Does appetite increase in early pregnancy? Why does a constant feeling of hunger occur during early pregnancy? Causes of lack of appetite in pregnant women

home While expecting a child, many women experience changes in their bodies and, in particular, changes in appetite. Appetite for early stages
pregnancy either disappears completely or comes with some oddities that are unique to pregnant women. These may be addictions to certain foods or combinations of products that are striking in their originality. So, first you want fresh strawberries in the middle of winter and certainly at night, another time vanilla ice cream with pickles.
It is not uncommon to experience a sharp aversion to a particular product. Most often it is fish, meat products, cottage cheese. Moreover, you used to enjoy this type of food, but now you can’t even look at it. This is a normal situation in the early stages, and you just need to endure the “unpleasant moments”, which usually disappear after 12 weeks of pregnancy.
The important thing is that a woman’s desire to eat any product is a signal of a lack of vital elements. If you, for example, have a calcium deficiency, then you strive to compensate for it by consuming an excessive amount of dairy and fermented milk products, and if there is not enough sodium, then your main food will be foods such as cheese, celery, carrots, and seaweed. A lack of iron in the body will be expressed in the consumption of apples, pomegranates, and chalk. I would like to additionally note that most of All pregnant women suffer from anemia, which is precisely characterized by poor iron (hemoglobin) levels. If you have anemia, then for the health of your unborn baby, in addition to iron-containing foods, you need to take special medications prescribed by your gynecologist, and it is better to start taking medications in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Eating too much sweets while expecting a baby can significantly improve your mood, but you should know that this can gradually lead to a drop or rise in blood sugar levels and, in the future, to the development of diabetes and obesity. Therefore, you need to approach food consumption wisely, take into account the nutritional properties of each ingredient and do not forget about additional vitamins.

A woman expecting her baby feels and experiences many changes in her body. The body, taste habits, mood, reaction to smells change. And yet, the center of the universe during this period becomes the health and development of the child.

Every loving mother worries about how her lifestyle during pregnancy will affect the expected miracle? You begin to listen to your feelings, compare them with what you read in books or the stories of friends who gave birth. And, perhaps, one of the most exciting and controversial issues, which is passed down from generation to generation, is the mother’s nutrition.

Grandmothers advise you to eat more, even if you don’t feel like it. Friends hint at a figure spoiled by such experiments. And you are rushing around and don’t know how to provide adequate nutrition for yourself and your baby without unpleasant consequences.

It all depends on the timing. In the first trimester, you simply cannot eat because of nausea :) In subsequent trimesters, you feel like a glutton, ready to eat an elephant. Of course, then my conscience torments me, but my hand treacherously reaches for dessert.

We hasten to reassure you - everything is individual. Some people eat well throughout pregnancy, while others lose their appetite completely for a number of reasons. And, as you may have guessed, it is quite normal to have an uncontrollable appetite.

If this is your option, let's figure out what the reasons are and how to behave correctly.

Causes increased appetite
1. The child’s growing body clearly hints that he needs more food. For example, during the second trimester, most moms should add 250 calories daily to their regular diet. In the third trimester - 300 calories. If you have twins, then feel free to multiply this dose by 2.
2. It’s easy to confuse hunger with thirst. Because during pregnancy you need more fluids than ever before. Be sure to drink water!
3. Much does not mean filling. Food should be nutritious and not just fill your stomach. With a disordered diet, you will constantly look into the refrigerator, even immediately after what seems like a full meal.
4. There are unexpected attacks of hunger, and you grab whatever comes to hand, unable to control yourself. Or you can’t deny yourself your favorite treat. Follow the regime, eat regularly. This will help avoid severe attacks.
5. Following the usual 3 meals a day, you most likely feel heaviness, discomfort in the intestines and excess heartburn, which is already a companion to pregnancy. Therefore, glut comes quickly. Eat small portions. Watch your feelings so you can stop in time.

6 easy rules to help you:
1. Remember that even though you are eating for two, the second one is much smaller than you and the principle “one plate for yourself, the second for the baby” does not work! Let it be a couple of extra spoons
cottage cheese or bread, a glass of kefir or a vegetable in excess of the usual norm.
2. Drink often, but in small volumes (no more than 200 ml at a time), especially in summer time and with heavy sweating. Don't let yourself get too thirsty. Avoid carbonated and sugary drinks. They will not only cause harm and add calories, but will also cause a new attack of hunger.
3. Give preference to whole grain bread and cereals, fruits, protein foods, fish, nuts, yogurt. Distract your body - choose dishes that require you to chew for a long time.
4. Always have a supply of healthy food in the refrigerator. Believe me, the 5 minutes spent preparing a salad is worth not eating a bag of cookies. Avoid temptations, throw out everything harmful from your home!
5. Divide your daily diet into 5-6 servings. Eat every 3 hours. Prepare snacks that are easy to take with you if you are still working or might get hungry on the road.
6. Control your weight gain and consult your doctor. Follow the terms of the program and everything will be easy!

