I'm Not Eating a Lot

Updated on February 04, 2009
J.S. asks from Collinsville, IL
22 answers

I am almost 17 weeks pregnant with twin boys. This is my first pregnancy. I have only gained seven pounds and can fit into my regular jeans (barely). I feel like I should be eating more, but I'm not hungry. Veggies and other "good" foods don't sound good, so what should I do? Both boys are around 6 oz. already so I know they are growing, but I'm not. Should I be worried?

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G.N.

answers from St. Louis on

I would still eat something lite for the nutrition to help them grow. Snack thruout the day. Drink milk and water. You taking vitamins?

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A.H.

answers from St. Louis on

J. -

i'm typing w/ one hand as i am holding one of my 4 mo. old twin boys. i too was not very hungry throughout my pregnancy. i had "morning sickness" the 1st 4 mo and last couple of weeks (delivered @ 36 wks). what saved me were protein shakes. my husband found a powder w/o aspertame that i mixed w/ whole milk. everyone said they couldn't believe i was carrying twins. i never did get extremely huge. just remember that everyone is different.

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S.S.

answers from Kansas City on

I didnt eat alot during my pregnancy either, and I was worried to. My doctor told me that the baby (in your case babies) will get what it/they need from you and you are the one who will suffer. Try eating something that you can bring yourself to eat. Or eat something filling like pasta, I loved pasta when I was prego ! Eat something every 2 hours it can be something small ..... your boys are fine, but you need to keep YOUR strength up ! Good Luck and CONGRATULATIONS !!!

1 mom found this helpful

A.S.

answers from Kansas City on

As long as your doctor isn't concerned then you are fine. Bring up your concerns with him/her at your next appointment. A lot of first time moms don't pop until after 20 weeks or so, no worries. Try to eat healthier foods to get all the nutrition you need, but if they make you feel sick don't worry about it. As long as you are taking a prenatal and trying to eat as well as you can you should be fine.

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T.W.

answers from Kansas City on

Talk to your doctor about whether or not you can drink Ensure? while pregnant. You could always make a milk shake and use Ensure instead of milk????

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K.G.

answers from St. Louis on

Every pregnancy is different. I was a fruit maniac for my first child, and I could really only eat cereal... sometimes... with my second one. My husband was worried, but the doctors kept saying that as long as the babies were growing, they were fine. My first son was 7 pounds 14 ounces and my second was 8 pounds 14 ounces. And I didn't eat a whole lot. Just listen to your body and your doctor.
If you are worried about nutrients, make sure you take vitamins and you should be fine. (I try to get all my vitamins from food, but while pregnant, I wasn't able to keep food down. Vitamins were a better choice for me.)

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E.B.

answers from Topeka on

Congrats on your twins!. I have twin girls that will be 3 next week. Just like everyone else says, don't worry about the weight or eating. I didn't start gaining weight until about 25 wks. Didn't really have an appetite either. I just took my vitamins like I was supposed to. Like others have said, all the nutrients will go to the boys first then you. If doctor says you are fine don't worry. Enjoy it!!! One thing my doctor told me to drink was a carnation instant breakfast shake every morning. I only gained 35 lbs but again every pregnancy is different. Best of luck!! E.

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C.E.

answers from Kansas City on

I have been pregnant many times and all of my pregnancies have been different. Some all I could eat was veggies. Others like yourself not so good foods. You will eat what you can and the weight will come. Your body will tell you what you need. All you need to do is listen to what your body tells you it needs. All will be fine. Enjoy every moment that you can.

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N.P.

answers from St. Louis on

Hi J.

Congratultions, I have twins, they are 11 yrs old. A boy and a girl. This was my first pregnancy. Maybe you should ask your doctor about not eating. When I was pregnant I could not eat for the first five months of my pregnancy, I would just drink ice water all day. I had no morning sickness or anything, I just could not eat anything. I felt full all the time. My husband was so worried about me and the babies, he went to every doctors appointment with me, because he worked the second shift and was able to do so. He would always tell my doctor that I was not eating. But she would respond that the babies were growing. She knew that because of being pregnant with twins, I went to the doctor every two weeks. And had a ultra sound done every eight weeks. At around five months I went to the doctor and came home that afternoon and ate everything in sight. I still only gained 18 lbs during the entire pregnancy and my son weighed 7.3 ozs and my daughter weighed 6.5 ozs. I went all the way to 40 weeks with them. I was all baby. Four weeks after I had them I was back in a size six. No one could believe that I had had twins. Good luck to you, and God Bless you, the babies and your husband.

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D.S.

answers from St. Louis on

During my triplet pregancy a couple years ago, I lost weight in for the first half of my pregnancy. I really didn't start showing till about 24 weeks (and I had three babies in me). As long as the babies are growing I wouldn't worry. My kids turned two Yesterday and are completly healthy.

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J.G.

answers from St. Louis on

You really only need 300 (600 in your case) extra calories to support the babies & that isn't until your 3rd trimester. I only gained 14 lbs my whole pregnancy & my son was 9 lbs. My belly didn't pop out until around your time, don't worry. Maybe try drinking more, but healthy stuff.

