Eating Disorder Therapy During Pregnancy
Are you Scared of what Pregnancy will do to Your Eating Disorder Recovery?
Is the idea of losing control of your body through pregnancy horrifying you, but you are ashamed to admit it?
Are you worried there’s no chance that you’ll be able to accept your postpartum body?
Did you think your eating disorder was behind you…and then you got pregnant?
Are you terrified of passing on your issues with food to your kids?
Are you Scared of what Pregnancy will do to Your Eating Disorder Recovery?
Is the idea of losing control of your body through pregnancy horrifying you, but you are ashamed to admit it?
Are you worried there’s no chance that you’ll be able to accept your postpartum body?
Did you think your eating disorder was behind you…and then you got pregnant?
Are you terrified of passing on your issues with food to your kids?
Pregnancy is a challenging time emotionally and physically for any woman, but when you’ve battled an eating disorder, these challenges can be magnified – that’s why eating disorder therapy during pregnancy is crucial.
But I really thought my eating disorder was a thing of the past!
It’s OK to admit that you’re struggling. Even if you felt you were in a strong place in your recovery prior to getting pregnant, pregnancy will test you in new and different ways. Maybe no one told you that it’s totally normal to feel tested and triggered? Well, it is. With all of the physical changes going on in your body, the emotional challenges combined with hormonal fluctuations, it’s completely expected that you are feeling this way. You might even feel like it’s your time now to just “keep it all together.” Maybe you feel pressured to put your own needs on the backburner. The truth is that addressing your ongoing issues with food and your body now with eating disorder therapy during pregnancy will prove essential in equipping you to be the type of mother you likely envision yourself becoming.
I’m scared to tell my doctor that I’m struggling with an eating disorder while I’m pregnant.
Like most women, you’re probably feeling a lot of shame even admitting to your doctor or other healthcare providers that you find yourself struggling with disordered thoughts or behaviors. Maybe these rapid changes in your body are bringing up old or unresolved urges to binge, purge, restrict, or over-exercise? You might be actually engaging in these behaviors. Please know that just acknowledging that this has been happening is so brave. Finding a safe, nonjudgmental place in eating disorder therapy to explore what’s been happening is such an important first step. Meeting with a therapist can also help you gameplan how to broach this topic with your doctor, how to advocate for yourself and your wellbeing during your pregnancy, and how to ensure the ongoing health of your pregnancy, both physically and mentally.
I just want to feel normal. Maybe pregnancy can heal me from my eating disorder?
For some women, pregnancy can offer an opportunity to connect with your body in new, sometimes scary, yet exciting ways that you weren’t previously able to. Especially during early pregnancy, your body is not shy about letting you know what feels good and what doesn’t. Learning to become attuned to your body’s cues can allow you to nourish and care for yourself, and this can feel particularly empowering when you don’t have the best track record with attending to your body’s needs. Through eating disorder therapy during pregnancy, you will gain these important attunement skills that, with continuous attention and practice, you can carry with you into the postpartum period and beyond.
