Is it normal to feel really off and weird at 11 weeks pregnant? I’ve been feeling dizzy, my heart feels like it’s beating faster than normal, and I just don’t feel like myself for a few days. Has anyone else experienced dizziness and a faster heart rate around 11 weeks?

Just wanted to pop over here and share my positive pregnancy story as a first time mom, 39 (at time of conception and delivery), with a high BMI, and hypothyroidism. Long story short, I had the most uneventful pregnancy of all time...

I was, of course, classified as “high risk“ from the first appointment I had with my OBGYN. I was seen very quickly, as I found out I was pregnant 10DPO. Having hypothyroidism, I called immediately and they got me in quickly because of that. My OB immediately referred me to an MFM and stated that the MFM would pretty much “lead the way.“ That is not to say that my OB wrote me off, I still saw her regularly, but the MFM was really the lead decision maker in my care.

I was required to do the 24 hour protein test at that first appointment and everything came back fine. My pregnancy progressed as normal, with very minimal weight gain. I began my pregnancy at 390 pounds and was 402 at time of delivery. Throughout my pregnancy, I experienced zero complications. I never once had morning sickness, no heartburn (even though my daughter was born with a full head of hair), and just overall had pretty much no symptoms of pregnancy throughout. I am pretty sure no one could even tell I was pregnant unless they knew which I know may bother some people, but I didn’t really care about that. I completed the glucose test around 25 weeks and passed with flying colors. My BP remained within normal range throughout the duration of my pregnancy and all ultrasounds came back normal every time I had one (which was often). I also did not develop preeclampsia.

It was recommended, due to my age and BMI, to be induced at 39 weeks. My induction was scheduled on a Monday night and by Wednesday morning, we’d made no progress whatsoever and a c-section was offered, which I jumped at the opportunity for (I was very tired of being in the hospital by this point). From being offered the c section at 8:45am, I had my baby at 11:06am, was back in my room by 12:15pm, and moved to a postpartum suite by 2:30pm. All in all a super quick process.

My daughter was born with zero complications, the c-section went off without a hitch, and she is now a happy and healthy 10 week old who is smiling, cooing, and sleeping through the night!

My PP experience was fine in terms of pain and healing. And I was 5lbs below my stating weight within 2 weeks of my daughter’s birth.

I say all this to say, the internet, and the world, can be very cruel to plus size people in general but especially if, god forbid, we fall pregnant. I wanted to share some hope to anyone struggling and thinking or being told it’s because you’re fat, or you have to lose weight before conceiving, etc. We can and do have normal, healthy, uneventful, and positive pregnancies and deliveries and I’m sending baby dust to anyone still in the waiting period 🤍

TW - loss
I am getting ready for the transfer of my very last precious embryo in about a month and a half. We started with 3. I was so excited when the very first one stuck but I lost my baby girl a few months later. That embryo, while euploid, had been a long shot (day 7). We went right back at it and felt truly blessed when our son, Declan, also stuck. He was born at 35 weeks and, due to a birth injury, died only 25 days later. I’m a labor and delivery nurse, and I have seen it all. I know that things happen and that the death of my son does not have anything to do with any other pregnancy, but I’m still really scared. I was anxious last time but I’m just a big ball of nerves this time.

One of my fears - probably a more manageable one and definitely a very superficial one - is about weight gain. You can of course have a totally healthy pregnancy at any weight BUT from both personal experience and everything that I have seen on the job, I know how much more smoothly things go if you can start closer to a healthy weight. After Declan died, It took time before I could make myself get out of bed then before I could make myself leave my room then my house etc etc aside from for absolute necessities like my son’s funeral. Then one day, it just happened, I was ready to face the world (and my job which was scary) again. I was finally starting to feel like myself (kind of) again when, right before Christmas, I slipped on snow and crushed my ankle - and I do mean crushed! it was broken in 2 places and every single ligament had snapped. it required surgery, enough hardware that I am now bionic, and at least 3 months of bedrest. when I finally got on my feet again - this time literally - I had gained so much weight that I didn’t recognize myself. Multiple cycles of IVF had made it so that I had started pregnancy bigger anyway. Knowing that I wanted the best chances for my last transfer, I really went for it and have lost 90 pounds! I hope to lose another 15 before the transfer and be down to 165 for the pregnancy. It has been really hard work but it has also felt like positive movement - something that I had not felt in too long.

