how often are you eating?

i am not exaggerating when i say i have to eat something EVERY SINGLE HOUR. and i'm not talking like a couple crackers. i mean like an entire sandwich, or bowl of soup (with crackers), or something pretty substantial. i feel like crap, but STARVING all the time, too. NOTHING sounds good to eat, but if i don't force something down my throat, i get sick. i never thought i'd say i'm tired of eating, but i am! is it normal to eat this much? i already have 3 singletons and a set of ID twins, and even though i ate a lot more than usual during those pregnancies, it was NEVER like this. what is going on?

 

I was hungry all the time, ate hourly and had to take a sandwich to bed at night. Always had a high metabolism so that may have affected it. But I say normal.

 

I naturally don't have a big appetite so with all the food I'm trying to eat I totally sympathize with you!! I keep telling DH that I hate eating and food!

 

I have been eating non-stop since about 5 weeks, including needing to eat at night--and not just a small snack, I need a sandwich in order to get back to sleep. I'm trying to keep my protein high and eat healthy, but it's hard. I'm hungry all. the. time. I have gained 18 pounds already (I have not been able to exercise just due to being super busy lately).

I am like the pp who is tired of eating. I keep telling my husband I'm hungry but don't want to eat. But if I don't eat the consequence is severe nausea and gagging so I just keep trying.

 

Sometime in the 2nd trimester I started having to eat at least every couple hours or I had what felt like a low blood sugar crash. It got better in the third trimester - I probably ate the LEAST in the third and the MOST in the second. I made sure to have small, healthy snacks on hand. I had small cups of greek yogurt in the fridge at work, a container of nuts, a small bag of apples, cheese snacks, bags of fresh broccoli and cauliflower with a little dip, and the 100 calorie bags of peanut butter crackers. Then I just ate whenever I needed to, knowing that I wasn't going overboard or eating anything bad for me. I kept at least 3 of those on hand at work and at home, and I always had something in my purse just in case.

 

I ate at least 6 "meals" a day, though it was really more like constantly. For instance, I would have breakfast, then bring half a bagel to eat in the car on the way to work, then have two snacks at my desk before lunchtime. It went on like that all day. I also had a big box of Quaker chewy granola bars in my bedside table and ate two every single night, around 1:00 and 4:00 a.m. I couldn't get back to sleep otherwise.

I gained 70 lbs, but it did all come off within the first year.

 

eating a lot is normal and beneficial...it's better if your babies get a regular stream of nutrients throughout the day instead of going hours with nothing. a great book to read is When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads. great info on diet and how much weight to gain.