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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if you lost your appetite after birth of your baby??

42 replies

ethelfleda · 04/11/2017 19:09

Hi Everyone.

Had our PFB on Monday - a boy and enjoying being a mum so far!
But the strangest thing is that I have completely lost my appetite. I keep getting dizzy, lighthearted episodes where the only thing that'll make me feel better are those glucose tablets and I have to keep forcing myself to eat. I'm sat here now with my dinner and I feel so weak but finding it incredibly difficult to bring myself to eat it.
I am eating every day but having to force myself to eat little and often so I don't feel like I'm going to pass out. I'm breastfeeding so I know I need to keep my calorie intake up. Is this normal??
Just to add I have a high metabolism and normally have a very healthy appetite.

OP posts:
userabcname · 04/11/2017 19:16

I completely lost my appetite too. Put mine down to side effects of painkillers I was taking. Are you on any meds? I would check with your midwife anyway especially with the light headedness. Get checked out! And congrats!

ColinCreevy · 04/11/2017 19:17

Yes definitely. I normally eat like a pig and I felt totally unable to eat just after both my kids were born. It sorted itself out within a couple of weeks and then I was ravenous with the breastfeeding.

Original poster
ethelfleda · 04/11/2017 19:17

Thank you for your reply. Not on any medication apart from iron tablets. Mentioned it to mw and she didn't seem concerned. Maybe I just need sleep!

OP posts:
CakeAndChocolate · 04/11/2017 19:18

I did after my dd was born (3rd baby). I had to force myself to eat for the first 3-4 weeks and I normally have a very healthy appetite.

Make sure you eat enough to keep yourself going, and if your appetite doesn’t come back after a couple of weeks I would see your GP, as it can be (but not always) a symptom of PND.

Congratulations btw!

Oysterbabe · 04/11/2017 19:19

Sadly not.

BlueThesaurusRex · 04/11/2017 19:20

I lost mine too! Because I was sooooooo tired! It soon came back, with a vengeance 😫

IreneForsyte · 04/11/2017 19:21

I felt like this - not very hungry but sometimes dizzy/ spaced out. I was anaemic. Perhaps you have low iron too, given that you are on supplements? I also think having a baby is a major event and kind of a shock to the system! (Even with an easy birth, more so if there are complications.) Get as much rest as you can (easy to say, I know) and try to eat little and often with lots of iron-rich foods and slow burners like oats. We absorb more iron from food than from supplements. Congratulations on your new baby.

Lj8893 · 04/11/2017 19:24

Yes I did! DH was absolutely shocked because the 2 bags of chocolates/sweets he bought me whilst I was in hospital (was in 3 nights) came home with me as I hadn't even opened them!
I remember going for a carvery when dd was about 6 days old with family and I was just pushing my food around my plate.

It came back eventually Grin

DramaAlpaca · 04/11/2017 19:24

No, I wanted to eat everything in sight thanks to breastfeeding making me hungry.

Remember it's early days & you're still recovering from giving birth. Check with your midwife if you are worried. Hope all's well.

Congratulations Flowers

chequeplease · 04/11/2017 19:35

Totally lost mine for the first few months. Due to a mix of hormones and sheer exhaustion!! Keep forcing yourself to ear regularly.

Original poster
ethelfleda · 04/11/2017 19:39

Thank you everyone. I guess I just need to be patient with my body after what it just went through! Luckily have been able to express some milk so DH is doing the night shift tonight so I can get some rest.
Actually didn't sleep Saturday night (waters went and had to go in to hospital to be sent home) Sunday night (was in labour) Monday and Tuesday night (was on Labour ward) and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night was up with baby! I guess that didn't help.

OP posts:
CbeebiesAddict · 04/11/2017 19:40

Yes lost it for about two weeks afterwards.

Lallypopstick · 04/11/2017 19:40

I did. And then it came back tenfold and now I enjoy two bowls of cereal for breakfast.

EsmesBees · 04/11/2017 19:44

Yep, both times. And all I could eat was white food like toast and crisps.

Whatsername17 · 04/11/2017 19:47

I did but if you want to be able to maintain a good milk supply you must eat. I forced myself 2nd time around because first time I was diagnosed with lactation failure. I don't honestly know if the two were related but I didn't take the risk second time around because I wanted to breastfeed.

Shelby1981 · 04/11/2017 19:50

Yes, and I normally have a big appetite. Midwives said it was quite common and just to eat what I fancied even if it was snacky stuff not a meal. I also ate at any time of day so if peckish at 3am I had belvita biscuits, not sure how I'd have survived without belvitas lol

Shelby1981 · 04/11/2017 19:53

Although I did have PND so maybe it was a symptom

ToElleWithIt · 04/11/2017 20:01

Yes and I think it was linked to the mild bout of anxiety I had weeks 2-4 post partum. Tried to just eat what I could but weight fell off as I was breastfeeding and I didn’t really have it to lose. It came back after about 2 weeks though which was a relief. Just eat what you can face even if it’s buttered toast and fizzy drinks morning noon and night. If it doesn’t improve in a week or 2 I’d see your GP

TheBakeryQueen · 04/11/2017 20:04

Please get your iron levels checked! Like the earlier poster said, this is a classic symptom of anaemia and can be caused by blood loss during labour.

OhOurBilly · 04/11/2017 20:08

Completely for the first couple of months, it came back gradually. Had to force myself to eat anything. Drink loads, stay hydrated, eat as much as you can manage. I breastfed and had an abundance of milk I spite of my shit appetite.

Congratulations on your PFB!! Flowers

Original poster
ethelfleda · 04/11/2017 20:14

It's very reassuring to know it's normal.

I also need to book an appointment with GP to have a blood test as I've nearly finished my course of iron tablets so will mention it to him as well. I didn't take my prescribed iron tablets for a few days while I was in hospital either so that's another factor!

OP posts:
Juanbablo · 04/11/2017 20:17

Congratulations! Yes, I lost my appetite all three times but it returned after a few weeks.

girlywhirly · 04/11/2017 20:20

Yes, I lost mine. I ate like a piglet through most of my pregnancy, but had a forceps delivery after an 11 hour labour and also a massive episiotomy and haemorroids. I ached and was exhausted after one night in labour, no sleep in noisy post natal ward, no sleep due to night feeds. Then I got an infection in the episiotomy and was on antibiotics and iron, so not really surprising. At 3 weeks post natal I was eating better, but never as much as during pregnancy. The plus point to this was that I lost all my fat built up during pregnancy, and also with breast feeding by 13 weeks post natal!

SueGeneris · 04/11/2017 20:21

Yes, all three times for around 2-4 weeks. First couple of days I basically lived on Ribena! I guess it's the stress of birth. It did go back to normal though.

Babababababybel23 · 04/11/2017 20:22

No, I was eating toast two minutes after I had her and then about two hours later I had a footlong from the subway in the hospital. I'm always hungry now