How To Help The Unwilling

With so many pregnant women fighting to get adequate maternity care for themselves and their unborn children, I'm saddened when I read that a mother has harmed herself or her baby. Smoking and drinking alcohol during pregnancy are incredible problems that tug the heart strings; they make me want to reach out and help the child whose mother has no regard. Illicit drug use from crack baby fame is another atrocity that must be stopped.

These things get a lot of media attention, and we vilify those women who partake in such child-dooming practices. But there are other conditions, below the surface, that are not a direct result of addiction but rather obsession. Perhaps you've heard of “pregorexia”, a fad term that has made a condition out of women who refuse to nourish their bodies during pregnancy (http://www.earnedmedia.org/remr0119.htm).

The thought is that media hype of pregnant celebrities makes pregnant women try to stay thin during their own pregnancies. These women eat far less than they should, exercise far too much, gain little weight during pregnancy – which means malnourishment, low birth weight and death for their babies.

The problem is even worse for those who are already thin or who have had eating disorders in the past. Because thin women gain more weight, on average, during pregnancy than women who are already at a healthy weight, they become concerned that they are becoming overweight and work to reduce the natural and healthy affects of pregnancy.

NEWS FLASH: Pregnancy is not supposed to be sexy. You're supposed to be sexy when you're not pregnant, so that you can get pregnant. This is the natural order of things. Every woman's body undergoes changes, and women are very beautiful while they're pregnant. But trying to remain thin during pregnancy is not only disgusting, it jeopardizes the health and life of your baby.

How do you help a woman have a successful pregnancy and deliver a healthy baby if she is unwilling to try?

This is a conundrum many social researchers have faced. Despite the choice versus life debate, it would be very difficult to force a woman to eat right and take care of a child in the womb through legal means. Psychology can help, but is not fool-proof. Public policy and organizations like Maternity Health and Maternity Advantage can only do so much – no one can force feed another human being.

Education remains the key. If you are experiencing issues with pregnancy weight gain, or know someone who is, Maternity Health can lend expert advice for getting help. And if the celebrity image is contributing to the problem, then perhaps it's time for celebrities to show some humility, take off the makeup and the compression shirt, and show the world what it is really like to be pregnant.

Be proud of your pregnancy. It is your legacy. Show the world that you care so much about the precious and helpless child inside that you're willing to sacrifice looks on the outside for a few months. You can always watch your diet and hop back on the treadmill after your new bundle of joy is born.