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Get updates on how your baby develops, your body changes, and what you can expect during each week of your pregnancy by signing up to the Mumsnet Pregnancy Newsletters.

Pregnancy

37 weeks pregnant and craving the smell of rubber does this mean i'm deficient in something if so what?

26 replies

Ledodgy · 16/12/2007 21:58

Title says it all really i've never had any non- food cravings in my other two pregnancies but this week in this pregnancy I can't get enough of the smell of rubber and i'm even tempted to steal one of ds's dummies to suck/bite on. Do you reckon i'm deficient in some important vitamin or just a bit strange? I was in Wickes DIY today and couldn't get enough of the aisle which had some kind of rubber tubing on, i'm starting to get funny looks!

OP posts:

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candypandy · 16/12/2007 22:04

I know what you mean. I was obsessed with the smell of tar. Asked the doctor but he didn't say anything about deficiencies -- just told me not to go round smelling tar as it's bad for the baby. But I don't think smelling rubber can be bad for anybody?

Ledodgy · 16/12/2007 22:20

I hope not!

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gigglewitchyouamerrychristmas · 16/12/2007 22:30

just think it's your senses going a bit crazy - i.e. part of the pg fun

maybe you should leave the car tyres alone, they take forever to cook properly
sorry

Ledodgy · 16/12/2007 22:30

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PaulaYatesbiggestfan · 16/12/2007 22:33

(loving that book you guided me to ledodgy! )

Ledodgy · 16/12/2007 22:34

Which book? >

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lostinfrance · 16/12/2007 22:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Ledodgy · 16/12/2007 22:38

OOh rubber suction pads now you're really teasing me. Stop it!

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madamy · 16/12/2007 22:42

God - I still have this after 3 pgs, and I'm not pg now but adore the smell .

DH got a bit excited and thought I was gearing up for a rubber fetish but I swiftly knocked that on the head!

lostinfrance · 16/12/2007 22:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

harman · 16/12/2007 22:46

Message withdrawn

mawbroonGotRunOverByAReindeer · 16/12/2007 22:47

I remember making excuses to go to the stationery cupboard at work when pg as I loved sniffing the elastic bands . I stopped short of chewing them though!

Don't know what it means in terms of deficiency though....

OldieButGoldie · 16/12/2007 23:25

Thank goodness I am not alone!! I am currently 30 weeks and have had this craving for at least 5 weeks now and its driving me mad. Before I experienced it I was a bit sceptical about non food cravings. I too have had a go at the rubber connection for the basin spray thingy but it wasn't quite the right kind of rubber, but Woolies have the best hot water bottles for it and I sniffed the most amazing rubber doormat in Sainsbury's the other day!

I googled it and its known as pica (all non food cravings) and sometimes it is thought to be a sign of iron deficiency/anaemia. As I had some other symptoms pointing to iron deficiency I started taking a supplement. The other symptoms have gone but not the desire to smell/chew rubber.

Must give one of those little soap mats a go

OldieButGoldie · 16/12/2007 23:27

By the way, the doormat in Sainsbury's was for sale on a shelf, not an old dirty one on the floor, I haven't gone quite that far yet

whomovedmychocolate · 16/12/2007 23:33

Yeah it means you are deficient in normality that's all. I believe they sell it in M&S

My cat has Pica - attacked an ex-bf actually when he was wearing a condom - v funny (not for him obviously). At least you aren't licking bricks, (I knew someone who had a thing for bricks when pregnant....now that was seriously weird - they had to be red bricks too!)

Ledodgy · 17/12/2007 09:24

Oh God rubber hot water bottle that's what I really want the one that smelt like the one I had as a child I loved the smell then too.

at Whomoved's Cat, condom and ex boyf saga!

Oldie et all i'm glad i'm not alone.

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skidoodle · 17/12/2007 12:58

Wow, what a relief. I've been craving all kinds of chemical smells in the last week or so (28 weeks pg) and had never heard of a craving for a smell.

Rubber works OK for me, or the smell or new cars, or the smell of DH's underground carpark. I daren't even think of creosote, which I love the smell of even when not having weird smell cravings.

SpacecadetLovesChristmas · 17/12/2007 13:05

I think its normal..when I was preg with dd, I carved the smell of petrol!! when I was filling the car up I would stand there breathing in..not good, I woulnt recommend it!..I used to love going to Halfords and hanging out round the tyre and rubber accessories aisle..mmmmm..still quite like the smell wven now

ShinyHappyStarOfBethlehem · 17/12/2007 13:08

Oh God yes I was the same with DD! I used to get the right hump with DS if he forgot to bring his PE bag home from school every night because I wanted to sniff his pumps/plimpsolls!!!

New mouse mats, rolled up and carried around with you! OOohhhh yummy.. I almost wanted to EAT it!!

I don't think it's a deficiency.. it's just a pregnancy weirdy thing...

Louandben · 17/12/2007 18:28

My SIL had it when she was pregnant, along with a love of the smell of petrol (she hung around a garage forecourt breathing deeply for so long one day she had a proper panic about whether she may have harmed the baby!). Her hubby loves cycling and brought a new tyre into the kitchen one day, usually she is obsessively tidy but she let him leave it there for ages and I think even licked it...its clearly not unusual but its a very odd one isnt it!

wb · 17/12/2007 19:07

With me its synthetic bath sponges - tear them into bits then chew (don't actually eat them). Dh refused to believe that this was a proper craving first time round but this time just goes and buys them without comment

ellad · 05/09/2009 14:12

OMG! I'm not the only one that loves the smell of rubber. Everytime I go to walmart i go to the tire section to sniff the wondorous smell and then to the bike section to smell it up close~I have never met anyone that shares this.

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scratchet · 05/09/2009 16:49

I also eat the bath sponges. Have done with all 3 pregnancies and i cannot control it! I have to have them!

iwouldgoouttonight · 05/09/2009 17:06

whomovedmychocolate - I had a thing for bricks, still have it sometimes even though I'm not pregnant. And licking emery board, the cardboard grainy ones. Mmm. Not keen on the smell of rubber though.

I am anaemic - hoping maybe this explains it!

jardins · 05/09/2009 18:08

When pregnant with DD I was CRAZY about creosote. I used to wake up in the middle of the night and go down the road in my dressing gown to pick off bits of creosoted fences. I bought some Coal tar soaps as they smelt yummy too.

With my DS it was coffee grounds. I would sleep with a Bodum beside the bed and I must confess to chewing them. God I loved the texture .... but then had to spit them out and did not feel very ladylike at all.

Looking back I suspect I was a tad anaemic.

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