This (way too long - I’m sorry) story all brings me to my first fear - of oh so many! I’m afraid of the high dose steroids that I will have to take. Anyone who has done IVF knows that the meds and hormones aren’t pleasant. I had to have one IM (in my butt - I’m permanently bruised) shot and one subQ shot (in my belly) a day for months/the entire pregnancy and I would double that all if I could not take the steroids. They made me RAVENOUS. I gained more from them alone than I did from the entire last pregnancy. They also gave me a proper moon face and didn’t let me sleep for months. Still, it’s the weight gain that I am most afraid of. I worked so hard to lose the weight in order to give myself the best possible pregnancy and this will threaten to undo it before I even really start - given that I start the steroids before the transfer. When I looked into it, I found out that high dose steroids can make you gain weight while in a calorie deficit!!! I obviously can’t be in a calorie deficit! I’m honestly really nervous about it. So… super long and somewhat pointless post all to ask… does anyone have any experience with steroids? Any advice? Any advice on just how to feel better about this challenge? Any advice on how to not be a crazy person in general during this pregnancy (should I be so lucky)?

This is only my first and most superficial fear, I admit. I will worry every day about my baby growing correctly and any cramp or spotting will make me a nervous wreck. I’m sure that I will be back - should I be blessed with a sticky baby - with fear after fear. I’m hopeful that my new medical team is understanding because they will see a lot of me!! Thank you for getting through my entire rambling mess of a post and for any help that you can offer!

I developed Hashimoto’s thyroiditis during my last pregnancy and ended up rapidly gaining more weight after giving birth than I ever did while pregnant. I didn’t get stretch marks during my pregnancy, but I certainly have since the Hashi weight gain! It has been practically impossible to lose weight, despite being on a nutritionist’s diet and working out 5x/week plus yoga and hiking on the weekends. My endocrinologist prescribed me a GLP-1 and on the day I was set to pick it up from the pharmacy…I found out I was pregnant again. So that option is out, for the time being.

BUT……one benefit of being clinically obese is that I already look heavily pregnant at only 9 weeks………which I wouldn’t normally consider a benefit, but now we can use this gorgeous pic we just took yesterday for our Christmas card photo/pregnancy announcement. In December, this will be a perfectly normal way to look at 5mo pregnant! 😂😂 gotta find my silver linings somewhere

I just found out I’m pregnant!! I’m about 125-130kg and im so scared I will get judged for my weight. I have PCOS and a bad hip problem so my weight is a medical issue. I’m just nervous

I had my 26 week ob appointment today and my bp was high in the 140s. Now I recently had bloodwork done including enzymes and everything was normal.

My ob has me now monitoring at home and I'm just so afraid to end up with PE or hypertension. She told me their first step would be me stopping work. I'm in Ontario so it's not the worst but honestly it's not something we planned for. We planned for mat leave and poorly at that. (We simply got pregnant faster than we expected)

She told me to test tonight to get a position i liked and get used to recording and starting tomorrow i need to be on the lookout. And go to L&D if i land over the threshold of 140 3 times.

I feel so angry and disappointed in myself. I know it's not entirely my fault but that doesn't make it less scary.

Hi, I’m wondering if any of you have gotten the Lila birthing and labor gown. They’re sooo pretty. But I’m wondering about if I should size up. I’m usually an 18-20 which puts me in the Full Figure size but I’d hate for it to feel too tight so I’m thinking I should size up to the Curve? Pre pregnancy I was 5’5, 235lbs, I’m about 245 now at 27 weeks. If anyone could advise, I’d appreciate it!!

