New member waiting to try

[user1487171621]

Hello. I'm a new member. I'm 32, live in south Wales UK and I love animals, music, movies and history.

Im hoping this is a very active forum and I can get a lot of friendly genuine advice here. My boyfriend and I want to they for a baby sometime in the next couple years. I thought I would find out as much info as possible now to prepare us and my body best I can and also it might help with me feeling down and broody.
First of all I am very nervous about the pain as I have a very low pain threshold and have an intense fear of needles.
Second, I have been anorexic in the past and since my periods came back a while ago ive been very irregular. I been told not to worry too much as this is normal after anorexia recovery and also I'm on the pill. Most people on this pill don't get periods at all anyway but I'm one of the percentage that do.
I'm worried I will have any lasting effects from anorexia that will effect my pregnancy, risks of this going wrong or miscarriage etc or risks to the baby. I have been told I'm likely to have a very small baby.
I'm also very worried my anorexia will come back when I notice the changes to my body. I still have anorexia feelings as it is and not happy with my body.

[mummabubs]

Hi there and welcome to Mumsnet! I also live in South Wales :) I've only been a member a couple of weeks but have already found here a really useful place to ask the many questions I have as a hopeful first mum (I'm only 7 weeks so not out of the danger zone yet!) It sounds like you have really good insight into what might be challenging for you when you embark on your pregnancy journey. All I can say is share these concerns openly with your GP / Midwife when the time comes and they can put you in contact with the right support from the start to help you enjoy your pregnancy and feel more secure about the changes that happen to your body throughout x

[mummabubs]

And PS- I also have a very low pain threshold and hate needles with a passion, so lord knows how I'm going to cope!

[harleysmammy]

Hey, i live in south wales too:) i cant help with the anorexia worries but the pain and fear of needles i can help a bit. I have a crazy phobia of blood, i fainted because my dad cut his finger on a saw once which is when the doctors said i had hemaphobia. I've had so many blood test, more than the usual 2, and it was a nightmare at first. I had the shakes, cried my eyes out,and at one point i flinched so much that the needles ripped my skin open. Im 29 weeks now and even though im still hemaphobic and cry and shake, but as long as i have someone with me it's a lot easier now. You'll get used too the injections and things after a while, after all i dont think there are that many injections and blood tests really, i only had so many bloods because i bled a lot (another nightmare). Ive only ever had one injection (i think) and that was anti d yesterday but only because i have rare blood, so unless you are rh negative you wont even need that. You'll only need two blood tests too, one at 12 weeks and one at 28 weeks and thats it unless you have anemia. As for the pain, i guess you mean the pain of labour and birth? I was scared of that too but when you get a bump, and you feel & see your baby kicking away inside you..you dont really think about the pain you just think of the outcome. Hope all goes well :) x

[AHedgehogCanNeverBeBuggered]

Welcome!

I too have had ana, and can promise you that whoever said you'll have small babies is bullshitting you. The only way you'd have a tiny baby is if you relapsed during pregnancy and didn't eat properly, which is obviously v dangerous for both you and the baby.

I visited my GP before TTC and got a referral for a pre-pregnancy session with a consultant specialising in mothers-to-be who have suffered from eating disorders. I'd suggest you do the same.

You might also want to try the Conception board rather than the Pregnancy board for advice on conceiving and preparing your body for pregnancy.

Good luck!

[user1487171621]

Thankyou. I appreciate all the advice. I wasn't anorexic anywhere near as long or as bad as some cases so hopefully I should be OK. I plan on getting a baby book and seeing the gp closer to the time to prepare and ask questions. I have what I'm guessing is elah dalos syndrome which runs in my family where my joints click, pop out and are very painful. My legs give way sometimes without warning. So I'm worried about that and being able to go full term. I also want to get my body at least a bit more how I want it and toned before getting pregnant