Starving in the first trimester!!!

[jennifersmom]

I don't recall being this hungry so soon w/my first.
I eat very healthy. However what sustained me prior to pregnancy
just doesn't seem to cut it now. I eat a healthy breakfast consisting
of egg whites and oatmeal. Not even 2 hours later my stomach feels
empty and the hunger pangs set in. I will usually eat a protein
bar mid morning but then that only fills me for so long.
My question is did you ladies just eat whenever you were hungry
or ignore until your next meal? I am only 9 weeks along and afraid
if I eat everytime my stomach feels empty I may end up packing on
way too much. Any suggestions?

Thank you

 

[morris]

congratulations suzanne!

i know in my first trimester i ate all the time, mainly to help nausea and keep my energy level up. that being said, i gained close to 10lbs in the first trimester. it all evened out later and i gained less than 20lbs total with my pregnancy. that is just what worked for me. i did stick mostly to healthy choices, though i was a bit of a cookie monster initially. exercise helped too. i think your body is trying to tell you it needs food.

good luck!

 

[krystalb]

I too was starving in the first tri. Eat when you are hungry! It (the weight gain) will all even out in the end; just try to keep up your exercise routine. BTW- I am now a few weeks away from the third tri, and I find I can eat about the same amount as I did pre-preg. That insanely ravenous feeling will pass-but if you breastfeed, it will be back!!

Congratulations!

 

[star_dust]

I was starving during the first trimester too! Absolutely starving! I never knew hunger like it before. It did get better after about 17-18 weeks. I listened to my body and ate - I couldn't bear not to. The mornings were the worst and if I didn't eat - especially between 10am and 3pm, the nausea/sickness was unbearable. It just helped alleviate those symptoms if only for 15 minutes. I would suggest increasing your calories in healthy ways (I added a bowl of cereal to my diet midafternoon and ate veggie soups, potato chips also worked wonders) - and if you're nauseaus/sick try accupuncture and preggipops (sugary candy that really does work strangely!).

I am breastfeeding exclusively and while I am hungry - it's nothing like what I experienced during my first trimester.

Congratulations on your pregnancy and good luck!

 

[pressju]

Hey there! First of all, you need to increase your calorie intake by at least 300 calories per day (that's a minimum) while pregnant so listen to that hunger - it is telling you do just that!

When I was pregnant I added a bit of healthy fat to stave off hunger pangs and it worked (although in the first trimester I was always ravenous so I added more). Consider all natural peanut butter at breakfast, some crushed up almonds added to banana yogurt shakes. The healthy fats are very important for baby development.

Someone once told me the first trimester is about building the foundation or infrastructure for the baby, which as everyone who has built a house knows is the most important part and takes the most effort. So please take extra care to feed you and that growing baby with lots of food.

Let us know how you are doing.

Julie

 

[gidget1978]

I was so hungry with my second pregnancy but it did subside after a while. But I was thinking, if I am this hungry I should eat and I porbably won't gain much weight b/c I am starving all the time. Well....I as wrong. During July's Dr's visit I gained 10 lbs and in Aug's visit another 10 lbs! If I had my time back I wouldn't have ate so much and I wasn't eating junk food either. I would have just let myself be hungry every once in a while but I know thats easier said then done when your preggo b/c you think you are starving the baby even though thats not true.
Just try to eat healthy and whatever happens happens. I ended up gaining 45 lbs after. He is now a week old and I have 1/2 of it gone.
I also gave up my avtivites though so if you are working out still you may not gain weight like i did.
Good luck!
Lori

 

[erinw]

This is my second pregnancy, and I've noticed I go through spells where I am ravenously hungry, too. But I've also had all day morning sickness, basically nausea that lasts on and off all day. I'm about 7-8 weeks now. If I am hungry, I eat. It's as simple as that. I just try to keep it healthy, and I find I eat a little peaunt butter every day, as it keeps me energized and makes me feel full longer. I've been trying to stay as active as I was, but backing down on the intensity. I hope to not gain too much weight, but we will have to wait and see. Good luck with everything!

 

[jennifersmom]

Thank you Ladies!!

It is nice to know I am not alone. I had terrible insomnia
when I was pregnant w/Jennifer. It started as early as
8 weeks along. Every month since I was 15 the insomnia
was my pms. I never slept two nights before my period.
It was magnified when I was pregnant and lasted up until
I delivered. So far I am sleeping!! I always thought
pregnant women were tired! Not me but more so this time.
I hate to complain about anything as long as I can sleep.
Ofcourse I have a 1 year old that keeps me busy now.
I guess every pregnancy is different but I 'll take
being nauseated and hungry over not sleeping.

 

[dcat]

I'm another one that was ravenous during 1st trimester for both #1 and currently #2 (I'm 20 weeks now). Morning sickness seemed worse this time around and lasted longer. Eating helped keep it at bay for both. However, I've gained more now than with #1. My appetite has leveled off tremendously (I hope the weight gain does, too!). I'm convinced that my body needed the extra calories for that critical 1st trimester of development.

 

[Mikkia]

I have to admit that when I was first pregnant I ate all the time, and I mean all the time. I am really careful with my diet and working out, but as soon as I got pregnant the first time, I knew it. I could not stop eating. So I did. I got yelled at at the doctor (my husband is a doctor too, so I got it at home as well). I worked out the best I could, though the first trimester workouts were more a thought than a reality. As my pregnancy progressed, I felt better, worked out more, and ate as much as I wanted. I gained my 20 lbs by 22 weeks. The the acid reflux set in, and I could not eat, there was no room, and if I tried, it came back up. I did not gain a single pound the rest of the pregnancy. Thank God I ate early on. My second one was exactly the same, except I didn't beat myself up over the eating and exercise, and I gained 22 lbs, all before 20 weeks. The point of this long,drawn out post is LISTEN to your body. You know if your hungry, if you are eat. It will be ok!