Pregorexia: Why She's Not Eating for Two
"I did not experience the freedom to eat for two; rather, I experienced the restriction of starving for two," writes Maggie Baumann in her disturbing, frank account of experiencing eating disorders during her two pregnancies. Her first pregnancy triggered a strong compulsion to stay small, but during her second one the exercise and low-calorie diet became obsessive and life-threatening.
She delivered her low birth weight daughter after gaining 18 pounds. At 5 feet 8 inches, she weighed a 135 lbs at delivery. Her daughter was born healthy but later developed neurological problems that have been attributed to her mother's anorexic pregnancy or "pregorexia."
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Pregnancy can sometimes have a very positive impact on women with a history of eating disorders: there's an opportunity to redefine what a woman's body is capable of doing. Also, pregnancy is often considered a time when a woman's appetite is supposed to be robust. She can finally bring pleasure back to the dinner table. But eating disorders can also persist in pregnancy, and sometimes become more severe.
Lately a new concern about obesity in pregnancy has revived some serious scrutiny of the pregnant body. I fear we're heading back to the 1950s when pregnant women were prescribed diet pills to keep their weight down.
A women in my childbirth class just last night lamented (and I'll paraphrase), "I'm so pregnant, I can't sleep, I'm working so hard, my husband won't touch me, I am in a terrible mood, I have no outlet, I'm sorry if I have one small Kit Kat after lunch." She paused, then added, "I may have eaten a little too much in the first trimester, but it was just such a relief to be able to eat and not worry about it for once in my life." This is a woman who looks great, and to these eyes is nothing but pregnant. Maybe she gained a little more than the "optimal" amount, but she's as healthy as can be. Still her doctor is on her about every pound.
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Even just a few years ago the pregnancy culture was different. No one was told to "eat for two," but there was a general feeling among pregnant women that the diet mentality could be dropped for nine sweet months.
"Pregorexia," however, is different from an increased anxiety about gaining more than 25-35 pounds. It's also bigger that the images of perfect supermodel pregnancies (though they surely can't help) and doctors who scoff at an extra fifteen pounds. As Ms. Baumann points out, "Pregorexia is a form of eating disorder that can be reinforced by comments about weight from friends and family, but the root of the disorder is more often based in control, perfectionism, or using the disorder as a coping mechanism to deal with difficult emotions or experiences."
Eating disorders are hard enough on a woman's body without pregnancy. During pregnancy there are potentially serious consequences for the mother and baby. Visit Babble to read about the side effects of pregnancy anorexia and how it affects a baby.
You can read the rest of Ms. Baumann's story and learn how to help women in the same situation on Babble.
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