Eating Disorders and Motherhood
Eating disorders can adversely affect the ability to become pregnant as well as the health of both the mother and child during and after pregnancy. To top it off, the chance of a high risk pregnancy was the same for women that were treated immediately before pregnancy and for women who had been successfully treated eight years earlier. Eating disorders stick with you, so prevention is the only acceptable form of treatment.
Studies prove that low body weight, excessive exercise, and dieting can negatively impact a woman’s endocrine system. The endocrine system is responsible for hormones in the body and plays a key role in pregnancy. There is a positive correlation between normal body weight and a healthy pregnancy. Being close to normal body weight, eating a variety of foods, and the healthiness of a woman’s diet all affect whether or not the pregnancy and baby will be healthy.
A pregnant woman with an eating disorder is putting an immense toll on her body and health. During pregnancy, the baby is drawing its nourishment from the mother, which could deplete the woman’s body of nourishment even more. This could lead to malnutrition, depression, stress, loss of control of emotional state, and also increases the risk of postpartum depression.
The health of the baby is also in question if a woman has an eating disorder. Nutrients are essential during development, which means depriving the fetus of nourishment will slow, stunt, or deform growth. Mental retardation and low IQ rates are higher in babies who had a mother with an eating disorder. Children with affected mothers also have more common occurrence of low birth weight and are smaller and weaker then other children of their age.
If you are a potential mother there are several important steps to take in order to insure the best chance of success with your new baby, and to secure both of your health. Honesty is the best policy. This is very important when it comes to your health care practitioner. Your doctor will probably schedule more appointments to see them then during a normal pregnancy.
A nutritionist who specializes in eating disorders and a mental health professional should both be consulted before and during your pregnancy. This will ensure that you don’t suffer from malnutrition and that you are mentally successful. The mental health professional can help you overcome any fears associated with weight gain and physical appearance changes during the pregnancy. Health professionals are your best chances of success during and after pregnancy, so for the safety of you and your baby, consult a doctor.
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