Help, can't get full and feeling desperate

[aimees75]

Hi all, I'm 14 weeks with twins and I just can't seem to get full, and I'm feeling miserable. I can eat non-stop for ages but nothing seems to fill me up. For lunch I had a plate of rice and chicken stew with veg. It just made me more hungry! An hour later I was eating two veg samosas, a banana, a large handful of almonds. Still starving. On the way home I drank most of a bottle of pomegrate juice and ate lots of crisps. Gnawing hunger. I've just had some more chicken, rice and veg for dinner but that only made me even hungrier, so then ate a pack of prawns afterwards and now I'm feeling starving. Is this normal? It seems like eating only makes me hungrier, and I wonder if the satiety centre in the brain is not receiving the usual signals of being full for some reason. It cannot be possible to eat what I do and not get full! The only way to stop it is to go to sleep, but I wake up every night starving and need to eat at about 3am. I've put on quite a bit of weight but don't really care, I just want this to stop. Has anyone else had this? Sorry if this is long-winded. Xx

[RockerMummy184]

Eat as much as you need now. Especially healthy stuff like fruit and veg like you seem to be doing. Protein keeps you fuller longer too. I recommend tons of tuna, chicken breasts, steak, lentils (all good sources of iron too which you need lots if with twins).
Make the most of it while you still can. I'm wayyyy past that point and have no room left for food. The babies are taking up every but of space I have. I've barely eaten for weeks and when I do it makes me feel so sick after a couple of mouthfuls that I can't bring myself to eat any more. It's now a case of snacking little and often and trying to keep down whatever I can stomach at the time.
Congratulations on your twins!

[RockerMummy184]

Oh and don't worry about snacking at 3am as long as it's something healthy. I used to take a banana and some crackers to bed with me to eat in the early hours as it helped with the sickness.

[Celerysoup3]

Are you thirsty rather then hungry but just confused. Go talk to your GP and Midwife.

I think you can research and work out how many extra calories you need with twins. Eat more veg if you need extra on top. I know proper weight gain usually starts about 16 weeks with singletons. I think you need to be careful not to get too big too fast as it will effect mobility and other things towards the end. Stay as fit, mobile and healthy as you can.

[mummyneedinganswers]

Try eating slowly your brain will then register when it's full it your still hungry I'd go to gp and see if there's anything they recommend x

[docmcstuffins1]

When I get heartburn it feels like hunger, maybe try some gaviscon?

[aimees75]

Many thanks for the good tips. I think I need to try and eat more good quality protein, and I have a consultant appointment in two weeks and will mention it then. Rockermummy that sounds pretty horrible I'm not looking forward to that stage.
I think my main issue is that I can go for days feeling a constant hunger pain in my stomach that doesn't go away. It is actually painful and I can't think of anything else but food. Eating doesn't seem to help as much as you would think and often makes it worse. I will try drinking more but find it unpalatable, and see if this helps. Xx

[poocatcherchampion]

Just keep eating.
I eat cocoppops day and night when I am pregnant and don't gain excessive amounts of weight. Just do what you need to do.

I'm getting into all night heart burn now so losing any enjoyment from it.

Congrats on your pregnancy

[aimees75]

Poocatcherchampion (great name!) I don't get any enjoyment from the eating really, it is more like feeding a starving animal within that is never satisfied, and I feel I have no control over my body.

[Crimblecrumble]

Maybe try brown rice instead of white rice as it will fill you up for longer. Also try making a batch of veg soup that you can have a cup of when you are feeling hungry.
Also, maybe try upping your healthy fats as they will fill you up, chicken, rice and veg sounds nice but no fat, so you could try having some avocado on the side or as a snack.
Hope that helps and congrats!

[poocatcherchampion]

I do know what you mean. That's why I have embraced the cocopop - I don't need to think about it then.

Ironic that when you are not pregnant you want to eat everything and when you can you don't fancy it!

[mumofmunchkin]

For the first half of my pregnancy I ate and ate and ate, (and no it wasn't all healthy, generally eating, and particularly salt and vinegar crisps really helped my morning sickness!). My appetite levelled off a bit after that and now at 38 weeks I'm at the small stomach stage and can't eat much at a go. I'veb just gone with my body and what it's asking for, and haven't gained excessive weight.

Congratulations on the twins!

[aimees75]

Thanks for all the tips everyone! Yesterday was a better day! I particularly like the idea of avocados and good fats, will try that. X

[Sandsnake]

I am 29 weeks with a singleton and I've been getting this on and off for the last three weeks or so. I'm like you - wondering if there's something wrong with my being able to detect food as eating lots didn't do anything to abate the hunger! It's helped a bit by snacking regularly and not letting myself get to the ravenous stage. I think that docmacstuffins has a good point re the heartburn - I've tried Gaviscon a couple of times when I've been 'hungry' and it's helped a bit. Hope it gets better soon OP - I know it's really frustrating (especially the nocturnal eating).