Starving During Pregnancy

FROM NBC: Diet and exercise are staples in many women's lives. But some women take it to an extreme ... a dangerous scenario when it happens during pregnancy. Marianne Favro takes a closer look at starving for two ... The growing problem some are calling " pregorexia". It was obvious to most people that Maggie Baumann didn't weigh enough at six months pregnant, but she couldn't see it.

(sot: Maggie Baumann, recovering eating disorder patient) "I wasn't thinking about the baby so much, it was more like, 'I'm not going to let myself get out of control again.'" After gaining 33 pounds during her first pregnancy, Bauman vowed to stay trim during her second. She ate only 12-hundred calories a day. (sot: Maggie Baumann, recovering eating disorder patient) "I was in the rigid, obsessive compulsive drive not to let my body get too big." Her doctor told her she had intra-uterine growth retardation, her baby was at risk.

(sot: maggie baumann, recovering eating disorder patient)"but all during this time I was still doing my exercise and I was still restricting my calories." Instead of eating for two, bauman was starving for two. This is Maggie just before she gave birth. The 5'8 mom, who started her pregnancy thin, had gained only 18 pounds. (standup: marianne favro, reporting) "looking back now Maggie says she had pregorexia. It's not a clinical term, but it does characterize a woman battling anorexia during pregnancy." (sot: dr. Bonnie rosenberg, internal medicine) "they are afraid of gaining weight and they also have a distortion in the way they perceive their own body."

Silicon Valley pediatrician Dr. Christine Halaburka also says pregnant women with anorexia are more likely to have babies with low birth weight. (sot: dr. Christine Halaburka, pediatrician) "Theoretically, a woman who had been on a restrictive diet eating pattern will have a child who is much more at risk for not having normal brain and spinal cord development." When Maggie delivered Whitney she weighed in at five pounds three ounces, considered low birth weight. Her newborn daughter soon developed seizures. (sot: maggie baumann, recovering eating disorder patient)"that's when the doctor, the neurologist said she could have this from poor nutrition in the womb. I did a lot of things that could have killed her."

Today Maggie's a counselor helping other women battling eating disorders and hopes they'll not make the same mistakes she did. (sot: maggie baumann, recovering eating disorder patient) "reach out and get some help and it might save your baby." After Maggie gave birth, she battled anorexia for ten more years before heart problems landed her in the hospital. That's when her recovery began. She says today she is healthy and so is her daughter Whitney.

Well, I can say I didn't have this problem. Gaining 33 pounds sounds good to me! I hope that's where I am at! If not, oh well. I will just be glad to have a healthy baby in just two weeks!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Afraid to wear shorts? Do you have unwanted hair? Embarrassed by unsightly varicose or spider veins? You don't have to be afraid to wear shorts because you are embarrassed by unwanted hair or unsightly varicose veins. Call 674-Skin to schedule your FREE leg vein or hair removal consultation at Soderstrom Skin Institute.

Soderstrom Skin Institute is positioned to be a comprehensive, full service skin care facility. Visit www.soderstromskininstitute.com to learn what Soderstrom Skin Institute can do for you.