Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
Jan
18
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“…Thanksgiving Wasn’t Good To You.”
“You gained ELEVEN POUNDS since your last appointment? Thanksgiving wasn’t good to you.” – OB to mother at 28 week prenatal appointment.
There are 27 comments to this post.
How long ago was the last appointment? If mom is still only going once a month, 11 pounds isn’t much. If her last appointment was last week, then I would be concerned. Somehow, I doubt this wouldn’t be here if the latter were the case.
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Cat Reply:
January 18th, 2012 at 7:09 pm (Quote)
Between 24 and 28 weeks, a gain of 11 pounds is almost 3 times what it should be. Ideal weight gain between those weeks of pregnancy is 3-4 pounds.
I think the OB was trying to be sympathetic without being too judgmental? Or was shocked at the weight gain? Maybe a combo of the two? But there was definitely a better way of putting it.
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jenni Reply:
January 21st, 2012 at 11:50 am (Quote)
i gained 11 lbs between 24 and 28 weeks. AVERAGES are AVERAGES. and then at 30 weeks i had lost 2 lbs. maybe i needed to up my fiber intake. and i gained exactly 30 lbs for the entire pregnancy, textbook. but of course, just because whatever factors in play made the gain in those weeks higher than average does not make it a huge problem worth embarassing a patient over. Even the douchebag Dr who saw me, gently indicated that i had “too much nutrition” in those weeks. maybe baby had a growth spurt. we’ll never know, now will we, because everybody is now paranoid about what mommy is doing so wrong that made her gain ELEVEN (not one hundred eleven!) pounds in a month…..
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If the OB were concerned there are better ways to handle it. Something like “11 pounds is a bit more than we like to see. Let me check your blood pressure/proteins/ankles for swelling. Have you been feeling okay?”
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Meg Reply:
January 18th, 2012 at 7:37 pm (Quote)
If 11 lbs is too much then “a bit more than we would like to see” doesn’t convey the situation. The OB’s statement was horrible, but using inappropriate phrasing isn’t any better. How about, “A 3-5 lb weight gain is expected for your stage of pregnancy. You have gained 11 lbs. What have your diet and exercise habits been?”
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Jenny Islander Reply:
January 19th, 2012 at 4:24 pm (Quote)
Even more appropriate: Asking questions that might identify actual health issues of pregnancy that involve sudden weight gain.
Going to a doctor while happening to be fat can be like talking to a toddler.
Patient: I have persistent pain right here–
Doctor: YOU FAAAAAT.
Patient: –that I know can mean gallbladder issues because–
Doctor: YOU SO FAAAAAT.
Patient: –my brother, father, and uncle all had gallbladder issues and–
Doctor: YOU SO FAAAAT. YOU LOSE SOME WEIGHT AND OWIES ALL GOED AWAY.
Patient–But they’re all thin as rails and they had to go to the hospital for gallbladder trouble anyway! Three relatives, all thin, with gallbladder disease, and here I am with the same symptoms. I need you to authorize the correct tests. Are you even listening to me?
Doctor: *is at the other end of the room, twirling around and singing the Fatty Boombalatti Song, having forgotten that patient is even there*
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Aron Reply:
January 21st, 2012 at 5:41 am (Quote)
That is hilarious! I laughed all the way through!
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jenni Reply:
January 21st, 2012 at 12:11 pm (Quote)
my diet and exercise habits did NOT change at all between my 24 and 28 week appointments, i had no complications, swelling etc… baby must have had a growth spurt, and i only gained 30 lbs total, it just happend that a bunch of it was in one month, and i’ve heard thats a common time for a growth spurt, and the Dr i saw was too busy giving me a relatively nice lecture on nutrition to answer my questions on the patch of eczema on my leg from my knee to my ankle…..
without previous excess weight gain or any signs of complications, there is certainly better ways to put this.
“Babies sure do start to grow a lot at this point, and thats why you are gaining weight. Just stay active, eat healthy, and make sure you let us know if you have any swelling or anything at all that doesnt feel right. You’re blood pressure was fine, and you don’t have any signs of swelling or complications, and you haven’t gained too much weight overall yet, so i’m not worried about this” is what they should have said!
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With my first pregnancy I gained 9lbs in a month, but I had lost over 20lbs in the first 20 weeks! Once I was able to eat without throwing it all up, I went a little crazy, lol. My Dr never even commented on it, thankfully. The rest of the pregnancy I gained the typical 1-2lbs a week, and in the end I was still below my pre-pregnancy weight.