D.H.

answers from Kansas City on

Eat when you are hungry and don't eat when you are not. A friend of mine could only eat enough food the size of an apple when she was pregnant with twins. And don't worry all the sudden one day you'll wake up and BOOM you are huge. As long as your babies are growing then you are fine. Who knows maybe you'll look like you did after the babies are born like you did before you were pregnant. My mother in law was like that. Good luck and God Bless and Congrats on your first two.

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L.B.

answers from Kansas City on

Goodo morning, J.! Congrats on becoming a Mommy; the greatest thing you'll ever do!!

You're still early on, so don't worry too much about your appetite. After about 20 weeks, you should start feeling a lot better and your appetite will increase! Just try to make sure you take your prenatal everyday.

With my first baby, for a few weeks all I wanted and could stomach were vanilla milkshakes, not the healthy ones, but the "real" milkshakes. The doctor told me just to eat whatever I could and the baby would get what she needed.

Best wishes to your new family!!

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R.C.

answers from Wichita on

You're doing fine. You don't have to stuff yourself if you don't feel like it. Try to keep it nutrient-dense and as clean as possible. If you're eating meat and dairy, make it organic and pastured/grassfed. Same for produce. Choose whole grains over refined grains (eg anything labeled "whole wheat," rather than just "wheat," brown rice of any kind, etc.) I second smoothies, but it's a good idea to avoid refined sugars.

Have you tried these: locally produced whole eggs, avocado, flax oil or pumpkinseed oil added to a smoothie or soup maybe (for omega-3 fatty acids, essential for brain development). . . my second pg we were poor so we ate bean soup a lot. You can get lots of veggies that way. Split pea or lentil can add some variety, though lentils are relatively lower in iron than other beans. I also ate tons of tofu. It has a very bland flavor alone, or can be seasoned in many ways if that's unappetizing. Also, naturally fermented and cultured foods can be great for digestion. Yogurt (I don't eat dairy, so I use soy yogurt), natural pickles, miso, tempeh, sauerkraut. Kim chee saved me when I was eating all those beans! good luck!

PS also whole grain biscuits, quick breads, pancakes (my husband made some pumpkin pancakes today --good way to get in extra veggies), etc. message me if you want some recipes. R

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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

It is normal for food to not sound/taste good- that is natures way of protecting the baby- so that you don't eat things that might harm the baby- Check out blueribbonbaby.org for ideas on foods to eat, etc. Good luck- S.- mom of 9

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K.T.

answers from St. Louis on

Congratulations! As a mom to 7 yr old twins, a preschooler and one more on the way, I can attest to what a great journey you have ahead of you! Twins are a blast! Hard work in the beginning, but well worth it. While I wouldn't be worried about the lack of interest in food or the small weight gain, I would try to encourage you to eat as much as possible when you do eat, especially protein. The more you can put on now the better as you never know how long you'll carry with twins. So, early weight gain with multiples is a good thing. Getting more than 100 grams of protein a day is ideal... tricky when you're not hungry! But ideal. Try adding some protein powder to morning OJ (that'll get you about 25 grams right there!), or add some high protein snacks like cheese, grilled chicken, etc. I know it's hard, but it WILL pay off at delivery when you have good size babies! The bigger the better with twins! In the meantime, hang in there. And try not to worry. No matter how much you manage to eat, you're babies will get what they need.

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K.W.

answers from Kansas City on

I got HUGE with all of my pregnancies--all singles. As long as the docs say everything is okay, consider yourself SOOO lucky.

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B.A.

answers from Kansas City on

I have 2 year old twin boys. I don't remember how much weight I'd gained around the 20 week mark, but I know I didn't gain very much in the beginning. When the boys were born, I had gained around 60 pounds total (which I what my doctor wanted). I would talk to your doctor about your concerns.
Congratulations and good luck! Twins are so much fun!

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L.W.

answers from Kansas City on

Smoothies/milkshakes are a great way to get loaded calories without "eating". And give yourself some credit - growing 2 people is a lot of hard work and burns a lot of calories! If it makes you feel any better, I am 20 weeks, pregnant with only 1 very healthy baby in utero, and have only gained 3 pounds. As long as you are eating healthy when you do eat and your babies are growing, don't stress.

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R.B.

answers from St. Louis on

Eat what feels good- as long as you know the babies are growing, and your dr. isn't concerned, your body will tell you what it needs. You should obviously be aware of your diet, and it sounds as though you are eating healthy, but your body will send nutrients right to the babies first, and then to you second. Congratulations!

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L.B.

answers from St. Joseph on

I wouldn't worry about it too much. With my first pregnancy I actually lost like 30 pounds because I couldn't keep ANYTHING down the first trimester. Even with being that sick, the baby was still thriving. As long as your doctor isn't concerned and the babies are growing I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just make sure you are getting the vitamins and drinking some OJ so they stay healthy. (BTW- my first child ended up being 9 lb 8oz) Hang in there and enjoy the ride...eventually you'll find something that sounds good to eat. I can highly recommend Godiva's white chocolate with raspberry swirl ice cream for indigestion...LOL :) Congratulations & good luck!

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S.N.

answers from St. Louis on

Hi there! My name is S. and I recently moved to Scott. I have twin boys who just turned 12 and I am an OB nurse that has taught classes to parents expecting multiples. My advice would be to talk with your doc in regard to your weight gain. At least in Ohio, I know any mom who was preganant with multiples qualified for a consult with a dietitian. If you have any other questions don't hesitate to contact me.

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