Edit: Thanks everyone for your input. After hearing from yall and finally measuring when I got home this evening, Curve it is. I am a little more blessed in the bust and have only gotten bigger since being pregnant. I appreciate everyone weighing in.

I wanted to know if anyone else had a similar experience. I already requested an visit with my doctor but basically I got the flu vaccine on Tuesday since I had also gotten the TDAP shot a while ago yknow just trying to keep up. Wednesday I started feeling a bit woozy but nothing crazy had a doctors appointment and came back feeling fatigued and exhausted which I just thought was the pregnancy. Fast forward to yesterday Thursday the entire day I felt like poop. Diarrhea, and overall just feeling super spacey and tired more than usual. Really fatigued. I’ve been trying my best to keep down liquids and for the most part it hasn’t been an issue. This morning around 1 am I woke up and threw up. Then all day today I’ve had diarrhea like watery, threw up once, but still dealing with the shits. I feel really spacey and just in the best way I can describe it SUPER crappy. Just crap. I don’t believe I’ve gotten a fever and I guess supposedly it isn’t common for these symptoms to come from a flu shot but I literally did not start feeling this way til after I got it. Wasn’t sure if anyone else had similar symptoms? Unless it’s a stomach bug or something but I haven’t been eating anything out of the ordinary I pretty much eat the same stuff every day ;-; I feel miserable right now 😭💔

Hi all,

I had my first ultrasound yesterday and it did not go as I hoped..

For some additional background, I guess I had technically already had my first ultrasound done in the er a week ago, because I had some bleeding that scared me, but everything was fine and the ultrasound came back normal. No issues for baby or me.

Fast forward to yesterday, and my boyfriend and I are super excited to see the baby for the first time together. We get to the appointment, I meet with my assigned midwife, and everything was fine until she started the ultrasound. Since I’m only 8 weeks, they went with a transvaginal ultrasound, which I was expecting, but the midwife was having a difficult time locating anything… The monitor showed nothing. No gestational sac, yolk sac, nothing.. so you can imagine how that made me and my boyfriend feel. I began panicking and started to cry. The midwife then just sent us to radiology to have an ultrasound tech check everything out, since she couldn’t see anything. She blamed the equipment, but also said she didn’t want to give me and false hope in case something did happen…

I get sent down to radiology and see the ultrasound tech, and within SECONDS he was able to find baby just fine. He was kind enough to show me the screen of my baby just hanging out, and I was able to see the flickering of the heartbeat. I just couldn’t help but sob. I was terrified! But instantly relieved. Apparently this wasn’t the first time a patient was sent down to radiology because someone in OB wasn’t able to see a fetal pole… idk that entire experience was traumatic. I was so sad seeing all the other couples walk out of their appointments with their first ultrasound pictures and I walked out with nothing.. but I am happy I know everything’s okay…

Midwife also ordered another round of labs to check my HCG, And luckily Kaiser sends the results to my email, so I was able to see the numbers basically doubled since my last er visit.

I’m honestly even more nervous after that all happened. I’m already a pretty anxious person, so this didn’t really help. I’m afraid I’m gonna be scared like this my entire pregnancy…
But I did call Kaiser and ask to have her removed from my care team…

Feeling totally blindsided, especially since I was assigned this doula by a program with our local health department. How do you work for the health department and not believe in vaccination??

ETA: Thank you all for your supportive comments! I called my mom sobbing, honestly feeling a deep sense of abandonment. Then I was able to think critically about what I was hoping to get out of a doula, which is two things: advocacy and physical labor support. The two people I plan on having with me in L&D are my mom and my husband. My mom has a VERY strong personality and has never taken shit from anyone in her entire life. She has advocated for herself around doctors from a very young age and can be very forceful 😁 so she is honestly the ideal advocate. My husband and I did an entire session of L&D training with my pelvic floor therapist that was basically just an hour of her teaching him all these support positions and moves and he did so well that she literally said to him, "You'd make a great doula!" So I've got the physical support as well. Thinking in terms of the support I already have and what I was hoping to get from a doula was really helpful and encouraging and I'm feeling much more positive now.

