EATING HABITS AND ATTITUDES IN THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD

The object of this study was to examine the changes in women's eating habits and attitudes in the 6 months after childbirth, focusing partic ularly on eating-disorder psychopathology. A general population sample of 97 primigravid women originally studied during pregnancy were foll owed for 6 months postpartum to describe their changes in eating and w eight after childbirth with particular reference to the behaviors and attitudes characteristic of clinical eating disorders. Assessment was by standardized interview. It was found that eating disorder symptoms increased markedly in the 3 months postpartum and then plateaued over the next 6 months. This overall plateauing masked substantial variatio n in different domains; in particular, weight concern continued to inc rease to the 6-month assessment, although shape concern decreased. Con cern about residual weight gain after the birth of a child was describ ed by many mothers as particularly distressing and seemed to precipita te a clinical eating disorder in a few cases. Many women would have we lcomed educational advice about how to deal with changes in eating, we ight, and shape after pregnancy, It was concluded, therefore, that ove rall, there is evidence of an increase in eating-disorder psychopathol ogy in the 6 months after childbirth, It is argued that education abou t how to deal with the changes in weight and shape after pregnancy mig ht decrease the risk of developing frank eating disorder psychopatholo gy.