Weird Pregnancy Cravings and What They Mean
ONE MINUTE you’re happily chatting with your partner and the next you’re locked in a tiny room sucking water out of the bath sponge! Oh yes, it’s the weird and wonderful world of pregnancy cravings!!
Are you having any yet? Don’t worry if you’re not, many women never do, and for the rest, well, like I said, weird and wonderful and just a little bit out there! 😂
What are pregnancy cravings?
In short, a compulsive (and often in non-pregnant terms ‘ridiculous’ desire to feast on something that may not even be edible! If you are craving things like coal, bath sponges, toothpaste, soil, chalk, (yes really!!) then speak to your midwife or GP as they could be a sign you could do with a vitamin boost.
Cravings are put down to the hormones that are having a blast in your body. These changes can also affect your sense of smell and taste which is why your go-to snacks and top of the list foods often slide to the bottom. Pregnant woman can develop aversions to certain food and drinks such as coffee, onions, garlic (if you do eat the latter two your baby can often taste these in the womb via the amniotic fluid - freaky fact!)
When do ‘the cravings’ start?
These cravings often start in the first trimester (sometimes by the fifth week), grow stronger in the second, and fizzle out a bit in the third. Let’s face it, by your fourth trimester (once baby is here) you will have a lot less time to focus on the random!
Here are some of the things my hypnobirthing and prenatal yoga mums craved:
Chips (I was hankering after some myself just yesterday!)
Sucking water out the sponge (or face cloth) in the bath (warm or cold water 😂 )
Radishes
Mushrooms
Pickles
Mint sauce
Gravy (by the mugful!)
Liquid detergent pods (do NOT consume people!! - settled for the scent and squishiness)
Ice (pretty healthy one to have!)
Jam
Beetroot
Floor cleaner (say NO)
Potato mash
Anything minty - particularly Polo mints
Ketchup and Salad Cream / Mayo combined in sandwiches
Chocolate
Boiled eggs
Potato salad & Spaghetti Hoops
Any combination of any of the above MIXED TOGETHER
Truth is if it wasn’t for TV we’d think little or nothing of pregnancy cravings; women tend to keep them to themselves but TV shows LOVE to highlight the comedy of pregnancy by sending Dad out for ice cream or burgers at 3am only to return to snoring mum-to-be two hours later once he’s done the rounds to meet the specific demand 😂 🍔
I often hear ‘I’m eating for two so I can’ in my prenatal classes but a loving word to the wise that’s not what new mums say in postnatal, by then many wish they’d kept up a healthier (but not fanatical) diet; being body-positive is important, and so is being body-kind.
You do not need to eat for two, though you might feel extra hungry because your body is creating a little being. By the third trimester aim for an extra 200 calories a day*(roughly half a sandwich!) but before that… find a mix of fruit and veg, carbs, protein, and dairy (good for calcium but avoid brie and camembert).**. You don’t need to eat more in the first two trimesters (mind blowing but your body is doing the work). Do your best to eat more healthily without eating a ton more food that is void of nutrition.
Try to eat as healthily as possible – keep those unhealthy temptations to a minimum or you’re on the energy credit card (quick hit then slump).
How are you finding your pregnancy so far? Love, hate, indifferent? All three or a mix of all three are quite normal. Each day is different, that’s what makes it an emotional rollercoaster so if today was meh, trust that tomorrow might be different. Change is the only dependable constant.
Ready to find a way to navigate the highs and lows and aim to birth feeling as calm and relaxed as possible? I’ve got something super duper special for you - a deep dive sanctuary into pregnancy and labour so that you feel calm and relaxed and as prepared as possible. Check it out HERE.
* According to NHS Scotland
** Check with your midwife or GP which foods to AVOID during pregnancy. I am not trained in nutrition nor do I specialise in diet for pregnancy so please do seek advice from relevant parties.
