Conference moira::parenting_v3

    Ohhh did I have cravings.  Every day for the first three months
    I HAD to get a HUGE bermuda onion, slice it up and fry it in
    butter.  (granted, all that fat wasn't good for me but I HAD to
    have it)  Toward the end of the three months I HAD to have fried
    fresh mushrooms too.
    
    After that it was banana's and peanutbutter!
    
    Pam

    I didn't think I had cravings...until....
    I went to the grocery store to buy milk and came back with
    not only milk, but ice cream, Smartfood popcorn, and salsa.
    I just had to have them in the house. My hubby thought it
    was quite a laugh...especially the salsa since spicy and
    tomato-based foods were giving me unbelievable heartburn
    at that point in the pregancy...Weird,huh?

    I had 2 or 3 apples everyday -- I could not get enough of them.
    Normally I enjoy apples, but this was more than enjoyment it was
    NEED. (one day I had five!)
    This lasted until about half way through, then it toned down a bit.
    
    Monica

    
    
    	I sent Marc out late one Sunday evening for, of all things, a jar
    of dill pickles! In the next few days I went through two jars and then
    I needed no more.
    
    	I also craved pastrami sandwiches and bing cherries, weirdest thing
    though is that just as much as I seem to need them one day, the next I
    could completely pass on the food.
    
    			Wendy

    
    Yeah, I've been asked that too....I haven't really craved anything.
    
    I feel like *eating* something, but once I do, I feel like
    something else.  So far there's nothing I gotta' have.
    
    I eat something from the 4 food groups at every meal and
    usually have fruit or yogurt in between....maybe I'm not
    missing anything so I'm not craving...Do you really 
    think that is why people crave?  I'm beginning to wonder..
    
    My mom craved musty cellars (basement) smells....go figure!
    
    Kristen

    
    I crave lemonade.  Since I've never got the portions right to make
    fresh squeezed, we have at least 2 cans of frozen Minute Maid in the
    freezer all the time!
    
    That's about the only thing I crave all the time.  Like Chris, I have 
    days that I get something in my head and I *have* to have that one
    particular thing.  One day it was quiche for lunch, I went to three
    different restaurants before I found it!  I would've gone to 20!!
    
    Cherie

    The only thing I ever craved was oranges, and it wasn't such a
    strong craving that I minded not having them when I couldn't get
    them.  But fortunately my in-laws winter in Florida and they were
    more than glad to mail us boxes of oranges straight from the
    groves. 
    
    --bonnie

        There used to be a store near us that sold homemade cheesecakes
	(yum!!).  One day we went to get some cheesecake when I was several
	months pregnant.  The owner said "Lots of pregnant women seem to
	crave cheesecake" and told us this story:

	He had closed the store for the day, and was doing after-hours stuff
	in the kitchen (cleaning up, etc.)  He heard knocking on the door,
	but ignored it.  The knocking got louder and more insistent.  He
	finally went out front to see who it was.  There stood an 8-months-
	pregnant woman with a desperate look on her face.  He opened the
	door and she pleaded for a cheesecake.  He got one for her, and
	she devoured half of it right there and then happily took the
	rest home.

		cheryl

    
    	Oh, I forgot....this week, I seem to be craving "slush puppies"
        of all things!  (and I almost had hubby convinced to go out last 
    	night at 8:30pm for one, but it didn't work). 
    
    	And I'm pouting this morning, I didn't stop at my regular spot on 
    	the way to work (cause I was in the mood for a corn muffin:-)),
    	and forgot all about stopping at another store for my daily "fix"
    	of Iced Tea....(I usually get everything in one stop)...Now I'm 
    	*really* upset at myself for forgetting my Iced Tea!  (pout pout)
    	(see note .0)
    
    	I'm sure I'll survive.....
    
    	Oh...and I forgot, in the very beginning, I was craving "chicken"
    	alot.....I think I still have a few shares of Weaver stock left!
    
    	Chris
    	:-)
    

    
    I have the feeling all these cravings are most of the time good excuses
    for eating what you know you should not eat, without feeling guilty.
    
    I am 4 1/2 month pregnant and have had no craving at all so far. The
    only thing I felt like eating more often than usually is fish, although
    I have always hated it. But I think it is more a need than a craving.
    
