Appetite increase in third trimester

[Everlore]

I am currently 28 weeks pregnant with our first child. I have eaten well throughout pregnancy so far, I have allowed myself the very occasional treat but generally tried to keep to three well-balanced and nutritious meals a day and avoid snacking between meals. I have tried to focus on NHS guidelines for foods recommended in pregnancy and my midwife has expressed no concerns about my diet or weight. I was a healthy BMI before becoming pregnant and gained no weight at all in my first trimester, but was advised that this was completely normal and healthy.
This was fine up until now, my appetite hadn't increased and, thank god, baby seems to be growing and developing well with the diet I've been eating. However, in the last week or so, I'm feeling hungry all the time and have been resorting to snacking frequently. I try to keep my snacks healthy but sometimes I'm just really craving a biscuit or some chocolate or crisps. I know that the need to "eat for two" is a myth, but I'm just wondering if this is my body's way of telling me it wants more calories now I'm entering the third trimester, on the other hand, it could just be pesky hormones playing havoc with my metabolism!
Just wondered if anyone else who has had increased appetite in the later stages of pregnancy has any advice on how to deal with this. Should I stay disciplined and stick to my no snacks between meals policy or should I indulge myself in these last three months and allow myself a few more treats? Thanks for your help.

It’s not indulging yourself…. It’s feeding your rapidly growing child. Just eat.

I would have some extra food! Your body is growing a baby! And if you do gain a bit of baby weight, there's plenty of time to sort that out after the baby is born :) I have never eaten so many carby snacks than when I was pregnant, I tended to go with the flow with what it felt my body was wanting x

You are growing a human and your body is preparing to birth that human and keep it alive afterwards. It's not realistic to not gain any weight whilst pregnant and it's also ridiculous to use bmi as a measure.

In both mu 3rd trimesters I had to have two breakfasts, one at 4 am and another at about 8 am. If I didn't I would feel so hungry I would be unable to sleep or function and would also feel nauseous. I put on a stone and a half. Lost a stone almost immediately after birth with fluids, baby, blood loss etc and then the other half a stone remained for the year I breastfed. Once I stopped feeding it just went with no effort from me. Trust your body knows what it needs and eat a little more.

You're supposed to have extra food in pregnancy, they just advise you to make healthier choices on the whole but the odd treat and snack never hurt anyone!
The third trimester is also where you normally gain the most weight, it's normal so don't best yourself up about that

I was very hungry during the last couple of months. I would say have three good meals a day but also healthy snacks as much as you can eg watermelon, nuts etc. it’s also ok to eat biscuits and chocolate if you feel like it, maybe baby needs certain things that you fancy eating? It’s also important to keep your energy up especially in the last trimester when the bump is bigger and walking etc takes so much longer!x

I was ravenous in my third trimester. I was eating three healthy meals a day, but I’d wake up in the night craving cereal and milk, or a round of buttery toast. I just gave into it. I think it’s quite normal.

I have eaten insane amounts of food towards the end of both pregnancies, maybe snacking or small meals every couple of hours. Sometimes a snack in the night too. When BF I would also eat multiple times in the night - you really do need the calories! Normal BMI and back to pre-pregnancy weight within 3 months (despite gaining almost 20kg both times)

You do need a few more calories in the 3rd trimester. I would just eat to your appetite but try to fill up with healthier snacks, although a few biscuits won't hurt.
I found that in the last month or so my appetite decreased again and I could only manage little and often, probably because of my stomach being squished!
So it might all balance out for you