Thursday, August 15, 2013

'I was terrified I'd hurt my unborn baby:' 8st anorexic mother's joy after she gives birth to healthy baby girl

  • Holly Griffiths, 21, gave birth to Isla after 37 weeks of pregnancy
  • Isla weighed 5lb 6oz and has not been harmed by her mother's anorexia
  • Ms Griffiths has been battling the eating disorder since she was eight




  • A mother who weighed just 8st 1lb when she was eight months pregnant has given birth to a healthy baby girl.
    Holly Griffiths, 21, welcomed Isla into the world just hours after Kate Middleton had her baby.
    Despite being induced at 37 weeks, Isla was born naturally, weighing a healthy 5lb 6oz. 
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    Holly Griffiths
    Holly Griffiths
    Holly Griffiths gave birth to Isla (left) after 37 weeks of pregnancy. When she was eight months pregnant (right) she weighed just 8st 1lb. Isla was born weighing a healthy 5lb 6oz
    Ms Griffiths said: ‘I'm so glad Isla was OK and there weren't any complications with the labour. 
    ‘I was terrified throughout the pregnancy that my body wouldn't be able to cope with the strain of carrying a baby as well as the damage I might be doing to her. 
    ‘I'm so thankful she was born healthy and she is doing really well. She's an angel and I'm so lucky to be a mother again.’
     

    The mother-of-two has battled with an eating disorder since she was eight-years-old and was diagnosed with anorexia when she was 13.
    Her second pregnancy triggered another battle with her weight when terrible morning sickness saw her lose 18lbs.
    Talking about her ordeal, Ms Griffiths said: ‘I suffered terrible morning sickness which caused my weight to drop, triggering my anorexia. 
    Ms Griffiths (pictured with Isla, her partner Harrison, and her son Dylan, two) has battled anorexia since she was eight-years-old
    Ms Griffiths (pictured with Isla, her partner Harrison, and her son Dylan, two) has battled anorexia since she was eight-years-old
    Ms Griffiths said: 'I'm so glad Isla was OK and there weren't any complications with the labour. I was terrified throughout the pregnancy that my body wouldn't be able to cope with the strain of carrying a baby'
    Ms Griffiths said: 'I'm so glad Isla was OK and there weren't any complications with the labour. I was terrified throughout the pregnancy that my body wouldn't be able to cope with the strain of carrying a baby'
    ‘I had thoughts of purging but didn't need to, my body was reacting in its own way. This made eating a lot easier, because I would just vomit it up anyway.
    ‘I lost a massive amount of weight and then got put on a strict eating plan - nothing rich, spicy or creamy. I needed very simple, basic foods to stop me being sick.’
    Ms Griffith's second pregnancy triggered another battle with her weight when terrible morning sickness saw her lose 18lbs. She is pictured when she was eight months pregnant
    Ms Griffith's second pregnancy triggered another battle with her weight when terrible morning sickness saw her lose 18lbs. She is pictured when she was eight months pregnant
    Ms Griffiths had to see a high-risk maternity doctor and had scans every two weeks to monitor the growth of her unborn baby.
    At eight and a half months pregnant, and weighing just 8st 3lb, she was induced at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Woolwich, south London, and on July 23 gave birth to Isla after nearly 12 hours in labour.
    Ms Griffiths has already lost all of her 15lbs of baby weight and is now back at home with Isla, who is feeding well and growing at a healthy rate.
    She is determined to continue treatment and reach a healthy weight to be a good role model for her two children.
    Ms Griffiths, who currently weighs 7st 3lb, said: 'I'm not better yet, but having to feed Dylan and Isla keeps me eating three meals a day.
    ‘Now the pregnancy is over, I am managing to eat bigger portions and richer foods. I'm planning to visit my GP once a month for weigh-ins and blood tests and hope to gradually gain another stone once my body is ready.’
    The full time mother first fell pregnant in 2010 but didn't feel the same sense of joy that envelops most first time mothers.
    Instead, the long-term anorexic was terrified at the thought of gaining weight in order to be able to carry a healthy baby.
    Normally, pregnant women are expected to consume about 2,000 calories a day but Ms Griffiths, who is engaged to gym manager Harrison Bogbanovas, 24, was consuming between 800 and 1,200, eating just one slice of toast for breakfast, salad for lunch, and plain pasta for dinner.
    Ms Griffiths had to see a high-risk maternity doctor and had scans every two weeks to monitor the growth of her unborn baby. Image shows Isla during a scan at 32 weeks
    The pregnancy was a painful one that saw Holly having to cope with cracked ribs as her tiny frame struggled to cope with a growing baby. 
    But she desperately tried to gain weight and eventually gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Dylan, now aged two.
    Dylan weighed 5lb 10oz and, to her relief, was unharmed by her anorexia.
    Ms Griffiths has already lost all of her 15lbs of baby weight and is now back at home with Isla, who is feeding well and growing at a healthy rate
    Ms Griffiths has already lost all of her 15lbs of baby weight and is now back at home with Isla, who is feeding well and growing at a healthy rate
    Ms Griffiths (pictured two years before she developed anorexia) blames her eating disorder on the pressure to look skinny in a leotard while taking ballet classes
    Recalling her first pregnancy Ms Griffiths, from Greenwich, south London, said: ‘I was so lucky he was OK.’ 
    ‘I felt so guilty I had put his life at risk.
    'I didn't ever expect to get pregnant. I think it is pretty rare.
    'I was at my darkest point when I got pregnant with Dylan. I was the thinnest I had ever been. I was the sickest I had ever been.
    Ms Griffiths is determined to continue treatment and reach a healthy weight to be a good role model for her two children. Image shows Isla at her 20 week scan
    'I had this massive guilt every time I ate because the anorexia still had a massive grip on me. And then I had massive guilt for not feeding, or not considering feeding my child.’
    Ms Griffiths, who is 5ft 7ins was eight when she started battling with her weight. 
    She blames her condition on the pressure to look skinny in a leotard while taking ballet classes.
    During her first pregnancy, with Dylan (pictured), Ms Griffiths suffered broken ribs because her frame was too small for the growing child
    During her first pregnancy, with Dylan (pictured), Ms Griffiths suffered broken ribs because her frame was too small for the growing child
    By 12 she had been admitted to a children's psychiatric clinic weighing just 5st 5lb - about 3st underweight.
    Holly has now increased her daily calorie intake to 1600 calories and is even managing to enjoy treats like cake, something she wouldn't have been able to eat during her pregnancy.
    ‘In the future I'm going back to treatment as and outpatient and I hope to kick it for good, it's really important for me to be able to be something that my kids want to emulate,’ she said.
    ‘I'm desperate to recover so I can teach my kids a healthy way to approach food.
    ‘I couldn't bear it if they had body issues like me, so I'm continuing to fight the voices in my head and get better for them.’


    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2394380/Holly-Griffiths-Anorexic-mother-gives-birth-healthy-baby-girl.html#ixzz2c3Zw27xk 
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