When will it end?
We hasten to please you: in the third trimester the baby will grow considerably and will take up almost all the space abdominal cavity, and will leave very little room for your stomach. At the same time your
appetite.

If you still have pangs of hunger in the third trimester, add one or two snacks to your main meals. Many factors influence the overall amount of weight gained during pregnancy. For example, genetics, metabolism, activity. Your body, lifestyle, nutrition, condition nervous system, all this is individual and there is no ideal recommendation or exact figure for the correct weight.

Therefore, trust yourself, stick to the program, listen to your needs, keep in touch with the doctor, and soon the difficult but unforgettable period of pregnancy will pass. Pushing the leg in the tummy will be replaced by magical days- motherhood.

Many pregnant women have an increased appetite. As a result, the woman dials overweight. However, what causes the feeling of hunger during early pregnancy? Let's try to figure it out together.

The constant desire to eat something during pregnancy is considered mostly normal. Since a woman during this period needs a lot of calories to bear a healthy baby. However, doctors say that the main reason for the “wolfish” appetite lies in psychology.

Estrogen is to blame. When the level of this hormone increases in the female body, the brain receives a signal that it is time to eat something. The level of estrogen also affects emotional condition person. This is why pregnant women experience constant mood swings and strange taste preferences. In the middle of winter, a girl may want strawberries or watermelons.

However, there is another factor in increased appetite. A woman, bearing a fetus, begins to think that she now needs to eat for two. However, this belief is wrong. After all daily norm The diet should increase by three hundred to four hundred calories, depending on the trimester.

A constant feeling of hunger can be overcome, just follow some rules. The nutritional recommendations are absolutely safe and can be used by every woman. But we still recommend consulting with your doctor.

• As a snack, it is best to use natural and healthy foods: vegetables, fruits, muesli or cereal cookies.
• Instead of white bread It is better to eat whole grains.
• Try to eat small portions, but often.
• Drink more fluids; you may feel thirsty instead of feeling hungry.
• Avoid eating sour and too salty foods.
• Eat meat. This product will help you keep you feeling full for a long time.
• Don't forget about foods high in calcium.
• Try to find a hobby that takes your mind off food.

Weight gain during pregnancy

Don't starve yourself or go on strict diets. This will have a bad effect on the health of the unborn child. A woman must gain kilos during pregnancy. The following indicators are considered the norm:

• If you were underweight before pregnancy, then during pregnancy you should gain 13-18 kilograms.
• Normal-weight moms should gain between 11 and 16 kilograms.
• Overweight women gain 7-11 kilograms.
• In case of obesity, normal weight gain during pregnancy is considered to be 5-9 kilograms.

There are a number of foods that are not recommended for pregnant women to consume. Forbidden foods include:

• all types of smoked meats and pickles;
• marinades and hot sauces;
• fast food, including crackers and chips;
• seafood and citrus fruits, since these foods are allergens;
• flour products in large quantities;

As we already said, feeling hungry during pregnancy is quite normal. You need to accept this factor and try to adapt to it. However, gluttony may also indicate illness. These include: peptic ulcers, diabetes hyperthyroidism.

As a rule, expectant mothers know about their diseases in advance. In case of illness, hunger elimination occurs in a different way and is of a medicinal nature.

Like other early signs of pregnancy, appetite is not an accurate and unconditional signal that you will soon become a mother. However, loss of appetite is very common and can occur from a very early age.

There are 3 possible options for changing appetite in early pregnancy:

Decreased appetite
Perversion of appetite
Increased appetite

Decreased appetite as a sign of pregnancy, it occurs in many women, and can be present even without other symptoms of early toxicosis. Usually the problem arises from the very early stages, literally from 5-6 weeks of pregnancy. Doctors attribute this to the implantation of the embryo and the reaction of the maternal body, both to the high level of human chorionic gonadotropin and to the invasion of trophoblast villi.

Typically, decreased appetite is accompanied by a craving for certain foods and selectivity in food. You may feel acute nausea from the smell of cooking meat, and at the same time literally drool from the aroma of pickled cucumbers. Your baby dictates to you what he needs now.

Perversion of appetite there is almost always to one degree or another. This desire to eat something unusual, you begin to like combinations of foods that you would never have thought to combine before.

Increased appetite It is rare as a sign of pregnancy, and is usually accompanied by heartburn, often nausea and vomiting.

How to deal with appetite disorders?

Firstly, you need to tune in to the fact that this is temporary and will pass soon. This actually goes away on its own by 12-14 weeks of pregnancy, you will be able to eat normally and begin to gain weight.

Secondly, try to eat little and often. Something can cause appetite, and you eat a lot at once - and then vomiting is possible. If you eat often in small portions, your chances of safely retaining food become greater.

Third, don't resist your desires. Whatever you want, eat it, now is not the time for diets or restrictions. Exclude only truly dangerous products, such as alcohol-containing products. If you suddenly want strawberries or pineapples, don’t deny yourself.

If you are suffering from nausea and vomiting, avoid cooking yourself, eat for the first time without getting out of bed, and do not allow your stomach to be empty, carry something with you that you can eat, for example, cookies or tangerines.

