Pregnant women get hungry quickly, it turns out that this is the reason

Changes in body condition so rapidly during pregnancy can affect the mother's appetite. Pregnant women can experience cravings who are strange, eat more often at night, or in most cases become hungry quickly. So, how can body changes make you hungry more often during pregnancy?

Conditions that make pregnant women often hungry

Some women can experience an increase in appetite in the first trimester of pregnancy. However, some have just experienced it in the second trimester. Whenever you have it, it's a common condition that anyone can experience while pregnant.

The causes are also very diverse, but in general the factors are as follows:

1. Increase in the hormone progesterone

Pregnant women feel hungry quickly because the hormone progesterone increases in the early trimester of pregnancy.

High progesterone can affect the work of the hormones ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin triggers hunger pangs, while leptin makes you feel full.

During pregnancy, the body cannot respond well to signals of the leptin hormone. At the same time, the amount of ghrelin increases, especially during the first six months of pregnancy. These two things ultimately make pregnant women often feel hungry.

2. Dehydration

During pregnancy, the body needs more fluids to support fetal development. Lack of fluid intake will make pregnant women prone to dehydration. Apart from thirst and headaches, symptoms of dehydration can sometimes mimic hunger.

Pregnant women who are hungry quickly can become dehydrated. Dehydration during pregnancy is very dangerous, it can make amniotic fluid and breast milk less, and even trigger premature birth.

To prevent this, pregnant women need to drink at least 8-12 glasses of water every day.

3. Stress

Stress during pregnancy is normal.

The trigger can come from the mother's difficulty in dealing with changes in body shape, hormones, to mood that goes up and down. Once you get used to the changes, the stress will start to decrease.

Although it is natural, excessive stress can cause sleep disturbances, headaches, and a drastic increase in appetite.

The emergence of the hormone cortisol during stress can also interfere with the function of the hormones ghrelin and leptin, making you hungry faster.

4. Lack of sleep

Pregnant women who are hungry quickly may not eat less, but less sleep. This condition is usually caused by complaints during pregnancy such as shortness of breath, unable to find a comfortable sleeping position, or frequent urination.

Lack of sleep can increase ghrelin production and decrease the amount of leptin. Pregnant women end up not only lacking sleep, but also constantly feeling hungry even though they have eaten enough.

5. Lack of eating nutritious food

To support fetal development, your calorie needs will increase by about 300 kcal every day during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. The food you eat should not only be calorie dense, but also contain a variety of nutrients.

Junk food and sugary foods can indeed meet daily calorie needs, but the satiety they provide does not last long. Without a balanced intake of carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, and fiber, pregnant women will be hungry faster.

Changes during pregnancy will have a big impact on the condition of your body and mind. Without realizing it, things that seem simple like not getting enough sleep, not drinking enough, and stress can also make it easier to feel hungry.

If you are pregnant women who feel hungry quickly, try to look again at what might be the cause. While overcoming conditions that cause hunger, don't forget to eat nutrient-rich foods for the health of you and your fetus.

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