How can I prepare my body for baby #2 in a year?

Question

My hubby and I are planning on trying for baby #2 in about a year, if not sooner, like next Spring.

The stats on me right NOW, is I am 80 pounds overweight. I gained 38 with baby #1 and then 12 staying home, so I was a little overweight when I got preggers. Baby #1 was born via emergency C-section because I developed Toxemia because my doctor NEVER told me I was having protein in my urine or that my BP was getting high. never said a word to me, so at 37w4d they thought I was gonna have stroke in the ER when I went in with severe abdominal pain. Sorry, got off track.

Anyways, #2 we want born spring 2010-ish...late winter is okay too for me.

I am finding it very hard not to try right now, but #1 is only 10 months next week, so I know time is essential here.

I would like a list of things to do, or what I can try, to get ready for #2.

Losing weight is #1 and being and staying active goes with that, so please do not be rude and call me fat, I know I am.

Anyone had a C-section and can tell me how the second one went? will I have to do another or what are the chances of VBAC?

The more detail you can give will help!

Answer 1

First thing I would do is to find a new doctor.  I can't believe that the doc never tested for protein in your urine. Next, to try to loose the weight why don't you start going for walks with your 10 month old.  Put the baby in a stroller and go for 30 minute walks with your little one.  Do this a few times a week and I'm sure you will start to drop some pounds. As far as the VBAC goes, talk to your NEW doctor about that.  I had a c-section because my baby was breech and my doc told me that I could have a VBAC if I wanted to.  I'm not sure about your case though seeing that you had an emergency c-section.  Best of luck to you! I'll be trying for #2 then too.  My daughter is 7 months old today!

Answer 2

well you said it, losing weight, eating healthy, exercise.

as far as the c-section goes, i had a c-section with my first who is 7 months old.  well i am 2.5 months pregnant again so i will have the baby when my son is 14 months old.  i REALLY want VBAC but my doctor said it is really not safe that soon, they look for a MINIMUM of 18 months but prefer 2 years between deliveries to be able to try for VBAC.  so i am told i have to have another c-section which means i will never be able to have a vaginal delivery.  that's sad for me.

so if i were you i would try to wait and try for VBAC.  you can talk to your OB about their recommendations on VBACs and if they do them.

Answer 3

Well like you said, getting into shape is #1. Try Yoga or pilates. If you're a stay at home mom put the baby in the stroller and go jogging. If not rent some workout DVDs from the library. Like I said yoga and pilates are great low impact exercises. My cousin lost 100lbs doing yoga. But you have to be consistent. Drink lots of water and eat lots of veggies and fruits to help loose the weight. If you drink a lot of pop, try Izze Carbonated juice. It's all natural juice and it's fizzy like pop without all the sugars and additives, or try club soda with fresh lime juice squeezed in. Almost like sprite without all the yucky stuff. :-)

Start taking prenatal vitamins and folic acid now or a little closer to when you start trying. It will help your body ensure it has all the vitamins and minerals needed to support a baby.  Make sure you're not taking any diet pills or anything because once you start trying, you don't know what they could do to the baby.

As for having toxemia, make sure, as you are getting ready to try, that you talk to your doctor and tell them about having toxemia with your first child. They will do what they can to help keep your blood pressure low from the beginning. The sooner they know there may be a problem, the better.

As for c-sections and VBACs, if you had a normal c-section with a normal incision (not a vertical) then you should have a good chance of having a vbac. Just talk with your doctor.

Good luck and I hope this helps you. :-)  

Answer 4

The more time between births the better your chances are of having a successful VBAC.

I had to have an emergancy c-section with my oldest, I had gained like 70lbs when I was pregnant and even though I breast fed it still didn't help me lose it.

I just watched what I ate, how much I ate and I walked a whole lot.    

Go whole grains all the way, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta and brown rice, but eat them in moderation.  Don't buy treats and junk at the grocery store, you're less inclined to eat a cookie if it's not already in your cupboard.

Also, you have to look at it as a lifestyle change.  A fad diet is not going to help you at all.  The most important thing is to not ignore your cravings, just satisfy them as minimally as possible.  If you have an urge for ice cream, get a small small cone or tub of it.  If you want chocolate go for the tiny 100 calorie ones.

With my second pregnancy I opted to have another c-section because it had barely been two years between the two pregnancies.  I had a major wake up call when I was diagnosed with diabetes and had to take insulin injections four times a day.  

I was put on a diet and had to keep a log book of what I ate, when I ate it and what my blood sugar levels were after I ate it.  It was not fun at all, but I learnt what portion sizes actually were and that you really need to represent every food group at every meal so your body can burn it and not store it.

I gained maybe 35lbs with my second pregnancy and kept the same diet as when I had the gestational diabetes and I lost a lot of weight.  I still excerise and walk and am as active as I can be with a baby and toddler.  It's a whole life style change, you have to really want it and work at so that it doesn't feel like your depriving yourself.

Good luck!