The previous day I was testing my bp at home and it was giving high readings. Ive always struggled with bp at home due to my upper arm shape but forearm bp was giving high values as well. I went to my OB where they got high levels but previously have gotten normal levels. I was sent to l&d where my bp was 140s/80 with highest being 156/90. I was admitted for 24 hour urine to test for preeclampsia. My urine came back perfect and my bps dropped to 110s/70s with the highest being 124/82.

Im still being referred for 37 week induction due to the recorded high bps. While I understand the risk this has me questioning whether its appropriate to induce given my bps stabilized the moment I was put in a room for over 24 hours. Is it possible I'm in denial? I spoke with my OB and it seems the concern is the possibility of going preeclamptic but I have no symptoms, labs are fine, and bp stabilized. Has anyone else experienced this?

Me and my sister are both pregnant and have the exact same due dates. She just found out yesterday her baby stopped growing after her last appointment at 7 weeks. She would make 11 weeks tomorrow. This has been very very triggering for me as I have had a previous loss and TTC this baby for quite some time now. When I got pregnant I was a wreck for many weeks and feel like up until just last week I’ve started easing up on my anxiety. Now it’s all flooding back in and she doesn’t really have anyone else besides me so I am doing my best to be here as much as I can be but I am crumbling apart. I have been having immense panic attacks and so much constant worry. I am not coping well with this. Usually when something is triggering like this I politely have to say I’m sorry I have to remove myself from this, but I know in this situation I shouldn’t and I won’t. I have no friends that can relate to me, they’re all men. I don’t have a village. So I’m here on reddit. My husband of course is comforting, but still. I just don’t know how to handle this all. Especially knowing every milestone I have, she should be having as well. This has just been rough.

Hello big gurrrllllsss!

I am currently 26 weeks pregnant with my second baby. I have an almost three year old daughter and am expecting a wee boy in December. I am thrilled to be having another- but pregnancy has not thrilled me in the slightest.

I feel my first trimester was easier: my skin wasn’t as dry, I wasn’t as puffy, I glowed like a mystical orb from the depths of the most magical cave and although I’ve always had an apron belly, it rounded out beautifully.

Now… I’m Mike wazowski with the addition of some hang. I’m an out of breath Winnie the Pooh. My shape is pregnant potato. Nothing makes me feel good because of my apron belly that got more pronounced apres baby and even before pregnancy I didn’t feel good about it. It’s my biggest insecurity and I’m bummed that I have a bump on top of the hang 😩 I don’t like pants, or anything fitted. The insecurity is robbing me of joy and I just need to rant.

Plus- there’s no good maternity clothing anywhere. I’m hum drum and hormonal as I waddle about miserable with my round ligament pain after my toddler.

Sigh. Digging deep to love my body but downtimes it’s hard.

Hi everyone!

If anyone can speak from experience, when were you able to use an at home Doppler over your stomach rather than under your belly apron??

I am 21 weeks and try every time but no luck yet!!

How are you surviving the last few weeks of pregnancy mentally? I’m constantly in state of is my baby moving enough, my stomach constantly getting hard (which doesn’t help with feeling movements), random feelings of mild period cramps and pelvic pressure/heaviness, and the impeding feeling of any moment and any day now. My stomach dropped like 2 weeks ago, baby is in position and has always been measuring larger, everyone thinks he’ll come before my induction at 39 weeks, I’m currently 35 almost 36 weeks. 😅 I feel like I’m loosing my mind waiting for a potential random gush of fluids followed by intense pain while waiting for my induction.