    This is exactly what I have been wondering : Do cravings for NATURAL
    food correspond to a biological need ? I personnally think so. Why
    would I feel like eating fish when I still don't really like it ? Or
    why would some of you eat lots of oranges or apples ? 
    
    But eating cheeseburgers or chocolate pudding surely does not bring
    much to your health or your baby's...
    
    Brigitte

    My sister had a interesting craving.  Everytime she went to the
    supermarket, she'd buy a bottle of salad dressing. She
    seldom used any of them, since she prefers oil and vinegar.  One day I
    opened her refrigerator and saw 9 bottles of salad dressing, unopened,
    and 4 opened!  
    Sarah
    

    i had an obsession with vanilla soft serve ice cream. it was directly
    related to the pregnancy because i didn't have it before and haven't
    had it since. i definitely wasn't an excuse to eat what i shouldn't/
    couldn't. it was a very real craving.
    
    i remember at 8 months being up at 2 AM in the morning at the dining 
    room table eating brighams vanilla ice cream w/ a spoon from the 
    container...and crying because i just couldn't get enough to eat...
    my hunger would wake me up at night...i was like a bottomless pit.

    	Last Christmas, I had gotten my husband a cassette entitled; "How
    to be a Pregnant Father". Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to look
    at the copyright date, it was produced sometime in the early 70's.

    	Anyway, there was a section on cravings and the narrator (a man)
    told the audience that there was no such thing as cravings and that the
    wife needed nothing more than more sex in her life. The cravings were a
    cry for more sex.

    	This narrator also maintained that there was no such thing as
    morning sickness (or all day sickness), it was just a cry by an
    hysterical wife to get more sex.

    	The best advice he could give partners of pregnant women was to
    arrange to have sex with their wives as soon as they got home from the
    office, because pregnant women tend to get tired early in the evening.

    	Unfortunately this tape was not a joke.

    	It lies in little tiny bits and pieces on the floor of my husband's
    car. So much for enlightenment.

    	My personal philosophy on cravings is that your body is telling you
    that you need something. For me, I *think* it was:

    		pickles - salt
    		pastrami - high fat (I had been losing weight early on)
    		bing cherries - iron?

    	I haven't had many cravings for junk food although I know that I
    tend to eat it more often than before I got pregnant. I think that
    there may be an answer there as well, junk food is very easy to grab
    and get into my mouth when I absolutely need to have food. Because of
    the (usually) high sugar content, it seems to get "me happy again" the
    soonest and then I can hold off until a proper dinner or lunch is
    prepared.

    				Wendy

    I couldn't get enough tomatoes - in any form.  I NEEDED to have at
    least one tomato or something in tomato sauce for the first three
    months.  Just the thought of any other food made me feel sick.
    
    -Joy
    

    I remember one day when I was pregnant I craved bagels with loads of
    cream cheese.  I made my husband go to the store to see if he could
    get some.  Well, he came back with Lenders Bagels and I was so excited
    but when I opened them they all had freezer burn!  I couldn't believe
    it!   I finally just settled for some toast!  Now my daughter is 
    4 months old and I still crave bagels and cream cheese!
    
    

    
    	I lean towards the idea that a craving reflects a need.
    Unfortunately, my mother (and others I've heard of) ate coal when she
    was carrying me! How would she know?
    
    		Ian G.

    I craved Chicken McNuggets the whole time I was pregnant with Chris ...
    and now they're his FAVORITE food ... Hmmmmmm.  And I don't even like
    them!!

    With pregnancy #1 I had to have BIG MAC's all the time.  I really never
    liked them nor have I had one since.
    
    With this pregnancy I have had no specific cravings but I seem to
    always be "wanting" something.
    
    1.  Lobster at 3:00am.
    2.  French onion dip at 8:00 am.
    3.  Lemonade at 11:00 pm.
    4.  Onion rings (I have wanted these twice)
    
    I have to agree with the previous noters who said they think about the
    foods and really have to have them.  (I had to live without the lobster at
    3:00 but unfortunately I have had everything else I wanted.)
    
