Bad smell in house when pregnant

[confused70]

OK, a bit of a long story but am worried and would like to know whether I am unduly so. I am pregnant (3rd trimester) with 4th child. When I was almost 11 weeks, I complained to environmental health about builders burning stuff a lot in the garden of a neighbouring house. The next evening I went out with my partner and children for an hour. When we came back there was a horrible smell in the house. Everywhere. I couldn't isolate it to where it was strongest. I assumed it would just go away of its own accord - which it did but after 9 long days. I was so relieved when it went that I didn't really focus on it... until recently. Now all I can think about is what was that smell, how did it get there (act of revenge?), could it have been toxic or carcinogenic and could it impact on the health of my unborn child and other children? I am so worried about this I can't sleep and feel very depressed. My partner said he couldn't smell it and refuses to talk about it but my cleaner and children could both smell it so I know it wasn't just down to "pregnant nose". All I know is that the house had never smelt before, it appeared suddenly and also disappeared suddenly (rather than fading away). The evening after it disappeared, I smelt it in isolation upstairs in the study and the next day I smelt it when my partner was sorting the recycling. I can't think how a smell would suddenly just appear without any disturbance. It was so bad I could smell it on my clothes when I was out. My mum says I am being ridiculous and that no-one else would bat an eyelid but I can't stop worrying. I had my 12 week and 20 week scan since and they were fine but I am concerned about brain damage or childhood cancer because of this. We didn't suffer any ill effects from it - no sore throat or headaches and we even became habitualised to it so we could only smell it when we came home from somewhere. Bizarrely, when I was in Sainsbury's today, I smelt something similar... bbq charcoal! But that just doesn't make any sense. Am I being ridiculous to worry about this? I feel not only can I not enjoy the rest of my pregnancy but also I will forever be worrying about the impact that stupid smell may have. I feel too silly to talk about this to anyone else about this so would welcome some objective opinions!

Was it the same burning smell the same as from the neighbours garden? I'm sure there's nothing at all to worry about - at 11 weeks you'll have been past the crucial early stages and if you've only been exposed to the charcoal smell for a limited period of time rather than regularly exposed to a smoky environment I can't see how it would have an effect on th baby. I think you might be being a teeny bit paranoid, but I say that completely without judgement - I'm paranoid about anything I can latch onto at the moment and would likely be the same!

Thanks for your post! No, it wasn't a burning smell, it was a strange earthy peppery smell I couldn't identify! I was walking down the garden aisle in Sainsbury's and caught a whiff of something similar so like a mad woman started sniffing everything and it seemed to smell like unburnt BBQ charcoal. Maybe it was the chemical added to make them light easier? I just don't know how it got into the house if not by the builder as I'd been there all day and hadn't spilled anything. My partner and mum think i am being paranoid and say people don't act like that but I just can't think of another explanation. Thannkfully I had almost finished my first trimester but some organs still aren't fully developed by then such as the brain. I know there's no point in dwelling on it but I feel so cross I didn't just leave until the smell had gone or call someone to investigate. I have ocd and this is just another thing to worry about incessantly!😭