Pregnant with Eating disorder - HELP!

[Emmiedarling]

I have suffered from anorexia very badly from my early teens right through to my mid twenties.

I'm now 28 and before i fell pregnant was at a healthy and happy weight.

Since I have been pregnant however, I have been unable to stop eating. And I dont just mean having a healthy appetite - I have been bingeing uncontrollably.

They are so bad that I just sit and eat for hours - shovelling it in. The good news is that I have not been making myself sick, but I have put on 2 1/2 stone. I was 8 stone and now I'm 10 1/2.

I am in deep despair about it and even though I have a therapist and a specialist doctor, I just can't seem to ditch the binges.

Anyone else suffering?

I have no experience of eating disorders so feel free to ignore me.

I was just wondering if you're spending a lot of time at home. Maybe you could go out more for walks etc to keep your mind off food. I know I eat a lot more when stuck at home a lot. But obviously you don't want to spend too much time not eating and exercising too much. It must be tough for you.

Do you have any other children? And how far along are you? Because of many of us 2 1/2 stone is a normal weight gain, especially as you were so slim beforehand.

Do you have a DP or someone else you can talk to about this and who can support you?

Congratulations on your pregnancy- sorry I can't help (no knowledge on this subject), but bumping for you. Hopefully someone wise will be along in a minute. Hope things get better for you, and this is just a hiccup.

This is my first baby...

i am only 21 weeks so im not sure I should have gained this much already!

No support from partner as he's non existent!

A friend of mine is suffering with this so I really feel for you. She's not pregnant but has recently recovered from anorexia. She's been told its very very common in recovering anorexics.

Is your Dr supportive? If so that's a great start (the NHS can be so ignorant, can't they? I'm afraid I can't offer any specific advice as I know how complex it is, but please just carry on talking to your Dr/therapist. However, 2 1/2 stone is ok by this stage as Thisone says, if at all possible you just need to make sure you're getting a balance of nutrients for the babe.

Take care.

Bump.

Oh, and are you taking supplements etc? Could it be possible that this may be in some way an instinctive attempt to ensure that the baby gets all the necessary nutrients, as you have been deficient in them previously when very ill?

This must be very difficult for you. :(

Hi Emmie I too am pregnant after recovering from a long history of anorexia, although I've been in recovery for about five years now (am 30). In the early stages of recovery I also binged a lot and rapidly gained weight. As daisy says, this is actually very common and possibly related to your body storeing food in case of further restriction. Eventually, everyone I know who's been through this stage does find it gets easier and the urge to eat continually naturally declines. I know it's very stressssful, but gaining that amount of weight during pregnancy is actually a positive thing as lots of people recovering from EDs restrict again and end up having complications with the pregnancy.

I actually wanted to say a huge well done (without meaning to sound condescending or anything) for managing to avoid throwing up. Actually, although it doesn't feel like it, what you're going through is a huge achievement. As other people have said though, make sure you have plenty of distractions in your day - go for a walk, maybe find a group you could join (perhaps something arty), have coffee with friends etc....it really can help.

Good luck x

I have eating disorders too. I alternate between binge eating (I've never made myself sick) and anorexia. I binged a lot when pregnant with DC2 and put on a lot of weight, but the baby was perfectly healthy. I'm pregnant with my third and this time I'm not eating enough. I haven't found a solution yet, but I know how hard it is. Take care.

Am only qualified to give advice based on my experience (I have no medical knowledge!) It will be very difficult for you to gain an attitude to food which is not an obsessive one- particularly as you have suffered for so many years. It tends to be a relationship of extremes, doesn?t it? Either very strict, or lose control completely, and nothing in between. I think you really need help to try and gain control- do you know why you do it? I know it isn?t a simple process to try and work out why you binge, and it helps to know why in order to stop.

In the meantime, can you try and turn your obsessive relationship with food towards having a carefully thought out eating plan for your baby? If ever there was an inspiration, try and make it this. Not cutting calories, but making sure you eat nutritional food for the sake of your baby. [http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/antenatalhealth/eating-disorders/]

Here are some meal planners [http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/nutrition/meal-planners-by-trimester/]. If you have to obsess, try and focus your obsession on this instead of binging. If you can.