    Angie

    
    	Hmmm.... cheesecake - definitely cheesecake (but I crave
    	that all the time) (;
    
    	- Tropicana Twisters Orange/Banana/Strawberry juice
    
    	(8
    	
    /Kim

    I, at 10 weeks pregnant....haven't had any specific cravings, but find
    myself hungry at least once every 2-3 hours. Basically, I just "crave"
    food, food, food! Once on the way home from work, I could barely
    concentrate on my driving...all I kept thinking of was the frozen
    Christmas Digital turkey in the freezer and wondering if I could
    prepare it in time for supper! I ended up settling for chicken at
    a local restaurant. I agree that these "cravings" are your body's way
    of saying...."Hey, I'm lacking some kind of vitamin, nutrient,
    mineral...whatever!

    
    Re. .11 (Brigette)
    
    "cheeseburgers and chocolate pudding surely does not bring much to your
     health or the babies"
    
    No...youre right...they may not be the "healthiest" choices, but I
    dont' think we are all talking about eating them all day long, every
    single day of our pregnancy either.  As far as my chocolate pudding
    cravings go, its usually only once a day (if that), and its only a 
    4 oz serving we are talking about (Okay, once in a great while 2 serv).
    maybe 5 times a week. (btw: they are 70% skim milk, and not every single 
    day) And I also don't usually eat much other junk food besides that. 
    
    And someone else mentioned about our bodies needing the foods we crave
    possibly, for some reason or another...  Makes me wonder if thats why
    these choc pudding cravings are in the afternoon, for that extra "zip" 
    to make it through the rest of the day. ????  Sounds possible.
    
    I'm glad others agree with me that it is an "over powering urge"..and 
    not just my imagination.
    
    Keep em coming,
    Chris
    
    

    At the beginning of my pregnancy, I didn't have any real cravings
    except for frozen yogurt.
    
    During the last tri-mester, I had to have SALTED ROASTED PEANUTS IN THE 
    SHELL.  We live in Brooklin NH and there is a Country General Store
    which conveniently had an old barrel filled with them.  My husband and
    I used to stop at the store on the way to our childbirth classes and by
    the time we pulled into the parking lot, the pillow that was resting in
    my lap would be covered with the peanut shavings!
    
    It's been 20 months now and we have only stopped at the store twice
    for peanuts...
    
    -Patty

    They don't know a lot about food cravings and what causes them,
    but they do know that for the most part they related to a
    nutritional need.
    
    There are people, more often but not always women, who crave and
    eat soil, chalk, coal (which I think was mentioned) and other
    non-food and sometimes non-nutritional things even when they're
    not pregnant and even when they're getting plenty of a good
    balanced diet.  
    
    This condition has a name but I don't remember what it is.  
    
    --bonnie

    I craved a most unexciting item: COLDDDD WATER...I could never get enough.
    I carried a 32 ounce water bottle everywhere I went. One day I counted 
    up to 100 ounces! I got so concerned, I ask my doctor - nothing wrong...
    
    No wonder I had little to no swelling; I was constantly flushing fluids
    out of my system! 
    
    Julia 

    Mom tells me that during the time she was pregnant with me, it
    was smoked salmon (what taste! that stuff costs!) 
    She tells me that they went downtown one day and bought a POUND of
    the stuff; she managed to finish all of it on the trip home!
    
    I couldn't stand the stuff until I was an adult. Now I really enjoy it.
    
    Monica
    

    Someone else mentioned apples.  I could not get enough of them, but
    they had to be Red Delicious.  I never liked that type before, but now
    it is still the only kind I buy.
    

    My first pregnancy, I craved a sausage pizza.  That happened twice at
    9 or 10pm.  I never eat that late.  But I really wanted it.  I also
    craved vinegar.  I had to switch to oil & vinegar on my salads.  My
    second pregnancy, I also craved the vinegar but with spinach.  My poor
    husband every time he turned around at dinner time I had a bowl of
    spinach with butter and vinegar on it. (he hates both).
    
    Donna

    I went to four stores one evening looking for chocolate covered
    almonds.
    I would not have returned home without them. I bought the "pregnant
    woman from hell" a one pound bag. It was gone in two days.
    JR

    All I ever really craved was cold water - all the time in my 7-9th months.  
    I'm not even sure it is so much a craving.  I know I need it and I feel
    my body telling me I need it.  It isn't like the cravings where people
    wake up in the night and feel like they must have a certain type of
    food (I don't think).
    