When planning a child, each of us anxiously awaits at least some changes indicating that the family will soon be replenished. Appetite is one of early signs the onset of pregnancy. If a girl notices that her eating habits have changed dramatically (many of us remember the time when we wanted herring and chocolate at the same time), she no longer has enough of the usual portion, or, on the contrary, the food is disgusting - it’s time to run for it. Why does appetite behave this way during early pregnancy? And what should cause anxiety in the expectant mother?

Read in this article

Why does your appetite change during pregnancy?

A pregnant woman's appetite has become a truly inexhaustible source of jokes. Most men remember with horror how in the middle of the night their missus asked them to run to the store for strawberries, and upon returning she reported that she no longer wanted to eat them. A growing body requires more nutrients, so mom subconsciously chooses foods to satiate and replenish missing microelements.

But you shouldn’t immediately rush to extremes, eating everything that comes to mind. It is necessary to analyze taste preferences in order to find a relationship with missing microelements and vitamins. For example, if you suddenly have a desire to eat dairy products in large quantities, then the body does not have enough calcium. But the inexplicable passion for celery, carrots, cheese or seaweed is explained by a lack of sodium in the body. Even the craving for or is understandable!

What does an addiction to certain foods indicate?

Hormonal changes become the source of strange cravings and increased appetite. Even diseases can provoke changes in taste and the desire to eat something specific. For example, with anemia you want apples. And this is very useful, because they contain a lot of iron, which is what is lacking during illness.

What to do if you lose your appetite?

It also happens that you completely lose your appetite during early pregnancy. The culprit may be the usual one, which affects the endometrium, which as a result slows down work digestive system. This is only a necessary step for the normal attachment of the fetus to the walls of the uterus and its comfortable stay during gestation.

Lack of appetite in early pregnancy is not uncommon. It can provoke a condition in which there is no strength to look at food, not what to eat.

Stress is a frequent companion of expectant mothers at work, in public transport. They can either increase or decrease your appetite. Having learned about her new position, the girl is advised to try.

Or, on the contrary, they provoke the expectant mother’s fear of eating any food. If such a problem exists, then you should definitely consult a doctor.

Loss of appetite during early pregnancy can be caused by the mother herself. The fact is that some are simply terrified of gaining weight. This fear of spoiling the figure is extremely dangerous for the baby!

Are changes in appetite one of the first signs of pregnancy?

Typically, appetite as a sign of pregnancy becomes less pronounced by the 12th week. But not always changes in taste preferences and portion sizes can be attributed to the fact that the time has come to prepare to become a parent. A change in appetite can also occur with hormonal imbalances and stress (especially with loss of loved one, problems at work and with loved ones), problems with the gastrointestinal tract, as a reaction to taking medications.

Whatever the reason may provoke the desire to open the refrigerator more often or to refuse food almost entirely, it is still worth monitoring your condition. After all, it is very easy to gain extra pounds, but it is very difficult to lose them. Refusal of normal nutrition is fraught, in turn, with such a terrible disease as anorexia.

How to eat healthy when pregnant

Entire books have been written about how to help expectant mothers. In general, their content boils down to the fact that food should be “correct”, rich in nutrients and vitamins, and ideally low-fat and not fried. Steamed food is an excellent solution to help you keep yourself in good shape and eat deliciously.

As for the number of meals, at the beginning of pregnancy they are equal to 3 - 4, but from the second trimester until childbirth it is recommended to increase to 6 - 7. This does not mean at all that the portions should also be huge or that that you cannot eat in excess of the established norm. You can eat, but your diet should be varied! You just have to do it wisely. For example, it is better to refuse large quantity sweets. Of course, they are a great way to lift your spirits, but they also actively add weight. Replace them with fruits.

If there is no appetite in the early stages of pregnancy or it is increased, you can use the general recommendations from nutritionists:

• give preference not only to tasty, but also healthy food;
• if you don’t want to have breakfast, don’t (an exception could be a small cracker on an empty stomach in case of toxicosis);
• try as much as possible not to react to all sorts of stressful situations, remarks and reproaches, sidelong glances and gossip;
• Avoid eating foods with strong odors;
• do not forget that rest for the expectant mother is a necessity, not a whim;
• If you don’t like your own dishes, don’t hesitate to ask someone from your family to cook;
• if the reason for weight loss is constipation, then it is recommended to eat foods rich in fiber;
• you can periodically suck on sour candies or chew chewing gum to provoke an appetite;
• Do not forget that dehydration will negatively affect the child!

Watch the video about nutrition during pregnancy:

If the expectant mother suffers from nausea and stomach upset, the doctor will prescribe, for example, taking the drug “Espumizan” in the early stages of pregnancy or any other drug to normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and reduce the manifestation of toxicosis. It is absolutely safe for the health of women and children. Recommended for constipation folk remedies or drugs such as, for example, Duphalac. If you suspect that something is not working correctly in your body, be sure to consult a doctor!