OBJECTIVE: To study early adaptation to motherhood in mothers with eating disorders (ED) before pregnancy. METHOD: Forty-four nulliparous nonsmoking women with ED before pregnancy (24 anorexia nervosa, 20 bulimia nervosa) and 67 controls were recruited from the same prenatal clinics. Three months after delivery, the women completed the maternal adjustment and maternal attitude questionnaire (MAMA) and were asked about mental health problems postpartum. RESULTS: Ninety-two percent of mothers with ED before pregnancy reported problems regarding their maternal adjustment compared to 13% in the control group (p