Do you ever feel like you’re never satisfied? Over eating during pregnancy, especially in the second trimester when morning sickness decreases, your appetites increase, and you require more calories to feed your ever-growing baby.
Almost half of the pregnant women gain more weight than they should. According to a recent global survey, this is a major issue. These expecting mothers are putting their children’s health in danger by putting themselves at risk. Let’s discuss these side effects.
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Side Effects of Over Eating During Pregnancy
Most women gain weight during pregnancy because they eat more than they need. When a woman is pregnant, she may eat too much because she thinks she needs to eat for two. This can cause serious problems in the future.
Getting Too Much Weight
If you don’t watch what you eat during pregnancy, you might gain too much weight. If a pregnant woman gains too much weight, it could hurt her physically in ways like making her legs and back hurt more and putting extra pressure on her joints. It can also make it more likely that you will get symptoms of hemorrhoids.
Diabetes During Pregnancy
A diabetes profile test helps to identify that the pregnant woman is more likely to get gestational diabetes if she eats too much and gains too much weight. A pregnant woman’s higher sugar levels can cause her baby’s insulin and blood sugar levels to rise, which may cause his body to store fat and put him at risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Cesarean Sections For Emergencies
If a pregnant woman eats too many calories, it can affect the weight of her unborn child. The chance of having a big baby grows, which can make a cesarean section and other possible complications more likely.
Acid Reflux
During pregnancy, many women have heartburn. As the pregnancy goes on, the growing uterus can push against the digestive tract, making the stomach and intestines work harder. If you eat too much during this time, it could make your indigestion and heartburn worse. One study reveals that during pregnancy, your body doesn’t move as quickly or digest food as well. So, eating big meals or eating too much can also make you more likely to get heartburn.
Effects On An Unborn Baby
If the mother eats too much, she might gain too much weight and have a baby that is too big. A bigger baby may hurt his shoulders or the mother’s birth canal when he or she is born. Large babies are also more likely to have trouble breathing, low blood sugar, the risk of becoming obese, and heart disease after they are born.
Pre-Eclampsia
Overeating while pregnant can lead to pre-eclampsia or high blood pressure, which can be dangerous for both the mother and the baby. Pre-eclampsia can cause a woman to give birth early. In these situations, people are usually told to stay in bed all day or even take medicine.
If you are facing high blood pressure during pregnancy, consult Dr. Sarochna Khemani for a thorough evaluation. She is a renowned gynecologist in Karachi with 25 years of experience in the field.
Hard To Lose Weight After A Baby
A pregnant woman may find it easy to lose the weight she is likely to gain after giving birth. But if she gains more weight than usual, it might take more work. If you eat too much, it will be hard to lose the weight you gained during your pregnancy. One study reveals that there is some evidence that there was a link between gaining too much weight during pregnancy and keeping the weight on after giving birth.
Bad Habits
If you overeat all the time, you might be starting a new bad habit. You might not be able to stop eating too much even after giving birth, which can cause more health problems.
Tips To Manage Over Eating During Pregnancy
When you’re pregnant and have a bigger appetite, listen to your body and eat what it tells you, but don’t overdo it.
Remember that even though you’re eating for two, one of you is much smaller than the other, so the “one for me, one for baby” rule doesn’t make sense.
Here are some ways to stop feeling hungry:
Stay Hydrated
It’s easy to confuse thirst with hunger, and because your body is so busy making a baby, you’ll need more liquids than ever. Aim for at least eight to ten 8-ounce cups of water a day from all sources, and maybe more if it’s hot outside or you’re sweating a lot.
Just stay away from sodas, which have no nutritional value and can add extra calories and sugar, which can raise your blood sugar and make you hungry.
Examine Your Calorie Intake
During the first trimester, most moms don’t need any more calories at all. Women who were a healthy weight before they got pregnant only need 300 to 350 more calories per day than they were getting before they got pregnant.
Eat Well During Your Pregnancy
Make sure the foods you eat while pregnant are healthy and not just filling. For energy that lasts, eat carbohydrates with a lot of fiber, like whole grains or fruit, with protein and healthy fat. You can also rely on leafy green vegetables because of their stunning nutritional profile.
Choose whole, fresh foods over ones that have been processed or refined. For example, a big salad has a lot of nutrients and fiber to help you feel full, and it takes longer to chew than a plate of pasta.
Stay Stocked
If you’re always going to the fridge, freezer, and cupboards, make sure you have a lot of healthy foods on hand. If you eat whole fruit, you’ll get all the vitamin A and C you need for a day. But you can’t say the same thing about a bag of cookies.
Avoid temptation
Going to the supermarket? Don’t buy those foods that aren’t so good for you. But if you really have to eat something sweet, put it in a cabinet instead of on your counter. This makes it less likely that you’ll eat it on the go.
Instead of eating three big meals a day, you could eat five or six small meals every three hours.
If you eat too much at one time, you’ll feel full, and it can make your stomach cramps, gas, heartburn, and other stomach problems even worse.
If you eat a little bit every few hours, you’ll never get so hungry that you might eat too much.
Bring Some Snacks
If you don’t want to eat unhealthy fast food when you’re hungry, bring a bag of mixed nuts with you. That way, you’ll always have something healthy to eat.
Give Yourself A Treat
Once a day, give yourself a few bites of your favorite food to make it easier to say no the rest of the time.
Monitor Your Weight
If you didn’t gain much weight in the first trimester or even lost some because of sickness, your body may be trying to catch up by giving you hunger feelings.
But if you’re gaining weight too quickly, talk to your doctor about how you can change your diet to stop gaining weight.
Things You Should Consider
The best thing you can do is to get help from people who know how to keep you safe during your pregnancy. It’s important to tell your doctors and nurses the truth about what you ate before and during your pregnancy.
