I heard a talk last November by a doctor in Oslo, Ove Ulwan, who works with
many pregnant anorectics.  He didn't talk much about bulimia.  He noted that
his patients were fully capable both of giving birth to normal weight
babies, and breastfeeding them, and that their eating disorders were without
exception less prominent during the time they breastfed.

He attributes this to the effect of oxytocin, a hormone promoting
integration of body image and connection to others.  His talk was much more
detailed, and the material was so novel to me that I didn't comprehend it
fully in one sitting, but it sounds very exciting.

He also said there is no reason to make BF more problematic for these
mothers than for anyone else.  Of course they can breastfeed and all milk
they produce, will be fine for the baby.  He doesn't push mothers one way or
the other, as respecting their integrity is part of his approach.  He
supports them in what they do, and most all of them breastfed for some
period of time.

Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

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