If you’ve ever been pregnant, chances are you’ll know all about pregnancy cravings! Some women say they’ve craved eating something they’ve spent their whole life hating, but what about the cravings that aren’t so food-related? Some women have cravings that doctors refer to as ‘pica’, and it can mean that you’re in need of iron or another vitamin.
From weird textures to craving things you aren’t supposed to eat, we’ve rounded up 15 of the weirdest and most wonderful pregnancy cravings!
15 interesting pregnancy cravings from real women
Feeling sponges…
“My craving for sponges got so bad that I ended up wandering into grocery shops and going to the cleaning aisle, just so I could feel all sorts of sponges! I’d also take really long showers to spend more time sniffing them too.”
– Lydia
Crunching on ice
“I just really fancied something crunchy and cold, so I started munching on ice cubes loads. I tried eating ice lollies but that just wasn’t the same, it had to be ice!”
– Amy
Vapour rub
“I remember my eldest got a cold, so I put some vapour rub on his chest, and it smelt so good! I started keeping the bottle by my bed so I could sniff it, and eventually, I was rubbing it on my wrists during the day so I could keep smelling it.”
– Rebecca
Pickles straight from the jar
“I normally absolutely hate pickles, I always pick them off my food! But for some reason when I was pregnant they just looked so good and I even ended up drinking the juice from the jar! My daughter now can’t get enough of them and eats all my pickles when we go out.”
– Mary
Minty fresh toothpaste
“I used to squeeze out a little bit of toothpaste on my finger and eat it like that! Now I’m not pregnant though, I absolutely hate brushing my teeth with minty toothpaste and I’m always looking for a non-minty version.”
– Bethany
Coal…
“Just lumps of coal. I really had the urge to crumble it up in my hands and eat it, it was so strange! But I spoke to my doctor and apparently I had something called Pica and I was actually in need of iron, so it was a good thing I got it checked out really.”
– Laura
The smell of petrol
“Whenever my husband had to go and top the car up I’d always volunteer to go with him so I could sit in the car with the window down and just sniff a little bit of petrol.”
– Sophie
Sour lemons
“I remember in my first trimester especially I had such a huge craving for lemons, and not just lemon juice either. I’d end up cutting up the lemons into slices and eating them just like an orange, my husband couldn’t watch me do it without pulling a face!”
–Emily
Raw, white chalk
“I had such a weird one, I was craving chalk, just eating a stick of white chalk. I tried all sorts of other things to make it go away but nothing worked! But I never did eat any, even just crumbling it up and smelling it was always so good.”
– Hazel
Lavender oil
“I remember when I was pregnant with my second, our neighbours had a huge lavender bush and I loved sniffing it. Eventually, I ended up getting myself some lavender oil to carry around in my pockets all day just so I could sniff it!”
– Charlotte
Raw potatoes
“I normally don’t really like potatoes, mashed fried or boiled, I’m not a huge fan. But when I was pregnant with my 2nd I just really craved biting into a raw potato! But now, I still can’t stand them.”
– Alice
Dried herbs
“With my daughter, I used to sprinkle some dried basil into my hands and eat it like that. It’s so strange, any dried herbs I just really wanted to pour the jar into my mouth!”
– Anne
Hand sanitiser
“It just smelt so good, sometimes I’d even pour a tiny bit on my finger and lick it, just a little because I wasn’t sure if it was good for you. But I had a mini bottle in my bag all the time when I was pregnant.”
– Jessie
A bar of soap
“Any bars of soap, but particularly ones that didn’t have much of a strong smell I just really wanted to bite into it. I would stand in the bathroom for ages just sniffing this bar of soap sometimes.”
– Megan
Dirt or soil…to eat!
“I’d heard of Pica and strange cravings while pregnant, but with my second I had the weirdest craving for soil… I really wanted to go into the garden and pick up some soil and eat it, it just sounded so good to me!”
–Heidi
Did you have any weird or wonderful pregnancy cravings on this list or not? We hope you’ve enjoyed this list, and why not check out some of our other blogs for mums-to-be:
Pregnancy Calculator and Calendar | Early Signs of Pregnancy | Best Irish Baby Names | Best Scottish Baby Names | Cool Baby Names |Unique Baby Names | Baby Names Inspired by Animals
