My cousin (37 years old) is pregnant, but has always been extremely thin. Previously, we thought it might be anorexia, but she in fact eats a lot of food, it’s just that her body seems to absorb very little of the nutrients. (Her height is around 5-feet-7.)
Now she posted an ultrasound showing that she’s pregnant, and stated that her weight is now 82 pounds (and part of that must be the fetus, so she’s probably 80-81 on her own.)
This poses a risk of a premature baby and, surely, some complications for the mother herself, but if it’s a case of the body simply not absorbing nutrients or synthesizing it for growth, then the problem seems like it can’t be helped. What things could be done to make the pregnancy safer and healthier?
I was 115 lbs when I got pregnant, and 5’10".
My metabolism was high, maybe hyperthyroid.
If she was able to conceive, she likely has enough body fat.
I gained 30 lbs.
Best wishes to her.
Is the cousin receiving regular prenatal care, from Planned Parenthood or some other clinic or hospital? Presumably this is something that the clinicians will discuss with her.
Some people lack the correct enzyme(s) to absorb nutrients from food. I’ve seen them incorrectly diagnosed with an eating disorder. Might be something for her to ask to be assessed. (Or, she might have an eating disorder.)
The mother of a friend of mine-- fifty years ago-- was 90 pounds when she got pregnant. Her doctor had thought pregnancy was unlikely. Her doctor put her on a restricted calorie diet, so that the baby would be small.
She gained 10 pounds, and had a healthy eight and a half pound baby.
So pregnancy was miserable due to hunger, and the doctor(s) weren’t as smart as they thought they were.
I don’t know what modern thinking on the subject is, but my inclination would be to encourage the pregnant person to eat healthy food and plenty of it, and trust the body to take care of the baby first.
I was a lightweight, T1 diabetic during my pregnancies.
Of course my eating and weight were strictly monitored.
Considered high risk from the very beginning. Had full term babies of normal size.
Yes, good and careful prenatal care is her best route. Encourage that as much as you’re able, as a cousin.
Just to come at this from the other direction - if you suspected anorexia but discarded it because of what she eats, have you considered if she’s bulimic?
Yeah, more or less what I was thinking. I had an acquaintance who was maybe 5 foot, 90 pounds, and she looked absolutely ridiculous when she was pregnant, but gave birth to a healthy baby with no complications. But at 5’7"?
But yeah, her doctors will be able to give much better advice than we will, not only on the question of whether she should be worried, but also on what to do about it.