
How Eating Disorders Can Affect Pregnancy and Postpartum Health
It’s National Eating Disorder Awareness week!
Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that involve distorted perceptions of body weight and shape, extreme behaviors to control food intake and exercise, and low self-esteem. They can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, race, or socioeconomic status. Eating disorders can have severe consequences for physical and mental health, such as heart problems, bone loss, infertility, depression, and anxiety.
Pregnancy and postpartum are especially challenging times for women with eating disorders. They may face increased pressure to gain weight, cope with body changes, deal with hormonal fluctuations, and balance the demands of motherhood. They may also experience guilt, shame, fear, or isolation. These factors can trigger or worsen eating disorder symptoms, putting both the mother and the baby at risk.
If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant and you have an eating disorder or a history of one, please know that you are not alone and that help is available. You deserve to have a healthy and happy pregnancy and postpartum experience. The first step is to seek professional help from a doctor, therapist, nutritionist, or support group that specializes in eating disorders and perinatal care. They can help you develop a personalized treatment plan that addresses your physical and emotional needs.
But don’t worry, there is hope. You are not alone in this journey. Many people have recovered from eating disorders and had healthy pregnancies and babies! That’s why I want to share with you some resources that you can use if you want to seek help for an eating disorder or learn more about this topic:
- The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) has a website with information, helpline, chat service, screening tool and stories of recovery: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
- The Tommy’s charity has a website with information, advice and support for pregnant women with eating disorders: https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/im-pregnant/mental-wellbeing/eating-disorders
- The Parents magazine has an article with tips and insights from experts and people who have experienced eating disorders during pregnancy: https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-body/pregnancy-health/pregnancy-can-be-triggering-for-people-with-a-history-of-eating-disorders/
I hope you find these resources helpful and useful. Remember that you are not alone and that you deserve to be happy and healthy. Michigan Family Doulas is here to support and help you and we even offer detailed postpartum meal planning to take all of the guess work out of providing your body what it needs to recover from giving birth.
By the way, did you know that February 26th-March 4th, 2024 is International Eating Disorder Awareness Week? This is a global campaign to raise awareness and understanding of eating disorders and to support people who are affected by them. You can join the movement by sharing your story, spreading the word or donating to a cause. You can find out more by following #NEDAwareness.
This issue hits us close to home for us, so we really do understand your struggles. Please reach out to us–we can help you with #doulasupport. Find your #doulanearme right here! We have all the pregnancy resources that you need!