Leaving work early for a doctor’s appointment isn’t usually exciting, but when you’re headed to the behbeh doctor, it’s actually pretty nice. Traffic was nice and light and Jud got back from class just a little bit before I drove up. Everything was running very smoothly.
We were 15 minutes early for the appointment (even after no longer being a military dependant for the past five years, I still can’t shake the early arrival to the doctor (What if they bump my appointment!?!). Then we waited. And waited. And waited until I thought I might loose my stuff. We finally saw the doctor forty-five minutes after our scheduled appointment. Awesome!
I have loved this doctor since before he removed the cancer and told me not to get pregnant right away and then I didn’t listen and all of that. He is nice. He is reassuring. He is kind of Dave Ramsey-ish. But he set me off on Tuesday. Set.me.off. Not at first though. At first I was just sad.
He was looking over my chart and noticed that I have gained a total of 24lbs (for those of you not aware of the standards of body expansion during gestation, you are only ‘supposed to’ put on 30lbs total and that is a maximum. This is my 26th week, so that would only leave six more pounds for the last 14 weeks, meaning that I will obviously surpass that amount and be monumentally over the amount if I continue on this gaining trend (I’d be 15lbs above the maximum at a whopping 45 pregnancy pounds, bringing my weight to a grand total of….wait for it…169lbs. I can’t imagine that my body would even hold up under that kind of weight, but I suppose it could).
He was all “You put on 12 lbs in 4 weeks” and I was all “Oh, no I didn’t. You people didn’t weigh me last time I was here. I put on 12 lbs in 8 weeks (this is still a half pound more than is recommended, but I needed to make the distinction). ” Then he lectured me about watching what I eat.
Here’s the deal. I do. I have not gone crazy. I do not stuff my face with sweets. I do not eat until overwhelming full. For the most part, I make pretty good decisions. He (and maybe now you too) didn’t believe me. But here’s the thing, before I got pregnant I worked out. A lot. A whole lot, considering that I’m an American. I was easily burning 3000 calories a week at the gym. Easily. Guess what? I don’t do that now because my heart rate isn’t supposed to go above 140 and frankly, walking at the gym seems like a gigantic waste of time. Want to know why? Because in order to burn 100 calories I have to walk 5 miles. FIVE. FIVE MILES for 100 calories. That’s why I don’t go to the gym and walk to “stay in shape” by walking. I don’t believe that it even helps. Thank you, unhelpful doctor, for suggesting I start walking for a half hour per day, as if that’s going to be some sort of magic. It’s not.
But like I said. I didn’t get this angry at first. At first I just got sad. More than sad. Crazy, ninth grade, counting calories obsessed sad. And then I got hungry. Really hungry. Low blood sugar + baby hormones making me weep and wale. It was horrible and ugly and I felt both of those things.
And then I got a grip. Sort of. And got angry. Angry that my doctor didn’t ask me a bunch of questions about why I thought my weight had sky rocketed versus just making assumptions about how I must be using donuts, smothered in ice cream as a dip for my french fries and chips. I’m not. And accusations to that end only make me neurotic and cranky and depressed. So, Doctor whom I used to rave about, but for which I now harbor resentment, shut your pie hole.
i have unkind words for that doctor.
you are perfect! you know your body better than this apeclown. keep doing what you are doing and don’t get paranoid about your nourishment. you need it and so does that little one. he is going to be like 4 feet tall at birth, so i imagine he might be adding to the scale.
30 pounds is NOT the maximum. you’re supposed to be on AVERAGE between 25-35, not just 30. I gained 36 with my second and I was actually gaining MORE when I did walk and exercise, figure that one out. Got the lecture from the doc just like you did. I lost it all and then some and none of this is a big deal, so just keep on being healthy and doing what you’re doing.
I know many people who gained 60 or more pounds when pregnant and they are skinny again now and their babies are fine and everyone is happy and nobody likes doctors anyway.
-KIT
I don’t know why I’m not signed in, I had to post under anonymous.
I don’t know if you know this, but you’ll probably gain a pound a week at this point, until the last month when you will probably stop and not gain anything for the last 3 weeks or so, and there is almost nothing you can do about this pattern so please don’t try to gain less. exercise is good for you (in your new condition, btw, you probably don’t have to walk as far to get a decent workout) but it won’t keep your baby from gaining the weight on you he needs. you’re a petite person and sometimes that means you may seem to gain more weight, I’m surprized your doc isn’t taking that into account for you. but regardless, it sounds like you’re doing fine to me. Your doctor has never been pregnant of course.
-KIT
In your pictures you look great, cute and petite, not at all like your doctor is making you sound like!
It’s been a LONG time since I was pregnant, but I gained about 40 something with Adam and 40 something again with Paul. Most of my weight gain with Adam was water.
Walking may not help to alleviate the weight gain, but the aerobic part of it sure helped during labor. The faster your heart can recover, the better!! So consider taking a 1-for-2 in the DR’s corner:)
Cheryl
Hey Kim, Don’t worry, I’m sure you look beautiful; this is the only time it’s really ok to gain that much weight. NO one can beat me I gained 60 with Chloe and really it wasn’t anybodies business:) I just got of the phone with your wonderful dad:) He told me you fell, I’m glad your OK. I’m still getting you the hooter hider, just waiting until pay day. Take Care! Love you!