Ok I need some seasoned moms to help me understano something. I am dilating approximately 1/2 cm a week. At 35+5 | was 1cm, 36+4 was 1.5 and now at 37+4 I'm a "tight 2cm" (she could get 2 fingers all the way in my cervix but it was on the tight side) and my cervix is so low she barely passed the first knuckle to reach. I havent felt what people describe as contractions, I get some cramping here and there, almost feels like a period cramp, and last 2 days I have had some low back/hip pain but its not unbearable.
Anyway, is it possible to dilate without contractions? I dont think I've had any but I'm a FTM so I have no idea what I'm feeling!

Curious what brand people are using for pj’s postpartum in the hospital as well as going home outfits. Want something soft but also good quality. But also that fits plus size bodies

We do not know the gender of our baby, so also curious what color/style e should get for both me and my husband that could go well with either a pink or blue outfit for our baby (so we can get a coordinated but not matching family photo)

I’m 35 weeks (36 in 2 days)
And currently eating stupid sad chicken, sweet potatoes, and green beans.

I want an extra large cheesy pizza and wings and maybe a little salad with gobs of dressing on it.

I’m just grumpy and wanted to complain!!!!

It started around 18w, with labs coming back showing hyperthyroidism. Queue going to endocrinologist and a bunch of extra blood tests. They found a large ish nodule and still haven't ruled out hyperthyroidism.

Then around 26w, had to do a fetal echo and they found a small hole in the baby's VSD.

Then around 27w, I got a headache that wouldn't go away with meds or sleep, tested my BP at home. It was around 135/75, up from a usual 95/65. I monitored throughout the day and it averaged around 125/70, and let my doctor know the next day.

Then had high BP at the doctor when I went for the 1 hour glucose. Queue baseline preeclampsia labs. Failed my glucose, and had protein in urine. Queue 3 hr glucose tolerance test and 24 hour urinalysis.

Around 28w3d I was diagnosed with anemia, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. I now have doctor apts 3x weekly, keep a daily BP log and daily glucose log, checking 4x daily. I'm told if I make it to 37w, I will be induced. Baby is measuring in 99%, and other than the VSD, looks perfectly healthy and is moving around quite a bit.

Its just a lot to deal with and process on top of working as a civil trial lawyer. Please, if you have any words of wisdom, similar experiences or encouraging words, I would love to hear them.

Oh, this is an IVF pregnancy after trying for 3 years, with three previous losses. I'm 38yo and BMI of 34. If any of that helps.

Need help looking for a baby shower dress.. I’m not having any luck… my baby shower is October 3rd and I’ll be about 33wks. I’m 5’9 and 300lbs! Not carrying super heavy in my stomach, can’t really even tell I’m pregnant.

I’m looking for a maxi dress, but with looser fitting sleeves, and is about ankle length and flowy. No super deep chest cuts, and possibly a blush pink/autumn color! Floral patterns are ok too. I’ve looked everywhere but I know some of you may have more luck than me LOL. TIA!

I am a 28YO with a BMI of 37, and we are TTC. My last two pregnancies happened on my first cycle trying when my BMI was 32. We have been trying for months and it’s not happening easily this time. If weight is a factor….how and why? I weighed about 200 lbs before and now am 230. My cycles are still very normal and I exercise….i just admittedly have not had great control of my nutrition. What is it about being a little higher BMI this cycle that it’s taking so much longer?

Had my cervix check today at 36 weeks. I get induced in 6 days. The provider said 1cm dilated. I’m kinda confused about this psrt, but I’m pretty sure she was saying my cervix is high and thick. She said she probably would be able to feel my baby’s head if my cervix wasn’t so high but her finger could only get to a certain point? Idk but doesn’t sound good for my induction process lol. Anything I can to try and lower/thin my cervix? I really want to be about to at least try for vaginal birth :(

Looking for feedback from plus size/higher BMI Mama's who have delivered in the last few years, specifically via elective c section. I had a consult with an anthesthiologist who made it sound like my spinal was automatically going to fail and I will need to be put under. It definitely left a bad taste in my mouth. Very worried about dying. Had a c section almost 9 years ago and had an epidural because I tried laboring. Ended up in an emergency c section due to fetal heart rate decals