‘My life was in turmoil, there were some scary times’
CITY MUM STARTED HER OWN SLIMMING GROUP AFTER TROUBLED FIRST PREGNANCY
A COVENTRY woman who lost weight because she so desperately wanted a healthy pregnancy is now running her own slimming group.
After a difficult pregnancy with her first son, Rebecca Taylor’s second pregnancy was trouble free. She had a healthy pregnancy and a full term second son.
Rebecca, 36, from Allesley Green, said: “My Slimming World journey started after I had my first son, Aidan, in January 2009.
“I was obese, weighing about 14 stone 7lb, my blood pressure was high throughout my pregnancy and I developed pre-eclampsia early in my pregnancy.
“This is all manageable but my real problems started when I developed HELLP syndrome which is a liver and blood clotting disorder, the only cure to which is delivery of the baby.
“So at 30 weeks gestation my son was delivered, weighing just 2lb 8oz, before I suffered permanent kidney damage. Life was thrown into turmoil, Aidan spent seven weeks in neonatal and despite some scary times, he generally made good progress.”
Although the causes of her illnesses in pregnancy were complex she felt losing weight would help and decided to sign up for Slimming World before having a second child.
She dropped from 12st 7lbs to 10st 3lbs but was concerned when suddenly the weight loss tailed off. Then she realised it was because she was pregnant again.
She said: “I was under the consultant from the start of my pregnancy as the early onset of my previous preeclampsia made me high risk for it happening again.
“When I first saw the consultant she was staggered, I weighed almost a third of what I had at my booking appointment for my first pregnancy!
“This time nothing went wrong, my blood pressure was normal and the consultant discharged me back to the midwife by 24 weeks.
“I put this down to my weight loss with Slimming World and I will be eternally grateful to Trish for all her support. I gained one stone 9lb throughout my entire pregnancy and in October 2011 gave birth to a full term son, Kieran, weighing 6lb 11oz. My Slimming World baby!”
Her sons Aidan and Kieran are now five and eight.
Rebecca runs a Monday morning slimming class in Allesley Village.