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Expert Q&A:
What effect does bingeing and purging have on my baby?

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Margaret Freda
Answered by Margaret Freda Ed.D., R.N., C.H.E.S., F.A.A.N.
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"I've been a professional nurse working with pregnant women and parenting families since 1966," says Margaret Comerford Freda. "Pregnant women and parents need to know as much as possible about their own health and that of their children."

Margaret Comerford Freda, Ed.D., R.N., C.H.E.S., F.A.A.N., is a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics &; Gynecology and Women's Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, and also serves as Director of Patient Education Programs for that department. Since 1993, Dr. Freda has been the Consultant for Nursing at the National March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation and the Chair of the National March of Dimes Nurse Advisory Council. In addition, Dr. Freda serves as the editor of MCN, The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing.

Dr. Freda received her Master's Degree in Nursing from New York University and her doctorate in Health Education from Columbia University. She has worked in women's health for her entire professional career. Dr. Freda has published 50 research articles in professional journals, and is a frequently invited speaker at nursing and medical conferences. She has written two books: Perinatal Patient Education, published by Lippincott Williams &; Wilkins, and Miscarriage After Infertility, published by Fairview Press, written with her daughter Carrie Semelsberger, who is also a nurse.

Dr. Freda has received several noteworthy awards, such as the Distinguished Professional Service Award and the First National Award for Excellence in Nursing Research from the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), the Woman of Distinction Award and the Maternal Child Nurse of the Year Award from the March of Dimes, the Patient Care Award for Excellence in Patient Education from the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Research Recognition Award from Molloy College, and several Outstanding Research Paper awards at national conferences. She serves on the Scientific Advisory Council for the March of Dimes, and was selected to serve on the Select Panel of the Centers for Disease Control to advise on prenatal health. Dr. Freda has developed patient education booklets and videotapes that are now distributed nationally.

Dr. Freda has been married for four decades. She has two daughters, two sons-in-law, three grandsons, and a granddaughter.
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Question


I found out I am 7 weeks pregnant. I have been a practicing bulimic, bingeing and purging five or six times a day. I continued to do this the first few weeks I was pregnant. Now that I know I'm pregnant, I have gained 10 pounds in two weeks and I am still bingeing and purging once or twice a day. What effect does all of this have on my first baby?

Answer


Bingeing and purging are very dangerous to your health, pregnant or not. First, I urge you to get help for this problem right away. I can't emphasize this enough, for people actually die from this illness, and you must get help to stop. Bingeing and purging deprive your body of the nutrients you ingest with food, and also deplete your body of essential nutrients and enzymes through the vomiting. Bingeing and purging alter your chemical balance and can cause your heart to stop beating. This is a serious health problem, not just something you do to keep your weight in check. You should immediately tell your primary care physician or your obstetrician about this, but you'll also need help from a qualified therapist or psychiatrist working in close cooperation with your obstetrician. Now, about the pregnancy. Bingeing and purging are not at all healthy for a pregnancy. Your fetus is not receiving the nutrients it needs to grow appropriately. If you are truly bingeing and purging, you might be at high risk for miscarriage, severe nutritional deprivation for the fetus, and even stillbirth. There is no time to waste here, so seek help immediately.
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