Nutrition is key to good health and becomes even more important during pregnancy. The foods that you eat nourish not only you, but also your growing baby. Gastric-bypass surgery is a procedure that involves reducing the size of the stomach and bypassing part of the small intestine to facilitate weight loss. This surgery can make it difficult for your body to get the nutrients it needs. If you're pregnant and have had gastric-bypass surgery, monitor your nutrition with the help of your obstetrician and nutritionist.
Vitamins and Minerals
The small intestine is responsible for vitamin and mineral absorption. With gastric-bypass surgery, part of the small intestine is bypassed, often resulting in vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Common nutrient deficiencies after gastric-bypass surgery include calcium, iron, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K. To correct these deficiencies, vitamin and minerals supplements are usually prescribed. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends a pre-conception nutritional assessment for women who have had gastric bypass. If any deficiencies are found, supplementation will be adjusted.
Dumping Syndrome
After gastric-bypass surgery, some people experience dumping syndrome. Foods and liquids move too quickly from the stomach into the intestine. Symptoms of dumping syndrome include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. This is often caused by consuming foods and drinks that are high in sugar or by eating or drinking too much. Splitting meals and snacks into small portions throughout the day, drinking liquids between meals and avoiding high-sugar foods and drinks can help you manage dumping syndrome while still getting the nutrition you and your baby need.
Gestational Diabetes
Women should be tested for gestational diabetes between 24 and 28 weeks gestation, according to the American Diabetic Association. The test is typically involves drinking a sugary beverage containing 50 g of glucose. The high sugar content of this drink, however, is likely to cause dumping syndrome for a woman who has had gastric bypass. To avoid dumping syndrome while still undergoing the necessary screening for gestational diabetes, discuss an alternative testing method with your doctor. A comparison of blood-sugar levels on an empty stomach and two hours after eating a meal is a more appropriate method of gestational diabetes screening for a woman who has had gastric-bypass surgery.
Meals and Snacks
Because your stomach is able to hold much less food after gastric bypass, it is important to eat small frequent meals and snacks while you're pregnant. Focus on variety in your diet, eating fruits, vegetables, whole-grain breads and cereals, low-fat dairy foods and lean protein such as chicken and fish. A registered dietitian can help you put together a healthy eating and weight plan to nourish both you and your baby.
References
- American Diabetes Association: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
- The Mayo Clinic: Getting Pregnant After Gastric Bypass: Is It Safe?
- US Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: Bariatric Surgery and Pregnancy
- Medscape Reference: Prenatal Nutrition; Corinthinan J Booker, MD, et al.
- "Bariatric Times"; Management and Outcomes of Pregnancy Following Bariatric Surgery; Jane Alston, et al.; May 2008
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