Weight Gain After Baby Put My Life At Risk

The following article was written by a reader who wanted to share her reasons for choosing gastric bypass surgery. For privacy reasons, her name is not included.

I couldn’t get rid of the excess weight gain after baby #1. After #2 it got worse…

I started struggling with my weight right after hitting puberty. I was able to control it some with Cheer-leading throughout high school. However after having my son at 18, my weight skyrocketed. I had gained 75 lbs in 9 months and there was no taking it off.

When I had my second son, I was 200 pounds at 5’2. During my pregnancy I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, and I developed a form of asthma. I had to carry my inhaler with me at all times and I had to inject myself with insulin 2 times a day, check my blood 6 times.

I gained another 60 lbs by the end of it. I got down to 235 and stayed there. I tried different diets, saw nutritionists, but nothing helped get rid of the weight gain after my baby was born.

More Health Problems Because I Couldn’t Lose the Extra Weight Gain After Baby #2

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Even though I no longer had to give myself insulin, I now had to take glucotrol every time my blood sugars were high. I also developed a problem with my Sciatica nerve. I couldn’t sleep on my left hand side without my hips hurting. I had to sleep with a pillow between my legs, and in order to roll over at night, I had to push my body weight up with my arms because my legs would hurt so bad that I couldn’t use them.

All these problems were caused by the weight gain after baby #1 and 2. I had no idea that gaining weight during pregnancy would cause such long-term problems, or be so impossible to lose.

I couldn’t walk right away when I woke up in the morning due to the pain in my hips and lower back. It only got worse after that. 2 months later the pain moved down to my behind and my left leg down to my knee. Then it came to the point where I couldn’t even lay down to watch TV or be on my laptop. Any little move would bring shooting pains down my leg and hip.

At work, I had to change my chair 3 times before I found one that was comfortable enough. The ones I was using, had me in pain within an hour of sitting in them. I had to get several epidurals to help with the pain.

My muscles were always aching. I couldn’t even make it up the stairs of my apartment building without feeling like I was going to lose a lung. My feet would swell up on a regular basis and it hurt to wear anything but gym shoes. One morning I woke up with horrible stomach pains and was rushed to the ER.

I had kidney stones due to an over-development of calcium in my system. I was given some morphine and sent home with a strainer to catch the stone. I had to take it back to the Dr to have it analyzed. The final factor for me was when I could no longer carry my baby without my arms shaking uncontrollably. The weight gain after baby #2 was ruining my health  – that is when I decided that Gastric Bypass Surgery was the right choice for me.