"Pregorexia" takes moms by storm

by Jennifer Jordan (Subscribe to Jennifer Jordan's posts) Aug 13th 2008 1:00PM

Categories: Just For Moms, Pregnancy & Birth, Health & Safety, Eating & Nutrition, Life & Style, Rumors, Behaving Badly, Mommy Wars, Mealtime

Print Email More

(Click the photo to see which celebs might be "pregorexic")

It seems like it should be common sense. Don't diet while pregnant. Yet for many moms these days that seems to be the trend. Many of them are successful at it--but at what cost to their unborn children? In the United States as well as in the UK, pregnant women are succumbing to what is being termed "pregorexia," wherein the consume as little as possible during pregnancy to avoid weight gain. Experts agree this is harmful to both mother and unborn child. Fetuses get their nutrients straight from mommy; when she doesn't supply enough, like with calcium, they get it from her bones. If they can't get the nutrient from the mother, they suffer--kids are born prematurely, with a low birth weight and an increased risk of spina bifida all from mothers being underweight during pregnancy.

In Hollywood, the recent barrage of women giving birth would have have us think they were barely pregnant at all. Most of them gain hardly and weight and sport only the tell-tale bump. Almost as soon as they've given birth, they return to their pre-pregnancy weight, which was scandalously low in the first place. Some, like Nicole Kidman, have even drawn harsh rumors that she was never even pregnant at all--after seeing her less than a month post-baby her body was scarily small, prompting the media to generate the notion that her sister, who'd basically remained under cover during the pregnancy, was the one actually carrying the baby.

Are these celebs 'pregorexic'? You decide!(click thumbnails to view gallery)

With all these Hollywood celebrities maintaining tiny frames while they attempt to bring another human being into the world, it's hard to not feel the pressure to be thin in our own lives. Forget the fact that it's pure misogyny at work, isn't it also the worst thing in the world to deprive not only yourself but your unborn child of vital nutrients and sustenance? Experts suggest that women of normal weight (meaning not underweight nor overweight) gain between 20-25 pounds during a pregnancy. That number was recently lowered from the old notion of anywhere from 25-35 pounds (and in some cases 40). instead of worrying about gaining too much weight, shouldn't we be more focused on getting our children--and ourselves--the nutrition needed to be happy and healthy?

Source

Comments (21)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Carrie 8-13-2008 @ 7:59PM

Personally, I thought that Angelina Jolie was frighteningly thin during her pregnancy. I hope that's just her genes, and not by design.

I gained a healthy 35 - 50 pounds during all 4 of my pregnancies, and now I'm back down to my original size 6. It can be done. I would never not eat and harm my fetus!

Amy 8-14-2008 @ 5:31PM

Jennifer, I didn't realise that Antonia Kidman was under the covers during Kidman's pregnancy considering that she is a journalist in Oz, writes a weekly column for a magazine where she has to make an appearance at the office, attended various events in her industry all through Kidman's pregnancy and actually looked slimmer than Kidman during Kidman's pregnancy. If you are going to peddle the same nonsense as what you read, a quick check on Gettyimages will give you enough pictures of Antonia Kidman all through the summer, if you spot any kind of weight gain please let us know. Kidman gave birth to a 6 pounder, I would say that is a healthy weight for a baby and left the hospital about 15 hours later. That is what taking care of your body during pregnancy gives you, it also allows you not to whine about how hard it was to shed the baby weight.

And how big did people think she would be anyway? she is 5 ft 11, is she supposed to be as big as a whale? or is it that she didn't get fat pissing most women off.

Jolie was OK, too considering how thin she was before she gave birth to her twins. She looked healthy during her pregnancy.

If women are copying celebs for whatever reason then they need therapy. We are talking about women old enough to make their own decisions. While it is advisable for pregnant women to do more than walking and swimming while pregnant, it is commonsense to do what is right for your body. Don't get fat while pregnant, gain the appropriate weight and no more. Take care of your body during pregnancy and you won't have to moan and gripe about someone who looks 10 times better after they gave birth because they didn't shovel cups of Ben and Jerry down their throats whenever they felt like it during pregnancy.

Joy 8-14-2008 @ 7:00PM

I wasn't going to comment but this has bothered me all day.

I found mentioning that Nicole Kidman didn't really have her own baby to be very insulting. Here’s a woman who keeps her private life private and value’s that. If her sister did this for her, so what anyway, but to say that on a site like this, I find very sad and very hard up for things to write about. Jennifer, your better than this.

chubbymommy 8-14-2008 @ 9:40PM

I ate like a pig during my first pregnancy and wound up on bed rest during the last 4 months. As a result, I gained a WHOPPING 100 pounds and popped out a 6 pound, 12 ounce baby boy. I lost about 70 of those 100 pounds and then found myself pregnant with my second son. I was petrified that I would gain another 100 pounds so I ate very healthily and walked 2 miles a day. I gained 17 pounds and had a 7 pound, 12 ounce boy the second time around. I left the hospital weighing 5 pounds less then before conception. Note, I am still 25 pounds over what I weighed before the first pregnancy, but, it is coming off s.l.o.w.l.y. The problem for most "normal" women is that we don't have nannies, personal chefs and trainers to help us through the post-partum stages. Hell, I was happy to get a shower and 3 straight hours of sleep. I'll take these extra 25 pounds and be happy with what I've got (big ass and all).

susu 8-16-2008 @ 1:34PM

you go girl..

