Suddenly extremely hungry, last few weeks of pregnancy

mch9191

Did anyone else experience a sudden increase in appetite towards the last few weeks of pregnancy? I've certainly not been depriving myself the extra calories as my weight gain can show but all of a sudden at 37 weeks it's every few hours a feel absolutely famished and that "I have to eat NOW" level of hunger. Any thoughts?

amargaret24

You're lucky it's only been since 37 weeks. I've been like that since week 6.

OrangeFox

I feel the same way. I haven't had much of an appetite this whole pregnancy. Food makes me sick most of the time and if I eat more than small meals I feel so awful (and sometimes do get sick). HOWEVER, this last week or two I am so hungry, ALL THE TIME. I'm still afraid to eat very much at a time because of my experiences the last 6 months. This pretty much means I have been grazing constantly. 

I'm afraid my toddler hasn't eaten a real meal since this all started because he wants to eat whatever I'm eating, and it really doesn't stop. At least I'm choosing (mostly) healthy snacks (before he goes to bed).

kelnate22

Same here. I want to eat everything but I have no room to put all of the food in my stomach! The struggle is real.

JmadC

You are not alone! I had pretty much no appetite in the first two trimesters but when the third one rolled around it turned me into the hungry caterpillar! I'll have days where I feel like I cannot possibly get enough to eat... Kinda embarassing, haha. But I guess it's because the baby goes through such a big growth spurt around that time and starts to put on chubby baby fat. That's what I'm going to tell myself anyway.

Edit: and according to pretty much everyone I talk to and everything I read, this insatiable hunger could carry over after birth if you breastfeed, so hungry hungry hippo that I am I have already tucked protein and granola bars in the side pocket of my glider, haha. Always be prepared.

jrouge12

Yes! This past week I had several midnight snacks too. At my last appointment my midwife just looked at me and said she knew baby had grown. I mentioned the hunger and she said it's just my body's way of letting me know baby needs a little more. I try my best to eat healthy snacks first!

ETomko

SAME. I was just complaining to my sisters about this yesterday. I try to eat some varied foods in case there's some sort of nutrient my body is craving that is keeping me feeling hungry, but it doesn't matter what/how much I eat. I constantly feel hungry. And then I feel stuffed and bloated and huge but still hungry. It's out of control. And it has only been the last week or so. I'm afraid to go back to my OB and have him see how much weight I've gained because I'm sure it's a completely disproportionate amount for only like ten days.

apinkpelican

Yes. It started for me around 37 weeks also. Have to keep a snack on my nightstand!

maureenmce

37 weeks today and my general appetite is still kind of small because of baby crowding all my organs and such, BUT I have these occasional FEED ME NOW hunger pangs that actually hurt.  I haven't had those since the first trimester and they are back with a vengeance!  I only get them like once every couple of days, but they're intense when they happen.

ashin121

I'm 37w5d and I'm experiencing the same thing!! I just asked my friends who just delivered or are currently pregnant same time as me this exact question two days ago. I'M STARVING ALL THE TIME! I haven't been too hungry more than pre-pregnancy all throughout my pregnancy and I've had minimal to no cravings. Haven't cared for cookies or chips but All of a sudden I want it all!! I even looked up if it's a sign of pre-labor.

In one night I gained 4 pounds of water weight because I killed a Costco size bag of pita chips with their artichoke jalapeño cheese dip!

I just went to Costco and loaded up on fruits, unsalted nuts and string cheese to prevent that from happening again

Ebiejay

Right there with you! Sort of trying to pick healthy snacks but in all honesty there's a lot of cake being consumed. I was all ready for this supposed weight loss or maintenance the last few weeks but it's definitely not happening here! Ah well, baby clearly needs more, and I can just worry about me later. 

EC2016

I've been starving in just the last couple of days (38.5 today). It's hard with gd to be good when I'm so hungry! I think it's mostly a sign of the baby moving down, giving more room for food.