Anyone else lost their appetite after pregnancy?

[Seline]

Posted somewhere else but not many responses so posting for traffic.

I went off all food after horrendous acid reflux and hyperemesis. By 18 weeks I'd gained no weight despite it being twins.

They're 16 weeks old now and my appetite hasn't returned. I assumed once I had given birth it would come back but no. There's about 5 foods I can tolerate and only in tiny amounts. Everything else makes me gag and vomit.

I had sensory issues with food as a child that lessened as I got older, but this feels exactly like that.

Is this normal?

I can't say whether it's normal, Seline. However, I can say that I had no appetite at all after DC2 (can't remember about DC1, as I was unconscious for a while after his difficult birth, and can't remember much about the aftermath). It took me a very, very long time to regain anything like a normal appetite. I'm talking many, many months rather than weeks. I just couldn't swallow anything. It's horrible. I would just eat whatever you cam manage, and focus on looking after yourself as much as you can.

Hey OP. I had no appetite for a while after having DD but it definitely wasn't as long as that. Are you able to speak to your health visitor? Or midwife? Maybe GP? The midwives kept asking me if my appetite had returned so I assume it's something on their radar.

I think it can be part of hyperemesis because it doesn’t always go away immediately after birth.

I still have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, excess saliva and some days everything I eat will taste mouldy even though it isn’t, and all of that developed during pregnancy.

For me if I eat too much I just gag and throw up.

I've eaten 3 pieces of toast today and a cup of tea and that's it. I'm not depressed, somewhat anxious but nothing extreme, I don't get it. I thought it was the hyperemesis but I've still got similar food aversion and smell aversions as when I was pregnant!

Guinea yes it feels like it hasn't gone at all. With my first child it went away after the birth!

Are you breastfeeding? I found the hormones made me feel sick after I had my first. About the only thing I wanted to eat was flapjack.

I'm currently 29 weeks pregnant and have lost 3kg since my pregnancy booking in appointment because I have just had no appetite (but I was obese to start with so it's not an issue for me).

It took me a really long time to enjoy food after giving birth and I lost 3 stone very quickly (overweight so not an issue really). Everyone (Midwives, HVs, consultant etc) kept asking about my appetite and I kept telling them I wasn’t eating but they didn’t give any suggestions/do anything about it.

I think mine was anxiety related although apart from a permenant lump in my throat, I never felt anxious at the time. Felt like I couldn’t swallow food. In the end I just sort of forgot about it but I don’t remember when I started eating again but I am fine now and have been for some time (LO is 15 months)

Have you spoken to anyone about it?

Not breastfeeding, I expressed for a while but not now.

I've not mentioned it no. I don't really think about it until my husband points it out.

I did OP but it was very bad baby blues and my appetite came back after a few weeks. I'd worry that after 16 weeks it could be a symptom of PND.

It started in pregnancy so would it still be that? I did wonder if I had mild PND but those feelings have mostly gone now so I wouldn't think it could be solely no appetite?

Bump

Anyone?

With me it was hormones - I was the same a few years after having a full hysterectomy
I completely went off meat chicken fish eggs cheese and dairy, also had to give up tea and coffee
Mostly ok after 6-12 months
Years down the line I still hate the smell of cooking meat or fried food of any kind
Still don’t drink tea and have maybe 1-2 decaf coffee a day

No, I actually lost weight when I was pregnant because like you I had acid reflux and hyperemesis so I was hardly eating when I was pregnant.

My appetite came back with a vengence as soon I had given birth so Im making up for it now!

I had HG and had to go back on anti sickness meds and omeprazole after the birth as I was still vomiting. It took about 6 months for the food aversions to go and a year to be interested in food again. Do see your GP,

Thanks, I'll mention it next time I go. I just have zero interest in it. If I could take a tablet once a day with my nutrition in it I would. Everything makes me feel sick.

If you did have this did you end up losing a significant amount of weight by the way? I'm fairly small so am worried if it goes on too long.

Anyone else? I can find very little info on this anywhere.

Anyone? Pretty desperate to hear from loads of people that this goes away and it all becomes normal!

I couldn't eat after giving birth (I also had HG) but only for about a month. You should really see a doctor.

However, my son is almost three and I still can't even look at paella, which was a weird aversion I developed (even though we rarely ate it anyway!).

English did you find out what it was?

Yes I lost a lot of weight the first year (also breastfed for 2 years which could have contributed). My Bmi was 15 at the lowest then gradually climbed back up. I also had PND, I started Sertraline around 8 months pp and that helped my appetite. So perhaps some of the appetite loss was a symptom of depression that I blamed on HG.

I just wasn't hungry, and couldn't be bothered to cook, and often vomited after eating. So I survived on things like toast, crisps, biscuits (like when I was pregnant) and nibbled at ready meals. I'd get a few spoonfuls in and want to throw the plate on the floor because I hated eating. It's awful because after HG you expect to be hungry again, but the sight and smell of food was repellent.

Don't lose hope! Ask your GP about it, and keep an eye on your mood. Meds and time were the answer for me.

I just wasn't hungry, and couldn't be bothered to cook, and often vomited after eating.
That is exactly like me.