 A frail woman whose anorexia left her close to death was saved when she unexpectedly fell pregnant. Jess Astill discovered she was a mum-to-be after her severe eating disorder saw her rushed to hospital weighing only 5st 1lb. Worried doctors told Jess a miscarriage was inevitable unless she finally overcame her 10-year battle with anorexia. So she fought to restore her weight and today, the 22-year-old is mother to healthy and happy two-year-old, Cassandra. Jess said: "I was heartbroken when I discovered I was pregnant. I'd been harming my baby as well as myself. "So from the second I found out, I started caring for my daughter with my whole heart." Jess had suffered with anorexia most of her life. When she was only nine years old she was admitted to hospital for three months because she had stopped eating meals and her weight dropped to dangerous levels. She said: "My mum struggled with anorexia - I thought it was a grown-up thing to do to find excuses not to eat." Jess met Alan Foster, Cassandra's father, when she was 17 and the joy of being in a loving relationship helped her start to beat the disorder. But it returned after her parents divorced in 2011, and after she began vomiting, doctors admitted her to hospital.  There Jess, who was 19 at the time, was put on a drip. She said: "The tests all came back negative - the only one left was a pregnancy test. "I'd been told that my eating problem meant it was unlikely I could conceive. So I was stunned to find I was pregnant. "I was hysterical. I couldn't get over the idea that I was damaging my daughter. "If she arrived unwell then it would be my fault." Jess, of Torquay, Devon, embarked on a diet of calorie-rich milkshakes after being challenged to gain 4lb a week until her child was out of danger. In July 2011, Cassandra was born weighing 6lb 10oz. Jess, whose weight is now a stable 7st 9lbs, said: "I'm determined to stay healthy. When I see Cassandra toddling around, I have to pinch myself that I'm so lucky." Via: Mirror
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