It is estimated that a healthy weight gain during pregnancy is around 11-16 kilos , always depending on each woman. There are women who gain little weight during pregnancy and that is not a problem if they eat a healthy diet, but it is when being thin in pregnancy becomes an obsession .
Pregorexia, also known as anorexia of pregnancy, occurs when not gaining weight is the only thing that matters , even at the cost of eating an insufficient diet that can put the baby’s health at risk and even cause death.
Social pressure for the cult of the body (influenced by some famous women) has reached pregnant women to such an extent that some cannot assume the transformation of their image during pregnancy and are genuinely terrified of gaining weight .
According to studies conducted in the United Kingdom, 7.6 percent of pregnant women had symptoms consistent with eating disorders and 23.4 percent were very concerned about their weight and figure.
Dieting in pregnancy is contraindicated, because when you eat little, fat is burned and so-called ketone bodies are generated, which can reach the fetus, being toxic, and damage the baby’s nervous system.
It is clear that the pregnant woman does not need to eat for two, because her own metabolism allows her to extract more calories from food and conserve that additional energy without having to eat more, but also not starving during pregnancy. What you should do is eat a healthy and balanced diet, follow the doctor’s recommendations, and take the indicated vitamin supplements.
Serious consequences of a poor diet
Pregorexia has serious consequences for the pregnant woman and, above all, dire for the baby . The mother may develop anemia, bone decalcification, low milk production during postpartum and hair loss, among others.
The consequences on the fetus can also be very serious. During the first trimester, if the patient does not take vitamin supplements, the risk of neural tube disorders such as spina bifida increases. It also increases the rate of miscarriage.
During the second and third trimesters, the risk of premature delivery, intrauterine growth retardation, mental retardation or cerebral palsy, bone, digestive or cardiovascular malformations increases. In very serious cases, intrauterine death can occur.
In Babies and more | How eating disorders affect the mother to the baby, Weight in pregnancy: how much is recommended to gain and how to control it
