What are the risks of being obese and pregnant?

Question

My sister announced at my baby shower a couple weeks ago that her and her husband are officially trying to get pregnant with their first child. She is 38 and about 70 pounds overweight. I am worried about the risks she is putting herself and her baby under by getting pregnant because of her obesity. I love my sister very much and it hurts me to see her breathless after mounting a flight of stairs, so I don' undertsnad why she doesn't consider adopting instead of getting pregnant. I don't thnk she has seen her doctor about it because when i try talking to her she gets very sensitive and closes herself off from me.

How can I help her? Could she possibly have a healthy pregnancy while she's as fat as she is?

Answer 1

Yes she can have a healthy pregnancy!!

I am overweight..probably at least 50 pounds and yea there are greater risk factors but "fat" girls do have babies every day. Possible things could be gestantial diabetes, high blood pressure and things like that but I have seen many skinny women have these things too!!

Please let your sister be and be happy for her....just bc she is overweight doesn't mean she shouldn't experience having a baby.

Answer 2

Becoming pregnant might get her to take better care of herself. She will have to be very careful about how much extra baby weight she gains, so she may actually get into the habit of making good food choices and exercising regularly.
She will have an almost 3 times risk of needing a c-section, though the reasons are no clear as to why. She will also be at much higher risk for gestational diabetes.
She probably feels you are being very judgemental about this...and you are. But you are because you are concerned for her health and your own, still I would leave it to a doctor to tell her all these things. She probably didn't know that being obese put her at such high risks for things.
Try to think positive, and maybe exercise with her and go hunting for great recipes you can share with her that are high in protein and low in carbs, etc. Also maybe make an appt with a nutritionist and then recommend her to your sister.
Be supportive!

Answer 3

I wouldn't worry too much about your sister. Every year thousands of overweight women give birth to healthy babies with no problem at all.

The risks are basically for gestational diabetes, higher blood pressure and some birth defects. Sometimes the babies are at a higher risk of being in NICU for a while.

But a woman should not be criticized for taking these risks because motherhood is a noble and beautiful gift. Would you fault an older woman for getting pregnant simply because the risk of genetic defects rises as you get older?

Maybe you could help her by encouraging her to keep active while pregnant and then help with a weight loss solution after the baby is born (assuming she conceives).

Answer 4

The first thing you should be telling her about is to shed some of those weight and not adoption. Ask her to go see a doctor for a check-up first. If she does have any health problems that could inhibit her from getting pregnant and having a baby, the doctor would tell her. I think it is wrong for you to assume she can't because she is over weight. Be positive.

Answer 5

Diabetes An obese mom is 4 circumstances plenty greater possibly to enhance gestational diabetes. this could lead directly to somewhat super babies who're plenty greater possibly to have delivery injuries or require Caesarean transport. Preeclampsia obese mothers are two times as possibly to have intense blood rigidity concerning to being pregnant. this could strengthen the possibility of blood clots, stroke and untimely delivery bigger risk of Caesarean while handing over a infant for sure, my scientific companions and that i like to declare, "it is all relating to the push." women human beings who're wearing greater advantageous weight, fantastically in the middle, have much less muscle tone and subsequently much less power with which to push their babies out. to boot, the greater advantageous fat deposits in the delivery canal make it plenty greater problematical for the child to slip by. do you desire to stay away from a C-section? preserving a healthful weight is intense on the checklist of the perfect suggestions on a thank you to do it. for women human beings of standard weight, the C-section fee is 11 p.c.. For obese women human beings, it will strengthen to 18 p.c.. For obese women human beings, it jumps to 40 3 p.c.. to boot, obese women human beings who've a Caesarean have a miles better risk of blood clots, bleeding and infections after surgical technique. bigger risk of delivery Defects In obese women human beings, the possibility of spina bifida is two times that seen in general-weight women human beings. the possibility for cleft lip is 20 p.c. bigger, the possibility for heart defects is 30 p.c. bigger, and the possibility for hydrocephalus is 60 p.c. bigger.

Answer 6

you seem pretty harsh!!
just be supportive of her. if her doctor was concerned then im sure he or she would have had a conversation with her about it.
just becasue your over weight doesnt mean you cant go on to have a healthy pregnancy!! im a chunky monkey myself and 15 weeks pregnant and my doctor has no concerns at all.

she is however at a higher risk of birth defects because of her age, but you as her sister really need to be more supportive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!