EXCLUSIVE Mother pleads for help to fund Mounjaro jabs to lose weight for surgery...after 11lb baby caused her stomach to SPLIT
Abbi Smith, 31, from Thorpe Willoughby, north Yorkshire, is the proud mum of Eden, born just under two years ago.
Before she fell pregnant, Abbi - who is 5ft 2ins - was a slim and healthy 9st 8lbs and worked as a lifeguard and receptionist in York.
But as the months went on it became apparent her son was a larger than average baby with her stomach becoming noticeably 'bigger and bigger'.
In the latter weeks of her pregnancy, doctors estimated Eden would fall into the 90th percentile for weight - and when he was finally born via C-section, he was just shy of 11lb.
By contrast, the average weight of a newborn in the UK is nearer to 7lb 8oz for boys.
As Abbi recovered from the birth, she began experiencing back pain, while her former pregnancy bump was transforming into an unsightly bulging stomach.
She was finally diagnosed by doctors as having an umbilical hernia, a common condition in which part of the intestine bulges through an opening in the abdominal muscles close to the belly button.
But Abbi was told the strain of a larger pregnancy had also caused a second condition, diastasis recti, in which her abdominal muscles have separated.
The condition is diagnosed when the division is greater than 2.7cm - but in Abbi's case it is at least 7cm, with doctors believing it could in fact be larger.
Surgery is needed to help resolve both conditions, but between the after-effects of pregnancy, being a new mum and debilitating back pain, Abbi has not exercised as she once did - and her weight has inevitably soared.
Since being pregnant, Abbi has put on 5 stone and now weighs 14st 10lbs - placing her BMI in the 'obese' range.
Doctors at York Hospital have warned that neither surgery can go ahead unless she loses 3 stone in the next 40 weeks.
The determined mother-of-one is now making lifestyle choices to help her shed the pounds, but is also looking to use Mounjaro to ensure she meets the deadline set by her surgeons.
From next week, the drug - also known as Tirzepatide - will be available on NHS prescription for weight loss for patients who meet specific criteria, but Abbi has been told by her GP she is not eligible.
She hopes instead to raise around £1,400 to pay for the jabs privately via a GoFundMe page - adding she simply wants 'to live my life again'.
Speaking to MailOnline, Abbi said that aside from back pain and discomfort, she has also become more self-conscious because of her bulge - with some strangers even asking if the mother-of-one is still pregnant.
She said: 'I stopped lifeguarding at 16 weeks, but I was eating healthy and doing as much exercise as possible.
'It was more after the pregnancy the problems started.
'My weight began gaining mainly because of the back pain and discomfort I was experiencing due to my umbilical hernia, and then the stomach split as well.
'There have been many times I might avoid going out, because I feel people are looking at me.
'Some have even assumed that I'm still pregnant and ask: "When are you due?"
'I have to tell them I'm not pregnant - my bump just never went away.
'I've definitely become more anxious of social situations and have started buying bigger clothes to disguise my bulge.'
Having first noticed issues when Eden was around six months-old, it has taken more than a year for Abbi to go through the various referrals and tests needed before she could have surgery.
So when she was told at her most recent appointment that she would need to lose three stone over the next nine months, because otherwise the risk to have an operation would be too high, the distressed mother said she felt 'overwhelmed'.
'I'd waited so long to get to that point only to be told you've got to wait another 40 weeks, and you've got to lose it in that time to even be considered for surgery.
'It all seems so endless and and I just want to get back to being fit and healthy.'
Abbi has signed up to a gym and swim membership to help her shift the weight, but is also hoping to raise enough money to start taking Mounjaro.
The weight loss jab has long been hailed the 'King Kong' of slimming jabs, with the latest research showing it is almost 50 per cent more effective at shifting the pounds than its rival Wegovy.
However, it is only available on the NHS to patients who have a BMI of 35 or more as well as at least four of five conditions, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol or fat levels in your blood, sleep apnea, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Aside from being considered 'obese', Abbi does not have any of the listed conditions.
And like many other weight loss jabs, Mounjaro has been associated with more worrying side effects, such as pancreatitis — when the pancreas suddenly becomes inflamed — or gastrointestinal issues.
Others have reported constipation, fatigue, headaches, dizziness and even hair loss while on the drug, but Abbi said she had considered all of these factors.
'I've done quite a bit of research on Mounjaro and spoken to people who have actually taken.
'They've told me how well it has worked for them.
'I did look at different options, but Mounjaro offers the most amount of fat loss in the time that I have to do this.
'I've also looked into the side effects, but in my eyes the benefit outweighs the potential risks.
'And I'm not just someone who thinks I'll take Mounjaro and that will just solve everything - I'm doing everything I possibly can to reach this goal.'
On her fundraising page, Abbi posted that she is more determined than ever to slim down and have the surgery she needs, so she can get back to being 'the best mum'.
She wrote: 'I want to be able to lose the weight within the 40 week time frame so that I can finally be accepted for my surgery and begin to live my life again.
'I want to be the best mum I can for my boy and join in with all the activities that most mums are able to.
'I want to be able to go outside feeling confident and not ashamed of the way I look and fear that people are looking at me as though I am still pregnant because of my bulge.
'I want to have a healthier better quality of life and live my life without this weighing on my shoulders.'
When asked what it would mean to be able to afford the weight loss jabs, Abbi simply responded the drug has 'given me hope'.
She continued: 'I'll probably never get back to exactly how I used to look.
'But just being able to move forward with my life would mean so much.
'Having these conditions and putting on weight has changed my life completely, but now I have the hope that I will get back to how I was.'
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