Pregnancy is a very crucial time wherein optimum nutrition should be met by both mother and child. During pregnancy, the mother needs to eat adequately to support her own nutrition and the growing fetus inside her womb. Ideally that is what the mother should do, ensure that she and her baby to be gets all the nutrients they need to make them healthy. But what if the pregnant woman has an eating disorder?
It has been estimated that almost seven million Americans have eating disorders. The occurrence tends to be at its highest level during pregnancy. During this time, body issue and image is having a great impact on the woman. Especially when she has self image problems all her life, pregnancy body changes may be hard time for her to deal with.
Anorexia nervosa is a condition wherein the person tends to be overly conscious on his physical image. Excessive dieting is being done to achieve a weight far more low than the ideal. The person also suffers from emotional and physical issues. The fear of getting fat haunts them which may also impair their social relationships as well. Anorexia is big problem in itself, how much more when the person is already pregnant. When pregnant, they tend to be like their old selves. Not eating healthily may affect the fetus inside her that may lead to serious complications like low birth weight and fetal death. Although this condition is rare to occur during pregnancy because most anorexics experience hard times to get pregnant or doesn’t like to be pregnant.
Binge eating is also another eating disorder that affects women. Eating large quantities of food far more than what is required is very dangerous to do especially if you are expecting. Most often mothers who are binge eaters think that they are deprived that is why they compensate whatever emotional turmoil they feel by excessive intake. This disorder may lead to gestational diabetes, pregnancy induced hypertension, labor complications, and caesarian delivery.
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder wherein a person eats normally but vomits all the food consumed afterwards. Taking laxatives to flush food ingested is also related to the condition. During pregnancy drugs not prescribed by the doctor is not allowed because they may cause great damage to the fetus. Laxatives take away the nutrients intended for the fetus. Bulimic pregnant women are at risk for having children with defects, difficulty in labor, low birth weight infants, and still birth.
Nutrition in pregnancy is very important. That is why it is always best to seek help from health care providers whenever you feel that you have one of these disorders. Emotional support from family and friends plays a big role in fighting the disorder. Being healthy is one of the best gift you can give not only to yourself but for also for the little one inside you.
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