We had been talking about having children before our gastric sleeve surgery, but this journey isn’t exactly easy; we have had four late miscarriages between 20 and 23 weeks. This is not some light-hearted decision for us.
So we decided to put those plans on hold and focus first on the gastric sleeve surgery, as at that point in time it seemed like the most important thing to do. Now that the surgery is behind us, we have started to revisit this idea of getting pregnant. After doing a lot of research and talking to our healthcare providers about it, we decided just isn’t the right time. Here’s why.
Allowing Your Body to Heal
One of the main reasons why we decided to wait on getting pregnant after our gastric sleeve surgery is that your body needs time to heal and adjust. Gastric sleeve surgery is a very serious procedure, which reduces the size of your stomach drastically; your body goes through an awful lot during the recovery process. While we felt it may be possible to be ready at around five months, our GP recommended at least 12 to 18 months. This gives your body the time it needs to fully recover and stabilize before taking on the demands of pregnancy.
Nutritional Considerations
Following gastric sleeve surgery, nutritional absorption changes dramatically. The surgery limits how much food you can eat. This can make it hard to get enough of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs, especially when you are pregnant. Adequate nutrition is essential both for the well-being of the mother and for the development of the baby.
Being at a stable weight
The year following gastric sleeve surgery is usually filled with rapid weight loss. This fluctuation in weight can further complicate a pregnancy-maybe giving rise to gestational diabetes or even preeclampsia. We wanted to make sure that we reached a stable weight before trying to conceive, as a stable weight can contribute to a healthier pregnancy and reduce the risk of complications.
Emotional and Psychological Readiness
We also wanted to ensure that we were in the right frame of mind and disposition to handle all the challenges of pregnancy following surgery. This entailed being secure with our newly adapted lifestyle, having established healthy eating behaviours, and a clear mind for parental responsibilities. It is important that we tackle this journey with a positive mentality and the resilience that whatever comes our way, we will be able to handle.
Decreasing the Risk of Pregnancy Complications
Given our history of late miscarriages, lessening the risk associated with complications in pregnancy is at the top of our list of priorities. Getting pregnant too soon following the surgery increases one’s chances of SGA babies, preterm birth, and even miscarriage. While it would be quite possible to have a completely normal pregnancy shortly after surgery, we felt close to 18 months would give us the most optimal chance for a healthy pregnancy and baby.
While many people have gotten pregnant quite successfully shortly after their gastric sleeve surgery, we have come to a decision that it is best for us to wait a little while longer. We are focusing on our bodies healing, getting our nutrition just right, achieving a weight that is going to be stable, and then preparing ourselves emotionally and psychologically for what’s in store for us. We will probably revisit this decision closer to the 18-month mark, but for now we’re content just to take things one step at a time and focus on our health and well-being.