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Without seeing the pink, I think the doctor was actually trying (badly) to not be nasty or rude while still commenting that 11lbs is a lot for that time period. I get that every woman varies, I lost weight during that time period, but putting on 3 times the average is a large difference, worth mentioning.
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My understanding is that an eleven pound gain between visits might be attributable to water weight/fluid retention, and based on that, the doctor should have been quietly concerned and checked the mom for swelling, edema and/or polyhydramniosis.
After that, it could be, “Okay, I’m very relieved that you aren’t beginning to show signs of fluid retention, but your weight gain is a bit of a concern. Have you been eating differently?”
Assuming the weight gain is entirely overindulgence on fatty food is medically dangerous, no? You don’t need to go to a doctor to have someone jump to that conclusion.
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Desiree Reply:
January 20th, 2012 at 7:27 pm (Quote)
That’s basically what my doctor did when I had a 10 pound weight gain one month. I never had swelling or BP issues. He asked if I was eating differently than before (which I wasn’t). We discussed it and he never brought it up again, and my weight gain from then on was fairly normal. Looking back at my previous pregnancies, I tend to do a big jump around 24-26 weeks.
The more I read on this site, the more I love my OB.
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I did that once with my first pregnancy. Somewhere around 28 weeks in a three week period. I gained about 34 total after a 30 pound loss during morning sickness. My (i’m almost ashamed to say it on this website) OB was okay with it, as long as it was just that one time and I didn’t continue on like that. I had a home birth with my second…
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Darsy Reply:
January 19th, 2012 at 11:46 am (Quote)
I’m not ashamed to be seeing an OB, but then, my OB practice is pretty fantastic IMO, and I have a submission about them that should show up later today, hehe. It’s the bad ones that are scary 
As a worrier, or as my husband likes to call me, a ‘catastrophist,’ I just can’t let myself homebirth. The stress of worrying about it, despite all the evidence to the contrary, would probably be to my laboring detriment. Oh well!
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Caitlin Reply:
January 19th, 2012 at 12:19 pm (Quote)
I don’t think that having an OB is a horrible thing, if you are okay with it. And I think birthing in a hospital is fine, if you want to. Just me personally, having my baby in a hospital went against everything my gut was telling me. I was with Kaiser and the OB i had seen my whole pregnancy was not there when I was in labor and I got some psycho on a power trip. The constant pestering and bullying led to pit, and eventually an epidural, and the most disappointing part of my daughter’s birth: not knowing when she was born because I couldn’t feel anything! It could have been a much worse experience, but I stuck with my gut the second time around and LOVED the whole experience. By the same token, I totally understand wanting the peace of mind a hospital might bring.
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With my first two pregnancies, I gained hardly anything until 20 weeks, and then gained something like 8 lbs. between weeks 20 and 24. My OB was fine with it. My weight gain after than followed a much more typical curve. Just because someone doesn’t follow the “average” weight gain between each appointment doesn’t mean they’re doing something wrong. Not everyone experiences a growth spurt at the same time. Sure, it’s fine for the OB to note the weight gain and ask about swelling, eating habits, etc. but there’s no need to be rude about it. Heck, my weight fluctuates by several pounds depending on whether I weigh myself in the morning or the afternoon. Variation in the time of day of the appointment could even account for a couple of pounds.
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Kristy Reply:
January 19th, 2012 at 9:12 am (Quote)
Yep… time of the appointment and the *weather* that day. If the late Oct appointment was still a nice warm day and the patient was in light weight clothing… then the late Nov appointment was a blustery day with her wearing a thick sweater and heavy jeans…. there are more ‘pounds’ she has suddenly put on!
I know WIC never thinks to consider the weather/clothes issue when weighing my kids. They never ‘gain enough weight’ from Jan to June appointments… because they lose weight in clothing!
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On average this pregnancy I’ve gained 5-10lbs between appointments in the last half of my pregnancy (after 20 weeks). With my first baby, I gained 10lbs in a week — and while I was tested for proteins and everything bad — I was ultimately fine. I’ve gained 30+lbs this pregnancy and I’m still healthy and baby is awesome.
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I think I probably put on 11lbs but then I am not growing a human being inside of me. Me, not so good. Pregnant momma, likely absolutely fine.
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