Skip to main content
Skip to main navigation
Skip to talk navigation

Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Saved Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Flip

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.

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

Eurgh everything smells!

18 replies

Gingersnap88 · 21/07/2011 10:36

Sorry for the mini moan, I'm around 6 weeks pregnant with my first and everything is smelling horrendous to me. The tube ride to work is an absolute mission as I swear that I can smell everyone's body odour, last cigarette, food.. it makes my head and stomach sway. Even walking past a coffee shop today made me gag.
Has anyone got any tips for combating this other than walking around with a bunch of roses?
Thank you

OP posts:

Report

globex · 21/07/2011 10:41

Hold you finger under your nose.

It blocks the smell AND you look delicate.

globex · 21/07/2011 10:42

YOUR finger under your nose

ksaunders · 21/07/2011 10:46

Is Vicks ok? if so, you could try putting some on a hankie or carry a pot so you can have a sniff to block out other smells

SalsyPicnic · 21/07/2011 10:48

I had the same thing in the early weeks of my second pregnancy, so I sympathise. I sat near a printer at work, and every time someone printed something the 'fumes' made me gag. Tea, if it had gone cold - boak. Couldn't stomach even nice smells like perfume either. All I can say is that the smell sensitivity and nausea passed by about 13 weeks - so hang in there, and all the best.

Gingersnap88 · 21/07/2011 10:51

Thank you- I may very well try the Vicks on a hankie. Hopefully it'll pass soon, oh the joys of pregnancy..!

OP posts:

H007 · 21/07/2011 10:53

I was like this.... still am some days I found I a light scarf did around my neck did the trick. Every smelly situation just pulled the scarf up and smelt that. Cigarettes are the worst! I reckon I can smell someone smoking one hundred metres away! It is gross and I feel really annoyed by anyone smoking anywhere near me.

Oeisha · 21/07/2011 10:53

Nope*, but my worst 'smell' is old ladies...by this I mean the small percentage that either never bath/shower and reek of piss, or the other extreem, and seem to cover themselves in so much perfume/soap that you can smell them at 70 paces.
*though, what's that stuff called that you can put under your nose...erm, I've heard of it's uses with decomp... :S Though you could always try something like tiger balm - if you can bear the thought of menthol/mint round your nose - or even jsut try vasaline...might work?!

icravecheese · 21/07/2011 11:03

I have had this in all 3 of my pregnancies... luckily disappeared by around 20wks. Walking into work / public toilets was the worst for me... I could just smell urine (even when the toilets were perfectly clean!). I don't envy you on the underground!
I used the scarve trick (I have masses of scarfs, found they were brilliant breast feeding coverups once baby has arrived too!) and sprayed extra perfume on my neck / scarf in the morning, so when there was a bad smell, do as H007 describes & cover your nose with scarf. No idea why sense of smell heightens when your pregnant, but many of my friends have experienced the same.

mummytime · 21/07/2011 11:23

No advice but with DC1, I recovered in a restuarant by going to the toilets which smelt of bleach, and with DC2 I found the smell of manure vastly preferrable to Sunday Lunch.
It does pass.
You could ask work if you can come in later/leave later for a bit (but only if you've told your boss), so you can avoid the rush hour. Or find something you like smelling and take a handkerchief or something soaked in it to sniff. But beware as something you like this week might make you wretch next week.

redexpat · 21/07/2011 18:46

Um all those things made me queasy before I was pregnant!

Breathing deeply through the mouth usually helps pregnant me.

OptomisticBiscuit · 22/07/2011 13:45

Yes second for mouth breathing here, it has got me through dishing up the dog's food, and living with my husband, who has reeked to me throughout my whole pregnancy. I also can't bear any perfume smells, am using soap nuts for all the laundry and non perfumed shampoo / soap for me.

GetOffOfMyCloud · 22/07/2011 13:51

Completely sympathise!! I went to pick up my DH from work one day earlier in my pg and I could smell something incredibly sweet and sickly. I couldn't work out what it was but it was so nasty that I asked what it could be, it turned out to be a car air freshener that one of his colleagues had bought earlier in the day, it was still in its cardboard and plastic packaging, in the colleagues bag a few metres from where we were and I could still smell it. That was the first time he realised just how sensitive the sense of smell can be during pregnancy and he was far more tolerent after that if I said I needed to leave somewhere or move away because of a smell.

Hope it gets better for you soon, it is a pain.

GetOffOfMyCloud · 22/07/2011 13:52

Sorry, I meant to say as well that holding your finger under your nose does work.

B52s · 22/07/2011 15:30

I could smell all the unpleasant smells far clearer. Like morning wee, dog poo, people's breath and BO. Went camping to get some fresh air and all I could smell was the mud. Still have a heightened sense of smell but not like it was when pregnant.

pozzled · 22/07/2011 15:32

Not much advice from me, but lots of sympathy. I had this in my first pregnancy and found walking round sainsburys was a nightmare- everything stank.

It does fade though- hopefully you won't have to put up with it for too long.

moominliz · 22/07/2011 15:51

I know how you feel, horrible smells seem to have become much clearer. I'm currently an environmentalists worst nightmare as I've got scented sprays, plugs in, liquids etc. all over the place at both work and home.
I also must look a bit odd in the supermarket as I loiter in the 'nice smelling' aisles for a bit to build myself for getting things like fresh meat!
However, on the flip side some nice smelling stuff has become much clearer too, like fresh/ wild flowers, I can smell them a mile off and its gorgeous.

melliebobs · 22/07/2011 17:38

I feel your pain. I opened the fridge the other day and ended up hurling in the drain in our yard. Needless to say dh has now cleaned and de smelled all cupboards fridge n freezer. I seem to spending alot of my time with my t shirt over my nose to mask any smells. Work is particularly hard as I work in a gym the cleaning stuff stinks and if anyone I see has sweated a bit I do carry a vix stick In my work bag so I can have a quick
Sniff if I get desperate

PamBeesly · 22/07/2011 19:33

Gingersnap88 get this www.amazon.co.uk/NATALIA-PRENATAL-MORNING-SICKNESS-EASE/dp/B001L64A58?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 I was sick everytime Iopened the fridge, passed a restaurant, sat next to someone having coffee, u can put it on your wrist and breathe it in, it helps. Good luck

Flip

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.