Beth Jones is a 38 year old pregnant Tennesse woman that suffers from anorexia. I was watching a special on Discovery Health channel about her. Apparently she has struggled with this disease most of her life (25 years). link: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/pr...m-struggles-gain-weight-baby/story?id=9335474 As I was watching the show, I couldn't decide whether to be angry at her for endangering her unborn child's life by restricting calories or sad for her. I guess I tottered between both. What do you all think? Oh, she's since had the baby.
It's hard for me to be mad at her for a mental illness. I can see how frustrating it would be, though. I wonder why her husband would choose to have children with her, thus exposing the children to it.
I was watching some of that...it was quite irritating that she would do that to her child. Her husband is very strong for dealing with that kind of stress and worry about the health of his baby knowing that it could be endangered.
There's a whole thread here somewhere on depression, and about how, if you've never experienced it, you simply can't understand it. Eating disorders MUST fall under the same category. So it doesn't make sense to be angry with her-- she most certainly wouldn't CHOOSE to have an eating disorder and endanger her child. But I would think that her health should be monitered incredibly closely, to the point of hospitalization if necessary, while she's pregnant. The article said she gained 15 pounds with one of her pregancies. That's low, but not scary-low as far as I know. I gained 21 pounds with each of my pregnancies, but a combination of metabolism (and stress with Kira; my dad was dying) just kept the pounds off. So it sounds as though they're going into this third pregnancy with eyes wide open, and with the intent of having another healthy baby.
I still remember a Lifetime movie once with Crystal Bernard about a real-life woman, married to I want to say a senator or something (he never knew about her disorder). She used to eat healthy food and then carrots and then binge. When she made herself throw up and got to the carrots she made herself stop because she knew the baby needed that food. I agree-it's like saying people with mental illnesses don't deserve to have children. It's uncontrollable for them.
I've had a few battles with anorexia since I was 15, and I can definitely understand how much the obsessions control you. To be honest, I'm not sure it's something I'll ever "get over." That said, I think it's awful she would endanger the life of her child (and herself, of course!!). I know not everyone is the same-- some cases are more severe than others-- but when I'm depriving myself of food, I'm (physically) hurting myself. That fact never once bothered me; for me, those hunger pains and dizzy spells meant that my body was working hard to make me skinny and, more important, that I was in control of something. I could never put a baby (in utero) through that.
Wow, your reply and others open up a whole 'nother can of worms -- should women who suffer from anorexia have children? it's a lot of stress on the body being pregnant and then when you have such a disorder.
Should bigots have children? Should the un and under educated have children? Should the poor have children? Should alcoholics have children? Should the unmarried or the unhappily married have children? Should diabetics and epileptics have children? Should people with a family history of cancer have children? In a free society, the answer is: "It's not for anyone else to say!"
I agree with you 100% with that decision. If I had anorexia, and I was aware of that fact, I don't think that I would want to put a child through that. But you, as a person, make your own decisions. Whether or not you think another's actions are wise, there's really nothing you could do about that.
If the answer to all of Alice's questions is "no", I shouldn't be here and neither should my children.
Personally I couldn't help but be a little offended when I read that statement Teacher Lyn. I too have suffered from anorexia in the past and in no way should that make me unfit to have children. In fact I am pregnant now and I've come to appreciate my body in a whole new light. I'm truly finding out what the human body is capable of, and it's a beautiful thing. It took me many years to be comfortable in my body and now that it's changing on me I'm in awe instead of discomfort. I never even thought it 'was a can of worms' to open.
I'm speaking for Teacher Lyn here, but I don't think she meant to offend with her question. I agree completely, though, that being anorexic doesn't mean you're unfit to have children. As a side note, good for you for coming to appreciate your body and feel comfortable with yourself! There are days when I wonder if I'll ever get to that point.
While i agree with you that one does not have the right to be angry with her for having an eating disorder, i respectfully submit that one does have the right to be angry with her choosing to get pregnant and place her unborn child in danger when clearly her body (at the present time) is not capable of providing the proper nourishment necessary for development.
It doesn't sound to be as though she's being cavalier about the baby's health. Or as though her body is not capable of providing the necessary nourishment: "For support, Jones met regularly with a nutritionist and also relied on group therapy. On Sept.10, 2009, three days after the baby's due date, Jones went into labor and Wittmer Jones was born at 7:10 a.m. And then came the best news of all -- he weighed in at 7 pounds, 12 ounces. "Oh my gosh, a 7-12 pound baby!" Jones exclaimed. Today baby Wittmer is three months old, but Jones' struggle is not over. Now that she knows she's not eating for two, will she return to her dangerous eating habits? "I know that this probably will be a life-long battle for me, but that's OK," she said. "That's OK. Because I have the tools to handle it, I want to get well. There's hope." " She's battling her own demons, as so many other people do. But it sounds to me as though she's tried very hard to do what's best for her child. She went to therapy, met with a nutritionist, and had a healthy baby. She has my respect, not my condemnation.
