my best friend just found out she's pregnant, and she's battled an eating disorder for about 7 years now. she tends to starve herself when she gains a couple pounds, or makes herself throw up. she is soo obsessed with her weight, its rediculous. she even said she didnt want to have a "fat" baby...her cat had six kittens today, and she said, "i hope my cat dosent stay fat"....she cant even stand for her animals to be overweight! its driving me nuts! and i'm afraid, that the baby will be harmed from her eating disorder through her pregnancy, or that if she has a chunky baby that she will starve it, or that she will go nuts gaining weight through her pregnancy. what should i do? this is driving me crazy, i cant stand to hear her say "i dont want to have a fat baby" or "i hope i only gain ten pounds"....she's been to numerous doctors for her disorder, but nothing has helped....anybody been through this and can give me advice? thanks in advance!
2007-04-23 17:40:49 · 11 answers · asked by superyduperymommy 5 in Family & Relationships ➔ Friends
i've talked to her till i'm blue in the face about her eating disorder, and how gaining weight while having a baby is normal, and well worth it! it never helps!
2007-04-23 17:41:43 · update #1
Does her OB know about her disorder? If she's under a doctors care and the doc knows about her disease then hopefully she can get some good info on how dangerous this is for her as well as the baby.
Having a baby(I'm surprised she could even get pregnant)takes anorexia to a whole new level.
See, the majority of the nutrition is going to go to the baby first, depriving mom even worse than she was before she got pregnant, her chances of surviving are greatly reduced if she cuts back too severely.
She also needs to know that fat is essential for brain growth and development in her baby, now and for the first two years after it's born.
So if she wants her baby and herself to survive without permanent damage, she needs to be in treatment soon.
Not to mention the affect of having a mother with an eating disorder on the emotions of a child, but that's a whole other issue.
2007-04-23 17:51:42 · answer #1 · answered by nailgal2005 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well you really need to educate her on her disorder. Possibly get an anorexia survivor to tell her how important it is. At this point it's not just her life, but the baby's. You can make excuses and say that telling her to eat is going too far. But frankly that's just a cop out. It's already crazy enough that you enabled her behavior. Think, she could die in childbirth or the baby could die.
2016-05-17 09:12:47 · answer #2 · answered by lauri 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
she is being selfish tell her she doesnt have just herself to think of anymore she has to do whats right for the baby. the baby could die or be seriously deformed if she doesnt eat right. ask her if she would rather have a chubby baby that will grow up healthy or a baby that has really serious deformaties
get her to go to a counceller and talk about what is behind her obsession with weight
2007-04-23 20:20:56 · answer #3 · answered by sharna w 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have an eating disorder so I can understand some of why she isn't "listening" to you. Our minds play all sorts of tricks on us. The sad things is that she may not even be abke to carry the baby to term especially if she is unwilling to gain the weight. I don't know what to tell you. It doesn't seem she is about to change. You may want to ask if you can go to one of her doc appointments with her and then express your concern there. I don't know what else to tell you.
2007-04-23 18:25:51 · answer #4 · answered by courage78 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
tell her she needs to just gain about 25 lbs and as long as she sticks to the suggested servings, she wont gain any extra weight. Besides, the weight goes away when baby is born and if she wants to lose it quick, tell her to breast feed. PROMISE that the she'll go back to normal if she sticks to this. Especially if she is little to begin with. And tell her this is from someone who has experienced this...I was 110 to start, gained 50lbs and lost 70 while breastfeeding, yet I ate healthy. Its for baby, worry about your weight when the babies out.
2007-04-23 17:46:32 · answer #5 · answered by Laurellamags 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ok ok ok. ususally, a friend cant solve this. as much as we want to. she is causing harm to her baby and herself, the baby probally wont make it if she starves it. the baby eats what she eats. maybe you could tell her this. it may help, but usually eating disorders are psycological. also she needs to know that children NEED fat to grow. it is ESSENTIAL for them to have. that is why they dont put nutition labels on baby food jars. children will grow and learn their own eating styles themselves. you should call a doctor for her. they will help ....a few years ago there was this girl at my school who only ate lettuce and weighed a meisly 70lbs. i know her now and she is a healthy weight because she got doctors help.
2007-04-23 19:29:52 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
tell child services and the animal shelter RSPCA or whatever its called over there.
2007-04-23 17:45:22 · answer #7 · answered by Peter G 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, you could tell her OB/GYN about her disorder. Maybe he/she could do something to help.
2007-04-23 17:48:10 · answer #8 · answered by Katie R 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
call child services
2007-04-23 17:49:49 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
tell her she gonna die if she keeps doing that........get somone to relle yell at her........thats really bad for the baby.........and it will die...no joke
2007-04-23 17:46:49 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