The Evolution of Appetite in Pregnancy

Nesting Week continues, and we are still talking about food, oh and growing belly pics how much fun is that?

Food plays an important tole in pregnancy, at least in mine. You either love it and need it, or you can't even handle the smell of it. There's cravings, and nutrition, and nausea to deal with.There are the seemingly ever changing rules of what you should and shouldn't eat.

I have said before, I wholly believe that pregnancy is the one and only time that I don’t fret, measure, worry, scrutinize, or in any other way beat myself up over what I eat. With my first child I had Oreo's and milk every night and ate whatever I wanted, not a lot of veggies, plenty of fast food. He was a big baby and is now a skinny kindergartner who prefers fruits and veggies over all else. I will add that this pregnancy is my first without drinking any kind of pop (or soda if that’s what you call it). It’s the first time I have ever passed a glucose test, and I am not HUGE, but correlation is not causation, I am also chasing after two kids this time.


First trimester:

You're suddenly over come with hunger all the time. You assume it’s just your mind trying to sabotage your latest diet attempt. Once you find out you are pregnant the light bulb goes off and you start eating everything in site. Cravings may start at this time as well, usually for something you haven’t eaten in months or years. I have a vegetarian friend who started craving bacon, real bacon not the turkey kind.

The alternative is that you have zero appetite and cannot keep anything down. The thought, smell and look of food is enough to send you reeling. You cling to your box of saltines and seltzer water and beg your husband to go out to dinner (alone) so the house doesn’t smell like food.


Second Trimester:
The overwhelming hunger may subside and you fall into a compf0rtable pattern of eating every 2 hours. You barely think about what you eat except to make sure you are satisfying cravings. You frequently have 2 breakfasts and 2 dinners. You enjoy eating and food tastes amazing.

If you were sick the first trimester you are just now entering the wonderful world of pregnant eating. You Have hopefully reacquainted yourself with food and it tastes good. You eat and eat and eat some more.




Third Trimester:
You want to eat. You are hungry but every thing you put in your mouth, even water causes you to feel bloated and huge and/or have searing heart burn. You can’t eat within an hour of laying down, which is hard because you are exhausted, easily tire and run out of breath and need to lay down. You eat because you know you are supposed to/need to not that you want to. Eating is a task.

You may have cravings but they are unidentifiable. You know you want something but you usually have no idea what it is you want. Eating becomes a chore and you wonder how there is any room in your stomach anyways. You could eat your weight in ice daily, and do since everything else gives you heartburn.


I’m in stage three right now.

Am I pretty close? Did you go through this when pregnant?