Anorexia Nervosa Support Group

found out i got pregnant by accident. i am shocked and happy. i am also concerned about my ed. i am at my target weight now. i am working on being ok with that. i want to do what is best for my baby which is great motivation to eat and i am in therapy. i still think it is going to be hard to gain more weight. i had just decided not to gain any more, now i have to reprogram my brain. does anyone have expiencne with ed and pregnacy?

Congrats!!! Please be careful. I found the following on line have a look.

Prior to Pregnancy:

■Achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

■Avoid purging.

■Consult your health care provider for a pre-conception appointment.

■Meet with a nutritionist and start a healthy pregnancy diet, which may include prenatal vitamins.

■Seek counseling to address your eating disorder and any underlying concerns; seek both individual and group therapy.

During Pregnancy:

■Schedule a prenatal visit early in your pregnancy and inform your health care provider that you have been struggling with an eating disorder.

■Strive for healthy weight gain.

■Eat well-balanced meals with all the appropriate nutrients.

■Find a nutritionist who can help you with healthy and appropraite eating.

■Avoid purging.

■Seek counseling to address your eating disorder and any underlying concerns; seek both individual and group therapy.

After Pregnancy:

■Continue counseling to improve physical and mental health.

■Inform your safe network (health care provider, spouse, and friends) of your eating disorder and the increased risk of postpartum depression; ask them to be available after the birth.

■Contact a lactation consultant to help with early breastfeeding.

■Find a nutritionist who can help work with you to stay healthy, manage your weight, and invest in your baby

thank you so much for the great info!!

Snowi you are welcome. Is this your first little one? I wish you well, kids are such a gift of life, the unconditional love we are gifted with is so precious. My son has two little boys, one 19 months (my angel) and a brand new little boy how is 6 weeks old. So precious. Please for you, for your little one, be careful, you are a mommy now. You will be most rewarded

XX

Post edited by: Lilsis, at: 11/16/2009 05:18 PM

yes, it is my first child. i just love saying i am going to be a mom

I am new to this group but not to Anorexia. I joined to give some insight into my experiences with my anorexia and my pregnancies. My first pregnancy was very difficult due to my age and my changing physical appearance. I had only gained six pounds up until six months of pregnancy and my daughter also stoped growing. I finally let it go out of love and ended up gaining an excess of weight, about fifty pounds. Fortunately I gave birth to a perfect baby girl.

Immediately following the birth I started slipping into a depression. I had alot of extra weight on and I couldn't get my daughter to latch on. I ended up in a sort of remission and lost the weight while exercising and eating healthy.

When i got pregnant with my son I realized I needed to gain weight immediately and I did so carefully. I ate the most healthy food and I gained twenty nine pounds. I had lost all the weight by my six week appointment naturally.

Following that birth i did slip into post partum psychosis which also caused completely deteriation of my mind and body. I ended up being a very emaciated 97 pound woman. After therapy and medication I reached a more healthy weight of 130 pounds.

My most recent pregnancy was of twins, the part of me that obsesses about weight was completely over run. I think I just went into shock. I got a book on healthy eating while pregnant and a book of info on pregnancy and multiples. It said in pregnancy to gain a healthy amount of weight by week twenty. that was extremely hard for me to do. I struggled everyday but at twenty weeks I had gained twenty pounds and I congratulated myself because I knew I was truely putting them first.

I went on to gain fifty more pounds in the following 16 and a half weeks. I know it sounds like alot of weight but after giving birth, one week out and breastfeeding. I had only 17 pounds left to lose. I know it has been two years and I haven't lost the weight but I am okay with that on some level. Giving birth to two babies a month early and being able to leave as a family two days later is what makes all the eating and gaining and giving up of control worth it.

Do your best and remember that every bite counts to make your baby as healthy as possible. You have to consciously decide to let go of control and do what is best for your baby, you only get one shot at your pregnancy with this baby so do what your doctor tells you. When you give birth to your precious child you can pat yourself on the back for a job well done. having an eating disorder while pregnant is a struggle but in a way it is your first lessen in parenting, be selfless.

thanks for sharing your story. i was going backwards. i got morning sickness. i hate throwing up. but i used that as an excuse not to eat. once i started it was hard to stop. i had a doctor's appointment today. i lost some weight i'm not sure how much not everyone will tell me my weight. the anorexic part of me was really happy but not the other part of me. i had an ultrasound saw my tiny 8 week old baby. i saw the baby's heart beat. it was so cool. it made me remember that a little baby is depending on me to eat healthy so baby can be healthy too.

I understand, I had extremely bad morning sickness with all my pregnancies. i believe in the first pregnancy with my daughter it was stress that was making the morning sickness so bad. I was nineteen and living at home with my parents who were trying everything they could to get me to have an abortion. I knew I wasn't eating but I threw everything up. Like i said before I did end up gaining weight but she was born a long very thin baby. i wish I could go back and do it all over again. I know this is a sick thing to say but give in,think of your body as the means to get your baby safely here. Think of every bite as going to your baby, it does kinda work out that way and if you do peek your weight please remember your blood volume is going up fifty percent and the fluid and placenta together will be like another say 12 pounds. You will lose all that weight immediately following the birth. Any weight that you actually gain will come off fairly easy. its not like some women say, blaming all their weight on having kids. Make sure you eat, eat healthy if you can, and seriously monitor your babies growth there is a direct corelation between your weight gain and your baby's.Good luck and keep posting.

i made the mistake of calling my mom when i needed emotional support. instead she made this big deal out of the fact that i was wearing maternity clothes and when my sister who gained 70 pounds while pregnant did not wear them until later. she was of course hinting that i was getting fat. it really really bothered me. i have actually lost a few pounds from morning sickness. i grew a chest for the first time so my shirts were too tight. i know i should just ignore what she said but it is hard to.

Ignore her!!! Moms can be a real pain. Who cares when you wear maternity clothes. You wear them to be comfortable. You can show earlier if you are thin, it makes your pregnant belly more noticeable. Last thing you need to hear is someone hinting that you are fat. My mom was the same way. Gain all the weight you want for your baby, you'll natural lose the weight.