sudden loss of appetite

[LoveAlways]

Ever since I gave birth two 1/2 weeks ago I cannot get my appetite back! This worries me because not only do I need nutrition but I am trying to breast feed (my daughter has an overbite so I've been having to pump) and this lack of appetite is affecting my milk supply.

I'm not sure why or how this has happened. Maybe I just feel too busy with the baby to think about my own health? Sometimes dinner will be ready and I will stay fussing with my daughter and end up missing it, and my husband will have to keep reminding me that I have a plate. And when I do eat, its like I have to force myself to finish half the plate. I just have no desire to eat anymore and it sucks! I don't even crave chocolate! That was my staple food! lol

Plus, my husband is a wonderful cook who makes almost all the meals. Lately he has been working looong loong hours and I have to make my own meals. Its not that I mind cooking for myself-its just that 10-12 hours will go by and I will suddenly realize that I haven't eaten anything. I think about what to make and then...find something else to do and forget about eating again. I really have to force myself to eat something because I know I HAVE to, but lately its never because I want to.

Another theory I have is that before I was pregnant I smoked a lot of pot so that of course helped with my appetite.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how I can get my appetite back and actually enjoy eating again??

 

[fizzle]

Maybe you should start up again slowly, even kind of getting yourself back on a schedual. You can snack throughout the day, which is healthier anyway (assuming you are snacking on healthy foods). That way you wont have to feel like you are forcefeeding yourself, you can just eat a little here and there. Eventually your appetite will come back.

You can even make it easy on yourself. Get things that are easy to keep around, healthy, and you dont have to prepare, leaving plenty of time for your baby. (Congrats by the way! I saw her pictures, shes adorable! I especially liked the one with the sunglasses %)) Anyway, things like fruit, nuts, yogurt -- healthy and easy! And you can just grab a handful at a time without even thinking about it. Maybe even fill some ziplock bags with stuff and leave them around as reminders, that way when you are running around feeding baby or just doing whatever, you'll see one and say "oh yea! I need to eat too!"

Or go back to smoking pot. Whatever you feel like

Good luck!

 

[LoveAlways]

thanks! I definitely like the snack idea. I just opened the fridge today and saw all this stuff that needs to be prepared in some way and thought "ugh I just want to reach in and grab something I can put in my mouth right away" (thats what she said)

 

[An Iz]

Snacks:

Mixed dried fruit, mixed with Almonds and Walnuts

Cottage cheese and chips or nice crackers to dip in it. Fritos are vegan and go SOO well with cottage cheese.

Some Goat Cheese (chevré) and crackers. Mmm. So fucking good and healthy.

Celery with cream cheese and raisins.

Prunes are a great snack... but don't overdo it!
Figs fit the same category, but you can overdo it. Did you know figs make up the bulk of the diet of non-human primates? So they must be good.

Salsa + { [ (triscuits or other cracker) + cheese ] * microwave }

Salsa + everything its healthy as hell.

The good thing about all these snacks is that they're natural and filled with good fats and vitamins. The other good thing is that they all come in little pieces, and I can imagine you putting a little raisin or bit of goat cheese in your baby's mouth once he starts being able to eat real food and its cute.

 

[lollerskater]

If you want to have a good milk supply, you'll need to get enough calories. Sugar and oats in particular are great for boosting milk production, and you'll need plenty of water too since every oz of milk you make is an oz of fluid you need to replace.

It's normal to have loss of appetite for a couple weeks following birth, but once you get into the groove with nursing (or pumping, as the case may be) you'll likely find yourself with the opposite problem.

 

[LoveAlways]

^^someone else told me to eat lots of oatmeal and I didn't get it, now I do. Thanks!

I've also heard milk is good for milk production-is this true?? (I'm going to ask in the milk thread too)

 

[Mariposa]

I am guessing you are very stressed out at the moment, LA. Before you became pregnant, how did stress affect your appetite (if at all)?

Talk to your OB-GYN. It could be the change in your hormones after giving birth in addition to being stressed out and busy with your new responsibilities.

 

[euphoria]

You said you want something you can grab and eat right away, you could prepare a bunch of food all at once, like a salad that's already made or a sandwich that's already made. Or make a lot of leftovers, then you just heat them up individually throughout the week. Then the stuff's already there for when you're lazy or don't have the time to cook it. I think it's a lot easier when the food is just already ready for you, sometimes the thought of getting all the pots and pans out is a daunting task

 

[Mehm]

what's the word on blazing when you breast feed? is it a no-no?

 

[euphoria]

the kid probably gets thc from that... not probably... it does

 

[sunyata]

start exercising vigorously for 1 hour every day and your appetite will return. Everything is affected by hormones, even appetite and eating patterns (well especially even I should say!). The hormones in question here are mainly ghrelin and variants of ghrelin. Hormones that are secreted from the stomach lining and trigger the hunger response (stomach grumbling, etc). You must upregulate your entire neuroendocrinological system to get these to kick in. And thats where vigorous resistance exercise comes in (weight lifting).

 

[min0taur]

Yeah, alot of drugs are excreted through breast milk. I hope everybody already knows this.

 

[LoveAlways]

start exercising vigorously for 1 hour every day and your appetite will return. Everything is affected by hormones, even appetite and eating patterns (well especially even I should say!). The hormones in question here are mainly ghrelin and variants of ghrelin. Hormones that are secreted from the stomach lining and trigger the hunger response (stomach grumbling, etc). You must upregulate your entire neuroendocrinological system to get these to kick in. And thats where vigorous resistance exercise comes in (weight lifting).

um..RECOVERY??? I had a c-section I can barely walk sometimes still. I will definitely be exercising, but I have to ease myself into it. Starting with short walks, gradually making them longer and then maybe in a 2-4 more months I can do "vigorously" My doctor said it would be about 6 months for me to re-cooperate completely. Thanks for the suggestion though..

As for smoking bud-I heard it dries up your milk production which makes sense. Different drugs have different affects on milk and what gets to the baby. There are several different classifications which determine how each drug affects the baby based on how it works inside the body. For example percocet is a commonly prescribed pain killer for post-surgery because it doesn't really get into the milk the same way alcohol does for example.

 

[zigzag| dta]

instead of eating big meals or meals in general, just start snacking a lot