Ask the Nutritionist

Hi I'm new here and I hoped someone could help me with a question I have.

I just found out that I am pregnant (YAY!!!) I am very excited. I've had lots of the regular symptoms but I'm a little worried about one of the symptoms I have.

See with my first child I ate and ate and ate. Had a very good appetite. I just CRAVED food. But now the only craving I get is for liquids, especially water. When I start to feel a craving coming on I try to think of ALL the foods that I might want to eat but I keep just going to the water cooler. No foods appeal to me really. Which is strange for me anyways because I am usually a "food lover".

Now I'm not overweight at all (just right for my age and height) but I'm worried that if my appetite doesn't pick up that I will malnurish the baby or maybe I won't gain enough weight during the pregnancy.

Can my lack of appetite harm the baby? Will my appetite come back, is this just a symptom that will pass like so many others tend to do?

TIA for your help.

Take care
Emily

Actually, no appetite during the first trimester is normal.  Be sure you do eat some healthy food, but most importantly, take your prenatal vitamin.  During the early stages of pregnancy, your baby is not growing so much as developing, and not having an appetite is actually a survival mechanism.  It would  help women to avoid eating harmful or potentially toxic foods at this very vulnerable period of their baby's development. But, there are some important vitamis and minerals whose deficiency can be equally harmful, that's why you want to take the prenatal vitamin.  When you do have an appetite, choose foods that make a  healthy nutritional contribution to your diet.

Once you get into the second trimester, most likely your appetite will return.

Congrats on the pregnancy!!