby, and 2) I have absolutely zero elasticity left in my skin. It’s almost like my stomach is saying, “Yeehaw! I get to stretch out again!”

It’s hard looking farther along than I am, and I have to admit when complete strangers ask me how far along I am, I tend to lie and give myself an extra month or two! As the second trimester continues, and the weight will start coming on, I have to try to stay positive and know that the weight is not only healthy for the baby, but it will only be temporary. I will be able to get back into those clothes again, right? (and hopefully without the help of Dr. 90210!!!) So far so good – no emotional weight gain breakdowns yet. Let’s just hope I can keep it up!

Let Me Hear Ya Say "YAY" and "YIKES"

Me and my hubby at the Atlantis Resort in Nassau, Bahamas.

Time for an update! The holidays have come and gone and fortunately all the weight I gained over the holidays is gone too. Once I buckled down I easily got off the 10 pounds I had just as easily gained. My "Good News" moment is that I just got back from a cruise with my husband a few weeks ago, and came back 2 pounds lighter than when I left. I've never LOST weight on a cruise before (case in point - my dear husband gained 15 pounds!!!)

Unfortunately, I can't take all the credit even though I actually was very disciplined in my eating and worked out several times. The main reason I lost weight is because I was soooo sick thanks to being 6 weeks pregnant! I think that calls for a "Yay" and a "Yikes"! This will be my second child and I couldn't be happier. Although having to gain weight is causing me all kinds of anxieties. This is going to be a very tricky balance. I'll have to modify my eating and exercise habits now, and face the fact that I'm going to get BIG again.

I am hoping that this pregnancy will be much easier than my first since I'm 150 pounds lighter this time around, but it also means I'm in uncharted territory. Although I can't deny the fact that I am really excited to actually look like I'm pregnant. With my first pregnancy I was 8 months along before you could really tell I wasn't "just" fat. I have a feeling I'm going to be using this blog as an outlet to express my fears as the weight and inches start coming on. I'll try to get some pictures up as well. Wish me luck in this new adventure!!!