Pregnancy & Weight: Assessing Risks & Recommendations

Question
Hi Dorothy,

I am 5'4" and 190 lbs. I know that is considered obese. Besides my weight, I am very healthy.  I would like to know if it would be safe for me to get pregnant? This would be my first pregnancy.  
If it isn't, how much weight do you recommend I lose?

Thank you.

Answer
Hi Lilly,

I'm so sorry for the delay in getting back to you; it's been a busy couple of weeks here for me.

I've seen many women your size or larger go on to have pregnancies with no complications.  

This website has a lot of good information about the possible risks faced by larger women during pregnancy, and well as information about the pros and cons of dieting before getting pregnant.

http://plus-size-pregnancy.org/Dieting_and_Pregnancy.html

It is a part of a larger website with a lot of great information:

http://plus-size-pregnancy.org/firstindex.html

Sincerely,

Dorothy H, LCCE