Critical issues in the care of pregnant women with eating disorders and the impact on their children.
Pregnancy and eating disorders is a subject that has received relatively little attention in the literature. Nevertheless, serious complications have been found in both the mother and the baby during both pregnancy and post partum period. This article alerts practitioners to the physical and psychological risks that imperil pregnant women with histories of recent eating disorders, describes the experiences of three women with eating disorders during pregnancy whose children developed eating difficulties, and suggests some guidelines for the screening and care of women with eating disorders and their babies.
Little
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University of New Hampshire, School of Health and Human Services, Department of Nursing, Durham 03824, USA.
Lowkes
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D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008880:Midwifery; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D011181:Postnatal Care; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011295:Prenatal Care