Pregnancy Cravings Are REAL!!!

Are pregnancy cravings real? It’s an ongoing joke that if you are pregnant you will start craving ice cream and pickles. Does this really happen?

Do you have pregnancy cravings?

Piña Colada Slurpee with a monster cookies. Snickers Blizzard with onion rings. Late-night nachos with lots of extra salsa and cheese. These were just a few of my cravings when I was pregnant with my kids.

Question is…Are pregnancy cravings real?

“No one really knows why pregnancy cravings occur, though there are theories that it represents some nutrient that the mother may be lacking — and they crave is the body’s way of asking for what it needs,” says Andrei Rebarber, MD, associate director of the division of maternal-fetal medicine at NYU Medical Center in New York.

According to Rebarber, it’s not that the body actually needs the specific food you are craving, but it may need something in that food. And your taste buds just interpret it as a craving for something specific.

Many experts say that the higher level of hormone levels that are present during pregnancy can change a woman’s sense of taste and smell. I don’t know about you but I know this was true for me. This explains why certain foods and combinations of foods seem more enticing and others seem more offensive during pregnancy.

Some cravings may seem a bit odd or even unhealthy, luckily in most cases, they do not cause any threats to mom and baby. However, if you have a craving to eat things like laundry detergent, dirt, or other things that can be toxic, please talk to your doctor about your cravings.

In order to help curve some of the more intense cravings you might be experiencing, you should start your day off with a healthy, filling breakfast. Some of the things I would eat are eggs and toast, oatmeal, and sometimes let’s face it… it is hard to stomach breakfast when you are pregnant. So, if this is the case a good protein shake will do. Remember to add fruits and vegetables to your meals throughout the day.

If you make eating healthy a priority during your pregnancy, you won’t feel as guilty or bad when you give into that MUST-HAVE-Ice cream and pickle craving.

Note From Your Doula

It is normal to have cravings! Enjoy!
I offer mini childbirth classes. If you are interested in learning more about how to have a healthy pregnancy, reach out!

I want to know… What craving did you have when you were pregnant?