Is it normal to be hungry all the time during pregnancy

Your body will respond appropriately by prompting increased hunger cues when you need more nutrition to support changes such as:. And because your body needs more nutrition and calories to support these changes, it is very common to have periods of time in pregnancy where your stomach might feel like a bottomless pit.

If you feel out-of-control with pregnancy hunger, this is where intuitive eating can be helpful. Being an intuitive eater helps you explore your body and the cues that it is giving you from a place of curiosity rather than judgement.

When you can practice this mindset shift, you are free to give your body the food that it needs with unconditional permission to nourish your body appropriately. Pregnancy diets or any other diet for that matter are completely unethical, harmful and ineffective. As you rebuild trust with your body through intuitive eating, you will build confidence in yourself as the expert of your own body.

This means you can stop listening to the external guidelines for eating and throw all diets out the window — for good. The premise of intuitive eating is building trust with your body. For some women, it takes time to learn how to listen to your body again and to trust it as the expert of what you need.

When you take back ownership of your basic eating signals, you can truly make peace with food over the course of your lifetime and become a healthier person overall. Hunger is not meant to be something to fear, resist or control. Hunger is our bodies way of communicating with us when there is something we need. Eating and enjoying food are basic needs that every human deserves. Every time we respond to what our bodies need and honor our hunger, we build trust with ourselves.

Exploring what foods feel good in your body during pregnancy is needed to help you feel satisfied. Eating whatever you feel like without regard for your hunger and fullness cues is not part of eating intuitively.

Allow yourself the space to rediscover what foods bring contentment and satisfaction in your body. Keep in mind that this might change throughout pregnancy — that is perfectly normal and okay! Some quick, practical tips for responding to pregnancy hunger could include:. When it comes to satisfying your increased appetite during pregnancy, listen to your body, but stay sensible about your portions.

Remember that while you are eating for two, one of you is a whole lot smaller, so the "one for me, one for baby" principle doesn't add up. It's easy to confuse dehydration with hunger — and because your body is so busy making a baby, you'll need more liquids than ever. Aim for at least eight to 10 8-ounce cups of water a day from all sources, and possibly more if it's hot outside or you're sweating a lot.

Just skip the sodas, which can add excess calories and sugar spiking your sugar and upping your appetite without any nutritional benefit. Most moms don't need any more calories at all during the first trimester. In the second trimester, women who were a normal weight before getting pregnant only need about to more calories daily than they were eating in their pre-pregnancy diets you may need more or less.

For many women, calorie needs increase by about in the third trimester. If you're carrying multiples, you could need to eat up to calories more a day for each baby. Make sure your pregnancy diet is nutritious rather than merely filling.

For staying power, pair a high-fiber carb like whole grains or fruit with protein and healthy fat like nut butter or dairy.

Choose fresh, whole foods over processed, refined ones. And munch on meals that take more effort to eat, since all that chewing helps you to feel fuller in fewer bites. A big salad, for example, offers lots of nutrients and fiber to fill you up and requires more chewing than a plate of refined pasta. You might also want to consider going organic during pregnancy for some or all of the foods you buy. While the research is conflicting about the benefits of organic foods and the potential risks of conventional foods , they are free of pesticides, antibiotics and additives, which may give you additional peace of mind.

If you're going to hit the refrigerator, freezer and pantry on the regular, make sure you've got lots of healthy options on hand. Scarf down a whole cantaloupe and you've downed a whole day's supply of vitamin A and C. The same can't be said for a bag of cookies. Going to the grocery store? Avoid buying those not-so-good-for-you foods. Out of sight, out of mind.

But if you absolutely have to satisfy a sweet tooth, store the treat in a cabinet rather than on your counter. This way, you're less likely to munch on it in passing. Instead of three square meals a day, opt for five or six mini-meals that are eaten every three hours. Common examples are strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, red currants, blueberries, and blackberries. Our editorial team has made a compilation of these nutritious foods in combos that fit the bill:.

Make sure your fridge and pantry is always stocked with healthy food selections that can eliminate hunger in a flash. To effectively deal with constant hunger during early pregnancy, eating small amounts of food regularly throughout the day will certainly keep your stomach full, while keeping hunger under wraps.

Eating huge amounts during each sitting will cause bloating, and acid reflux heartburn will make you feel very uncomfortable. Consult your physician to know your specific calorie intake requirements as the values given are for typical pregnancies.

While you may have learned that it seems harmless to have a glass of wine at dinner or a mug of beer with friends, no one has really ascertained what constitutes safe alcohol amounts during pregnancy. Every woman experiencing weight gain amid the constant-hunger-early-pregnancy dilemma should not panic. But every expectant woman gains weight differently; hence, there is no saying how much weight you should gain.

Look up nutritional information on food labels from stores and restaurants to get a sense of how many calories each food contains. A published study supported by the Institute of Child Health and Human Development found that women who sought and received advice between weeks 7 and 21 of pregnancy were less likely to gain excess weight during the third trimester. The report also showed that the group of women studied also benefited from weekly support group meetings.

This goes to show how advice from doctors, dieticians, and fellow pregnant women helps to curb excess weight gain. Eating more calories than you burn is one of the principal causes of weight gain. It takes a 3, calorie cut to lose 1 pound. Spread over a week, this translates to a calorie deficit per day. It helps you maintain your weight, reduce the risk of birth defects, and eases some of the aches and pains you experience during pregnancy.

Like this article? Please share or pin it for later. You can also stay in the loop and follow us on Facebook , Instagram or Pinterest. This post contains affiliate links. Please see our full disclosure for more info. Constant hunger in pregnancy is an expected occurrence. So what do you do when you start having this powerful urge? Panic no more and read on to learn the science behind your hunger mystery. Why do you feel hungry during early pregnancy?

It is possible that your body is using up energy faster than you can give it. This rapid energy utilization by the body makes you want to munch on food all the time. Hunger pangs: What are they? Avoid hunger pangs by making sure your tummy never runs empty during the day. Will the munchies ever go away? At this stage, the baby weighs 4. After all, quality not quantity is what a good pregnancy diet is all about. How to manage constant-hunger-early-pregnancy symptoms 1.