ELR 8-15-2008 @ 10:29AM

No offense to anyone but the numbers from the American Pregnancy Association point out the healthy weight gains for pregnant women below:

25-37 pounds: If you were a healthy weight before pregnancy
28-40 pounds: If you were underweight before pregnancy
15-25 pounds: If you were overweight before pregnancy

50 to 100 lbs is not the suggested healthy weight gain for pregnant women. Because these celebrity mom's mentioned did not take their pregnancy as the old excuse "eating for 2" to the fridge, I don't see the justification in bashing them. They all had healthy babies....

Sounds like the green eyed monster is lurking;0

Luna 8-16-2008 @ 3:08AM

Is anyone actually surprised that these extremely vain,self -absorbed celebrites would obsess over something so trivial as weight gain,which is as everyone knows is normal during their pregnancies?I think it's awful that real women feel the need to do something so selfish and harmful as to deprive their unborn children of the simple things that are so vital to their health and very existence just to compete with the unreal standards that these celebrities are trying to set!! It doesn't seem that it's worth risking your unborn child's life over something as meaningless as vanity!!I don't know if all the celebrities are guilty of this ,but I'm sure Angelina Jolie obviously is!This ridiculously self -obsessed woman claims she has and adopts children out of love ,not publicity and shameless self promotion ,which is clearly not the case!!She's so smug,hypocritical and conceited that her head just might implode any day now!If she really doesn't only care about how she looks ,why was she so emaciated when she first conceived these last publicity stunts? She also gave birth prematurely because of malnutrition, what does that tell you?!!All of this having and buying kids just for selfish reasons as well as manipulation ,is going to bite her in the tailbone very soon!! She's horrible!!!

MissMalice 8-16-2008 @ 4:52PM

Wow, I've always wondered why they all stay tiny. Hmm.. They make me kinda hungry.

Manara03 8-17-2008 @ 2:17AM

OMG Luna, what mean spirited comments, and totally off base! It's common for women pregnant with twins to have them prematurely, most even at the doctor's insistance. To say it is because she wasn't eating enough is just ignorant. Did she call you up and confess that? NO. Both the children were born at normal weights, which Angie has publicly said she was concerned about until she was told they were perfectly healthy, just like any mom.

Even if she was a little too thin at the beginning of pregancy, it is also common for woman to LOSE WEIGHT because of morning sickness, which was most likely with two babies. It is also common to lose both weight and ones appetite when depressed, which is more noticable on tall, slender women. Any normal person would be depressed after losing a parent. She was pictured looking very healthy and radiant at the end of her pregnancy, and had healthy babies.

She was famous before she ever adopted Maddox, so of course the paparazzi took notice. Since then she has used her celebrity status to bring attention to appaling conditions and causes around the world, volunteering both money and personal time. So what if she wanted to give her only child some siblings? Come on!
Most moms eventually do. All those kids are going to have a better life with her and Brad than they would have in an orphanage.

Her kids all seem very happy, and get to experiance wonderful memories going to museums, taking trips and going skiing, just to name a few of the many outings that have been reported on. Both her and Brad appear to be wonderful, loving and attentive parents, which is more than what can be said for some celebrity parents.

Their children will be able to look back on some great memories, and all the publicity and pictures just mean the younger ones will have great scrapbooks to fill in the things they were too little to remember at the time.

Brad and Angie both donate personal time and millions to charities and to causes that are important to them and will likely raise the kids to do the same. That is not what I would call selfish or self absorbed. KUDOS to Brad and Angie for caring about the world they raise their children in. If this is HORRIBLE to you, I'd like to see you do better!

Tye 8-20-2008 @ 4:28PM

AMEN, very nice insight, and awesome knowledge on a few things that luna was obviously very ignorant about!

melissa 8-17-2008 @ 10:50AM

I am a labor and delivery nurse... and see a great deal of pregnant women on a daily basis. What I always question about celebrities who have a baby... is why they never seem to have stretch marks. I am amazed at this notion, because approximately 75% of the women i see... have stretch marks (not necessarily horrible ones) ... and I see celebrities who carry twins and their bellies look fabulous after delivery. What is their secret...

Corey 8-17-2008 @ 12:03PM

I cannot believe the SERIOUSNESS level in the tones of these posts!!! EVERYONE sounds as though you were talking about your cousins, best friends, or next door neighbors... Hardly the case, I'm SURE!!! Perhaps the waste of time, talent, witty vocabulary, ambition and motivation presented and fostered by comment boards like these are only matched by the rediculousness of the fact that I read the posts, and then posted this msg!!! (if that makes any sense to you...?!) I think I will go out and enjoy the sunlight for a while now... Happy Sunday Everyone!

