Eating Disorders During Pregnancy - A story of Hope from Grandmom
by Linda
(NJ)
Eating Disorders during Pregnancy - a story of hope
This is a story about how my daughter survived eating disorders during pregnancy. It wasn't easy, but I do believe it made her stronger. But first, some background.
My daughter struggled with body image problems since grade school and by college had developed an eating disorder. She'd also suffered from panic attacks since grade school and twice was treated as an out-patient eating disorder treatment center. Her diagnosis was exercise-induced anorexia.
She's now 30. Over the years through sheer determination and some therapy, she's overcome almost all of the many aspects of her disease. Up until her pregnancy she only continued to struggle with occasionally being triggered by comments, weight gain, body image & emotional crisis. Any or all of which would lead to the strong impulse to restrict.
She's just become a mother. During her pregnancy she did everything she could to maintain her health, eat well, exercise without excess and was under the care of her ob/gyn from the start. The weight gain, I believe, was the most difficult issue for her. Both how she looked and the "numbers".
Although she'd informed her phys. and their staff of her history and asked not to be told or shown her weight, they repeatedly ignored or missed the notations in her charts and either told her the numbers or left them in plain sight. After each of these incidents at check-ups she struggled with the urges to restrict her eating. Those unfortunate circumstances I think were the most challenging for her and very hard for her to fight through. She did overcome those urges, however, because of her determination to be as healthy as possible for her baby.
I'm confident having a child has caused her to turn a corner. She's worked hard over the years on being mentally and physically as healthy as possible and her focus has become her baby. She's determined and dedicated to be the best she can be for her family.
For me, this only proves what I've always thought, that children choose us to help us become the person we were born to be.
