Obscene Cravings: Pregnancy and Food Fears



My beautiful friend Julie at 37 1/2 weeks!

I am not pregnant, nor do I plan on becoming pregnant in the near future.  I mean, I would like to have a baby, but that is neither here nor there as I am missing a few of the key components at this point in my life.   As much as I hate to admit it, the idea of becoming pregnant is just a wee bit scary to me.  There is the weight gain, the acne, the aches, the mood swings, the nose-shape change (yes, I have actually heard of this) and the CRAVINGS.   While these side effects are part of the pregnancy ride, I feel like some of them can be controlled. I most certainly hope that this is the case because one day I hope I can look just as good as my friend Jules! And JoJo! And Liz!




JoJo




Liz

Let us focus on cravings for this post, shall we?  Cravings are one of the most feared pregnancy symptoms, but I also believe they are the easiest to control.  Call me crazy and I have not been there to know for sure, but I believe that by properly nourishing your body (and your baby) you can quell massive munchies.  I have heard of some obscene cravings as I am sure many of you have, which only heightens the fear surrounding food and pregnancy.  One of my goals upon graduating from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition is to work with pregnant women to help alleviate such food fears along with cravings and excess weight gain.   I believe that through counsel and suggested diet and exercise, the 9 month run can be healthier for the mommy and the baby, as well as less stressful on the mind and body.


As I enter the last two months before my classes at IIN start, I find myself wondering more and more about the cravings and the changes that happen to women's bodies both inside and out. I would like to reach out to all the ladies out there that would like to share their experiences in a comment on my blog.  My hope is that your comments can help me as well as others begin to understand more on the subject of pregnancy cravings :) 

Here are some questions in no particular order:

  • What are some of the most common cravings?
  • Weirdest cravings?
  • What time of day do these cravings take place?  
  • What are your pre-pregnancy fears? 
  • Post-pregnancy fears?
  • What was the biggest struggle surrounding your pregnancy?
  • Do you think you would have appreciated having a health counselor during your pregnancy? 
  • What do you wish you had known going into your pregnancy?

** Julie has since given birth to a beautiful baby boy named Carter.  JoJo an adorable angel named Juliet, and Liz a handsome little guy named Harrison!

4 comments:

Alison said...

I'll play! I didn't "fear" cravings at all. I didn't have strong cravings for anything, I think it was more about the fact that some foods didn't seem appealing and you ate whatever sounded good. Sometimes something sounded really good so I went for it!

* What are some of the most common cravings?

Seems like pickles and ice cream are stereotypical cravings. Salty and sweet? With my first pregnancy I remember loving cinnamon raisin toast and being in the mood for it every day for weeks.

Weirdest cravings?

I wouldn't say this was a craving but was still weird/funny. We went out to breakfast one morning and I ordered egg benedict. When they came to the table they were AWFUL. I could NOT eat them and instead I sat there quietly and cried until my husband noticed and had NO. IDEA. at what I was crying about. I had so been looking forward to a good breakfast and when I got something awful I didn't know what to do except cry.


What time of day do these cravings take place?

I don't remember - a time of day doesn't stand out in my memories.

What are your pre-pregnancy fears?

Losing the pregnancy, birth defects, complications during labor and birth.

Post-pregnancy fears?

SIDS.

What was the biggest struggle surrounding your pregnancy?

I spent too much time worrying that everything was going to be ok and should have spent more time just enjoying my pregnancy and preparing for birth.

Do you think you would have appreciated having a health counselor during your pregnancy?

No, not really. I really educated myself and didn't feel like I needed any assistance, but I'm sure there are other women who would. I just really enjoyed reading about pregnancy and doing whatever I could to ensure I had the healthiest pregnancy I could!

What do you wish you had known going into your pregnancy?

With my first I wish I would have educated myself more on birth rather than focusing so much on pregnancy itself. A healthy pregnancy pretty much just happens if you eat relatively well, even with minimal prenatal care. Birth though? That's a different story. Your chance of having a cesarean in the United States is 1 out of 3. The World Health Organization says that any cesarean rate over 15% is unnecessary and unsafe.

Christine said...

Hi Alison! Whoa!! Thank you soo soo much for your feedback. That is such a funny story about you crying over the eggs benedict. My friend Julie tells me she is a bit emotional still after just having Carter. She was crying at a Foldgers coffee commercial!

JoJo said...

My cravings were chocolate chip cookies, plain bagels with cream cheese and tomato, orange juice, hot chocolate and pizza with no sauce with onions and mushrooms....super healthy...it was very hard to eat well (vegetables etc.) because I was sick for the first 3-4 months and the last 2 months, nearly constantly nauseous unless I ate all the time. so my advice is to eat whatever feels good and just try to slip in vegetables and fruit whenever you can...

Natalie said...

Aww.. Congrats to Julie!

I have no idea the most common cravings. Mine were butter w/ english muffin and cheese. But I like having that anyway. It was probably an excuse.
My pre-pregnancy fears were weight gain, and the delivery! THe biggest struggle was probably knowing I had to gain weight. As it went along, it wasn't a big deal and I just went with it.I think it would have been good having a health counselor, at least to bounce ideas off of - I went to a nutritionist right when I got pregnant to make sure I wasn't going to gain too much weight and eat right. There's not much I wish I had known - I wanted to go in blind and did not want to read a thing!

About Me

Christine
New York City
Welcome! My name is Christine and I have landed here to share my love of healthy living and eating. I live in NYC where I am currently enrolled in the School of Integrative Nutrition. I am already certified as a holistic health coach and I have started seeing clients to help them reach their wellness goals. I started hot mama health to share the idea that it is fun to be healthy! Health is an adventure with endless foods to taste, exercises to explore, and challenges to meet! If you do not already feel this way, I hope that I can bring you into the light or at least stir a little inspiration here and there.
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