:)

-CoreySioux-

Muffy 8-17-2008 @ 12:12PM

well, i say...

...EAT CELEBRITY BABIES FOR PEACE NOW!

(AND SO THAT GUY ON MY TELEVISION WITH THE LOVELY AND UNENTERTAINING ENEMA INFOMERCIALS WILL really HAVE SOMETHING INTERESTING TO REVEAL ABOUT PEOPLES' POOPERS!!!)

Gen 8-17-2008 @ 12:20PM

I always thought women who diet during pregnancy need to be slapped. If it wouldn't put stress on the baby, I'd probably slap these women, too. How can you be SO obsessed with your f_cking looks and weight that you'd actually take a chance on hurting your child? Starve your child so that you can look good? That is sickening. Do people that self-absorbed really need a child in the first place? Makes you wonder. This makes me so angry and you really do hear about it all the time. I gained 45 with my first, 55 with my second and 60 with my third. I had my third child 2 years ago, I'm 28 years old and I weigh around 100 lbs (probably a few pounds less than 100 actually but I'm very short; only 5ft tall). As you can see from my weight gain, I absolutely did not diet during pregnancy. And of course, being thin my whole life I was worried about keeping the weight on. I absolutely was. But not so much that I'd put my child in danger. I didn't diet then and I don't diet now. Food is good and you need it to live. So does your baby. If you starved your baby after it was born, it'd be child abuse. The child in utero should get the same consideration but as long as the United States sees them as parasites (living off a host body, in other words; not viable on their own therefore not deserving of rights and yes, I have actually heard people make this comparison), they never will.

Kelsey 8-18-2008 @ 7:56PM

Anorexia is a serious problem. Accusing people of being anorexic is just sick. Just because these women are under great amounts of pressure to be thin does not mean that they would harm their babies. They're humans, just like all of us and they care about their children. And I bet they work their asses off afterwards to get back in shape. Oh yeah, and being anorexic isn't out of one's free will like everyone keeps on making it seem like it is. Try walking in a anorexic person's shoes for a day and then maybe you'll know.

Mr. G. 8-18-2008 @ 1:57AM

My mom said that after she gave birth to me, my dad came to the hospital with clothes for her to wear home. He brought her some white jeans that she used to wear. My mom said that the nurses were amazed that she could actually zip them right up. My mom is 5'2" and probably wore a size a 2. Did she starve herself? No. Was I an unhealthy baby? No. Too small? No (8 lbs. 12.5 ounces) She took prenatal vitamins and ate very healthy. It is eating too much unhealthy food that makes a person gain unnecessary excess weight. And then continuing that habit after childbirth keeps it on. Women - don't eat for two! Eat for you! And do it as healthy as possible.

Mr. G. 8-18-2008 @ 2:02AM

melissa ... why don't you ask the other 25%?

beqi 8-31-2008 @ 4:29PM

Celebrities look great because they have personal trainers, personal assistants, wardrobe makers custom making their garments, jewelry companies lending (or in some cases, giving) them free high-end jewelry, makeup artists who are paid roughly a middle class mortgage payment for one days' work, hair stylists who are paid even more, and that's just for the celebs who have little to no surgical help. For the average woman to compare herself unfavourably to a celebrity is just silly.

Real people don't look like that, nor should they want to. I don't have $10,000 to spend on my hair (Jennifer Aniston is quoted as admitting to spending this), and if I did, it would go in my kid's college fund, my home, or to charity. I look damn good for a 38 year old with a toddler child, and I've lost the pregnancy weight and then some, but this is a nothing feat compared to giving my kid a mom he can respect, who respects herself.

Celebrities have nothing to do with anything I would ever call important, so it's funny to me to see them held up as pariahs or prophets. They're just people I don't know, and as such their lives aren't that interesting to me.

Kitty 8-18-2008 @ 7:38PM

When I became pregnant with my 3rd child, I weighed 118 lbs. I was always thin even though I ate much more than the average person. Then I had 'morning sickness'. I actually had 24/7 sickness for the first 7 months. As a result, I lost weight during the entire time. After the sickness subsided, I was able to eat and started gaining weight. Throughout the rest of the pregnancy my weight went up to 130 lbs when my daughter was born. She was 8 lbs and when I left the hospital I had dropped 2 more lbs so I went home wearing the same size I started with prior to becoming pregnant. I never looked like I had just given birth.

Ann 8-19-2008 @ 8:32PM

I was confused by the subject 'Pregnorexia'. and your take on the subject was not what I expected. I would like to give you my definition of the term: 1) Getting willingly pregnant, 2) Giving birth, & 3) Realizing that every connection with your husband may result with 2 more pitter-patter feet on the floor. I restarted thinking about birth control tactics to give me/us some space. Has anyone else felt this fear of intimacy after a birth? Our son's birth has been the greatest moment so far... when he gets married will be the best, and when they are parents and we are grand will be the best yet.

| 1 | 2 |

How To Submit Photos:
If you'd like your children (any age will do!) featured on ParentDish, upload photos into the ParentDish Flickr Pool. Be sure to read our main Flickr page for more information.