Eating Disorder Struggles During Pregnancy/Postpartum

It is common for people who have battled, or are currently battling, eating disorders to feel anxious about becoming pregnant; what their postpartum will look like; and the ways parenting may activate struggles from their past. 

There are definitely fears about how pregnancy will impact one’s body, and how an eating disorder can impact one’s baby:

• What will my body look like if I eat more calories? But what will my baby be like if I don’t?

• Am I hurting my baby if I follow my food rules? But what will my body look like if I let my food rules go?

• What if I gain too much weight? Or what if I don’t gain enough?

In addition to all the fears (and joys) present in postpartum, there is also the fear of what one’s body will look like:

• What if my body doesn’t go back to ‘normal’? Will people think I have let myself go?

• People aren’t making positive comments about me losing the baby weight… so does that mean I am fat?

• How do I lose weight without affecting my milk supply? Or am I selfish for wanting to lose weight more than breastfeed my baby?

And, last but not least, something that surprises people in parenthood is how much having our own kids activates traumas from our own childhood:

• I feel like I have no control right now. But I can control my body and what I eat.

• My child’s tantrums are too much. I can’t take it. If I eat all this food, I can feel numb for a little bit.

• My toddler hit me today. This was the first time I have been hit since I was a child. My own child doesn’t even love me. I don’t deserve to eat.

You may identify with any of these examples. If you do, you are not alone. 

You do not have to do recovery on your own. Please connect with a therapist and/or dietitian (who specialize in working with eating disorders!) to support you on your healing journey.

And, click here to sign up for my upcoming NEW course: Finding Peace With Food & Body (During Pregnancy, Postpartum, & Beyond), where you can learn ways to find healing in your relationship with food and your body.