Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions characterized by eating behavior disruptions that negatively impact a person’s physical and psychological well-being. Showing signs of an eating disorder can dangerously escalate throughout pregnancy and continue into the postpartum period if left untreated. During pregnancy, eating disorders can also cause distress for the unborn baby. It is important to understand which eating disorder behaviors can happen after giving birth and why they occur in some parents.
What are postpartum eating disorders?
When eating disorders are present after giving birth they are referred to as postpartum eating disorders. Individuals who struggled with an eating disorder in the past may find that they are triggered by the changes to their bodies during and/or after pregnancy. Not knowing how to cope with inevitable weight gain and change in body shape and size, people may resort to previous eating disorder habits as a way to try to control the situation. Although there is a risk of experiencing various types of eating disorders, such as orthorexia nervosa, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), other specified feeding and eating disorder (OSFED) and binge eating disorder (BED), the two most studied postpartum eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
Postpartum Anorexia
One of the most recognized postpartum eating disorders is anorexia. In fact, a study noted that 40 percent of people who suffered from anorexia before pregnancy relapsed within the first three years of giving birth. Anorexia is a life-threatening disease characterized by:
- Food and calorie restriction
- Distorted and/or negative body image
- Drastic weight loss or being underweight
- Intense fear of gaining weight and/or increasing body size
- Fatigue, malnutrition, anxiety and depression
Postpartum Bulimia
Another highly recognized postpartum eating disorder is bulimia. One study noted that 70 percent of people who suffered from bulimia before pregnancy relapsed within the first three years of giving birth. Bulimia is a dangerous disorder characterized by:
- Intense fear of gaining weight and/or increasing body size
- Eating large amounts of food in one sitting past the point of fullness (binge eating)
- Feeling guilt and shame after binging
- Purging the food by self-induced vomiting, taking laxatives and/or overexercising
- Anxiety, depression, poor body image and isolation
Why do people suffer from postpartum eating disorders?
Studies have revealed that people suffer from eating disorders 6-12 months after giving birth. There are many social, cultural and environmental factors that may cause an eating disorder relapse. From stress and exhaustion to environmental changes, poor coping skills and feeling pressure to “bounce back” to their pre-pregnant bodies, postpartum parents juggle a lot of unknowns.
Lack of Coping Skills During Postpartum
As postpartum parents adjust to their new lifestyles with infants, they may find it difficult to cope with erratic sleeping, eating and activity patterns. As a result, eating disorder behaviors may become more prevalent. Some parents may be so busy and focused on the needs of their new babies that they forget to eat and nourish themselves. They may be so sleep-deprived that they feel extra hungry or no hunger at all. They may spend a lot of time alone at home with their new babies, providing ample opportunities to engage in prior disordered eating behaviors like eating in secret, hiding when and what they’re eating (or not eating), restricting food intake and/or purging.
Morning Sickness and Bulimia
Morning sickness is a common occurrence during pregnancy, particularly during the first trimester when hormone levels are climbing. If someone has a history of bulimia, they may be triggered by the act of involuntary vomiting due to morning sickness early in pregnancy and continue to self-induce vomiting even after morning sickness subsides throughout the pregnancy. They may binge on foods when their appetite returns, often in the second trimester, then feel so guilty that they purge. Bulimia behaviors can continue postpartum if left untreated.
Negative Body Image During Postpartum
Some parents who struggle with negative body image can’t face themselves in the mirror. Others get lost scrutinizing every stretch mark and change in body shape and size. They may try to take control over these unwanted bodily aspects by restricting food intake in an attempt to achieve how they looked or felt before pregnancy. At times, they may purge in an attempt to rid themselves of any calories consumed.
Social Media Influence During Postpartum
Many social media influencers boast about their weight loss after giving birth, sharing “diet secrets,” workout photos and full-body photos that may be edited and therefore an inaccurate representation of how they actually look. Advertisements for weight loss injections flood our screens, perpetuating the false narrative that it is not acceptable to exist in a larger body. When taken to heart, this negative commentary can greatly affect the mental and physical health of newly postpartum parents.
Postpartum parents are especially vulnerable to being inundated with these messages because of the changes their bodies have gone through over the course of nine months. Immediately following delivery of a newborn, it is simply not realistic to look exactly the same as one looked before becoming pregnant.
Breastfeeding During Postpartum
Breastfeeding can lead to drastic changes in body appearance, which can trigger new parents who remember when their bodies looked a certain way, especially if they have a history of anorexia. They may eat less, which increases the chances of malnutrition because less nutrients are passed to the baby through breastmilk. In fact, breastmilk supply can become so depleted that it is difficult or even impossible to breastfeed.
How to Recover from Postpartum Eating Disorders
If you or a loved one are experiencing symptoms of an eating disorder after giving birth, know that you are not alone. Hope, healing and supportive recovery options are available at Center for Discovery. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our advisors today.
More Articles from Center for Discovery
Expressing Eating Disorder Needs in Your Relationship
The Dangers of Eating Disorders during Pregnancy
References
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3192363/