    Anything else I wanted (craved?) was basically junk food.  I don't think 
    that was my body telling me the baby needed it, just me wanting it. 
    
    In the beginning of my pregnancy all I could keep down were foods that
    my doctor described as chalk (mentioned earlier).  She said my body
    was craving chalk and that's why I was eating what I did (I think it
    was all starchy stuff).  All I could picture was munching on pieces
    of chalk like you see in school.
    
    Donna
    

    Mine were red meat (GET ME TO THE HILL TOP!!!) and water.  Obviously, I
    needed iron and proper hydration.  
    
    					Mair
    

    I craved Durkee Potato Sticks in the first 3 months. I used to eat a
    whole large can by myself in one day!
    Then in the last trimester I had to have shrimp at least once a week. 
    (I never liked shrimp before then!)  
    
    Sandy

    The craving for non-foods is called "pica".
    
    		-John Bishop

    I didn't have any cravings when I was pregnant, but my husband did.  He
    ate some of the grossest things, pickles with peanut butter and maple
    syrup, apples dipped in molasses, etc...  It made me sick just watching
    him.  Actually, that is probably why food didn't appeal to me.
    
    When the baby came, it stopped.  I still find it very strange.
    
    Kathy

    Banana popsicles at 2:00am.  And of course, 7/11 didn't have banana
    so my husband and I drove all over town looking for an all night
    grocery--finally found one and the box of 6 popsicles satisfied
    the craving.  Thank god--my husband would probably not have tolerated
    many 2:00 runs to the grocery store.
    
    Swiss cheese for breakfast.
    
    Pam
    

    For me it was fresh baked Tobin's blueberry muffins and cran-apple
    juice.
    
    It was so bad that that I was home one day sick, couldn't get off the
    couch and still managed to get up and make a batch of duncan heinz
    blueberry muffins, the kind with the little can of berries in the box. 
    They were OK, but still didn't seem as good as Tobin's.  Something
    about the caf muffins I think they just left them a little underdone,
    and doughy.
    
    The juice became a problem when I worked at PKO, they didn't have the
    cranapple in a jar, so I ended up getting two little cans of cranberry
    and apple and mixing them together, and of course it had to be over a
    huge glass of ice.
    
    I also had periodic cravings for Twix, caramel, bars.  It was just
    awful during Haloween when we lived with my inlaws.  My inlaws went out
    for dinnner leaving me to pass out the Twix bars to the kids.  It was
    like one for you, two for me, one for you, two for me,  My mother inlaw
    looked at my husband as I was inhaling these things and he simply threw
    up his hands and said something like "oh I don't know, she only eats
    chocolate when she's pregnant".  Well I love chocolate, but don't
    consume nearly that amount when I'm not pregnant.
    
    I've heard many others who have craved Slush Puppies, of course asking
    the store keeper to rev up his machines on a subzero night, could be a
    little trying!  I've heard of "husband cravings", what I've heard of
    that is mostly husbands craving celery, figure that one out??
    
    Lyn

    I walked by the vending machine in MSO one day and noticed corn chips.
    I never liked them, but for some reason they appealed to me.  So, I 
    bought a bag.  Bought another on the way home at the convenience store.
    
    Bought one each day after that for a week - and then found out I was
    pregnant.  After that, I didn't crave them anymore.  But I craved
    poultry - and was nauseated by the smell of it cooking!  I thought I
    would die one Christmas Day at my Dad's - but couldn't wait for that
    turkey to come out of the oven.
    
    I couldn't eat ham becuase of the nausea, and rarely eat it now.  It
    took about 2 years after my delivery before I could go near it.
    
    With my second, I craved ice cream - for nine months...
    
    With my third, I was so nauseous during the first trimester that I
    lived on saltines.  Water made me the nausea worse - and I spent those
    three months "searching" for liquid that would go down easy.  I tried
    Lemon/Lime Soda, Tom Collins Mix, fruit juice, and never really did
    find it.  I settled for Poland Springs with Lemon.
    
    On a different note - I had worn the same perfume for many years.  The
    smell of it made me so nauseous with my first that I had to give it
    up, and haven't worn it since (12 years now).  If I smell "Halston"
    one someone else, I get this vague wave....
    
    Pat