Waking up ravenous at 4am

[Evianontoast]

Morning. Since about 6 weeks (26 weeks now) I’ve had to wake up at 4am and eat because I’m so hungry it’s woken me up. Sometimes I try and tell myself it’s all in my head but I lie there, tummy growling for an hour and eventually give in. The thing is, I eat well! The only time I haven’t woken up at 4am was when I ate a whole dominoes large pizza the night before (which I don’t plan on doing again...). Anyone else had this problem and found anything helped? Maybe eating later or eating different things? Thanks!

Yep this is definitely a Thing. 4am every night fir weeks in my case, from about 20-35 weeks. Embrace it! Get some good snacks in. Is always end up having cereal which seems a bit of a shake, you’ve basically acquired a new meal, have whatever you want!

I had gestational diabetes so had to eat at set times which made this hard but I found having a high protein and low carb snack just before bed eg 11pm helped. Oatcakes with nut butter or a baby bell with a handful of almonds

You need to eat, either try eating more before bed or take something up with you.

Yep me too! I'm almost 36 weeks and have been getting up around this time since about 20 weeks. Sometimes I'm just up for a wee and force myself back to bed, but if I lay here long enough I end up getting hunger pains and making a bowl of cereal! Embrace it, I enjoy my little early morning feasts 😁 xx

Absolutely, had this with all of my pregnancies. 2am would see the dog sleepily blinking at me as I settled at the table with a huge bowl of crunchy nut. Loved it 😊

I’ve had this from time to time! I find almonds work really well.

I find it odd that uk guidelines say pregnant women don’t need any extra calories, until third trimester when they only need an additional 200.

I’ve been eating loads of extra food since I found out I was pregnant, and I haven’t gained much weight other than on my bump really and it’s well within the safe limits.

Surely we do need extra food to sustain growing another life inside us?!

Without all those slices of toast/nuts/cereal/naked bars I thubj I would’ve wasted away during this pregnancy I’ve been so hungry.

I used to take a banana to bed every night so I could scoff it in the middle of the night! (I also had some ginger nuts in my bedside table )

Yup had this with both of mine. Keep snacks next to the bed. I used to keep those belvita breakfast biscuits, or fruit. Worst thing you can do is try and ignore it, by the time you realise you can’t you’ve already woken up too much to get back to sleep!

I remember this well, toddling downstairs in the small hours for a snack. Used to have oatcakes and peanut butter as it was quick.

I don't particularly remember 4am (though it's possible, as sleeping generally wasn't always easy when before being pregnant I'd slept in my front) but I do remember a phase where I needed a bowl of weetabix before I could get out of bed, then normal breakfast before leaving for work!