Concerned About Low Weight And Getting Pregnancy

[GIJane]

Hello All,

I was diagnosed with celiac disease in June 2005 and adopted the gluten-free diet immediately. My symptoms immediately got worse. I had D all day and was soon diagnosed with microscopic colitis. Before I was diagnosed with celiac, I lost arond 12-15 lbs and I've only gained 2-5 back. I am 5'7" and weigh 126 lbs. I have some fat on me, but not a lot, and people regularly comment that I'm petite and quite thin.

I am beginning to worry that I don't weigh enough or have enough fat to have a healthy pregnancy. I'm currently on the birth control pill and will get off it soon, so that my hormones have a chance to settle down before we ttc. So, while I've been getting my period, I'm not sure that I will once I stop the pill.

I am writing this post mainly just to get advice and feedback from all of you. Is there anyone else out there who was on the thin side after celiac, had difficulty gaining weight, and was still able to conceive and carry a healthy baby to term?

Any advice would be helpful.

Thank you!

[CarlaB]

I'm 5'7 1/2 and weighed 125 pounds all five times I got pregnant -- all five were healthy babies weighing in at 8lbs. 9oz. - 9lbs. 9oz. I think you'll be fine. Just be sure you're off the pill for a few months before you start trying so that you get those hormones out of your system. Also, it can take a while for fertility to return. You may cycle right away, but may not get pregnant, so don't let you think it's the celiac -- it's the pill.

You are fortunate that you know about your celiac before you get pregnant. I had horrible pregnancies that would have been much better had I known.

[Ursa Major]

My oldest daughter (who is 26) was always on the petite side. She is 5'6" and NEVER weighs more than 115 to 120 pounds. It is hard for her to eat enough to get to 120 lbs even. Her waist size was never bigger than 24 inches (unless she is pregnant ).

Right now she is pregnant with her fifth child. Her kids were big (Emily was 9 pounds, Meghan and Ethan, the twins, were 7lbs 9oz and 7lbs 7oz, respectively, and Jeremy was 8 1/2 pounds). She lost all the weight again after having them, too. She had to wean the twins after one year, because she had gone down to 105 pounds, and I was getting worried about her!

So, if she can do it and have healthy children, so can you. Some people just are meant to be thinner than others. You don't have to be like everybody else, as long as you feel healthy.

[GIJane]

Thank you both. I really appreciate your feedback and support!!!

[nicki2222]

Don't worry!

I was about 108 pounds when I got pregnant. Your body will do what it has to! I gained 30 pounds also! Just eat as healthy and balanced as you can.

I also did not gain any weight for the longest time in my pregnancy. I gained it all closer to the end.

[DandelionH]

This is all great to know!
I could have written exactly what the first poster said. I have an ample chest, some fat on me and have always been little but my BMI is technically 15 (I just worked this out) following being unwell for so long and I want to get pregnant and have a healthy baby!
Extra weight would be useful but I'm already eating all the time and... it's harder than I thought to gain weight O.o .

Glad to hear happy stories and hope the original poster is having success...
 

[DandelionH]

I'm 5'7 1/2 and weighed 125 pounds all five times I got pregnant -- all five were healthy babies weighing in at 8lbs. 9oz. - 9lbs. 9oz. I think you'll be fine. Just be sure you're off the pill for a few months before you start trying so that you get those hormones out of your system. Also, it can take a while for fertility to return. You may cycle right away, but may not get pregnant, so don't let you think it's the celiac -- it's the pill.

 

You are fortunate that you know about your celiac before you get pregnant. I had horrible pregnancies that would have been much better had I known.

Wait...so... the pill kills your cycles? I thought it just made them regular? Can soy milk be the same? I drank it for years and when I stopped I lost my cycle. I just thought I didn't have enough estrogen naturally and soy milk had been 'making it happen' but maybe I do and it's just all messed up...

[kareng]

Wait...so... the pill kills your cycles? I thought it just made them regular? Can soy milk be the same? I drank it for years and when I stopped I lost my cycle. I just thought I didn't have enough estrogen naturally and soy milk had been 'making it happen' but maybe I do and it's just all messed up...

first, you are replying to someone who posted in 2006, so it's unlikely you will get a response.

 

the birth control pill, of course, " kills your cycles".  That's what keeps you from getting pregnant.