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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Are these VERY weird cravings normal? Not food related.

19 replies

TotallyAndUtterlyPaninied · 02/01/2010 16:19

I'm going to go and buy 3 nail brushes on Monday- one to brush down my nails, one to brush my teeth and more importantly gums and one to brush the rest of my body. I am desperate for the feeling. I get hard toothbrushes and brush my teeth with them a million times a day but that's just not satisfying anymore.

I want to crunch my way through those chalky white firelighters. I love the smell but I want to know how the texture actually feels on my gums.

I want to crunch through coal/charcoal for the same reason.

I want to sniff and taste turps and rub it on my gums.

I could also eat fresh soil.

It is getting to the point where I can't stop thinking about it day and night- particularly the brush and firelighters and I'm only 32+3.

What should I do??

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JamesAndTheGiantBanana · 02/01/2010 16:29

I'd say you have pica, and you could do with speaking to your doctor. It's just one of those things but obviously make sure you don't give in to the more dangerous cravings! No firelighters and no turps, and no soil as it might have cat poo in it which is also dangerous. Feel free to munch on nailbrushes though, ya weirdo

PandaEisGOTABFP · 02/01/2010 16:38

a friend of mine liked to chew on the little fibre-optic stick things you get on christmas decs and also sniff toilet cleaner. obv we advised her to avoid the toilet cleaner but as long as its not something dangerous (like firelighters and turps) i dont see the harm. maybe talk to your midwife or GP about it if it is getting that distracting

Original poster

TotallyAndUtterlyPaninied · 02/01/2010 16:43

I didn't know it had a name!

The strange thing is, it's all gum related. My gums sort of pulse all day aswell.

I have a few probs at mo:

Midwife cancelled my appointment and so I had to go to GP who is a gynae doc. She checked size of my tummy and said '34cms, but I don't know how to plot it on the graph so I'll just write it in your notes'. I plotted it myself (it's hardly brain surgery) and the baby who has always been on the top line is now WAY above the top line. My BP keeps going high and baby's heart rate should be between 120-160 as she has an irregular heartbeat, but her heartbeat was between 119-185 yet GP did not seem bothered. Do you think all these things are grounds to page my midwife for a chat considering I can't go and see her this week as I'm working so it'll be the following Wednesday when I could see her.

OP posts:

Missus84 · 02/01/2010 16:47

Being worried about anything is grounds to speak to your midwife.

Cravings for coal, charcoal and chalk are quite common in pregnant women, particularly if they're malnourished or in the third world. I think it's call geophagy? Tell your midwife about it, it could mean you're lacking certain nutrients.

PandaEisGOTABFP · 02/01/2010 16:51

i think so TBH. if it is worrying you she might reassure you that all is ok

it must be an odd feeling to have pulsing gums! i think bleeding gums and sore/red gums are common in preg so it might just be one of those things as if you dont have enough to be getting on with eh?!!

JamesAndTheGiantBanana · 02/01/2010 16:54

I think the way fundal height works is 34cm = 34 weeks. HOWEVER, it's not an exact science, not everybody grows exactly the same, and also if you have any fat on your stomach you can measure bigger because of that. Sometimes midwives don't seem to take the excess fat into account. Disclaimer: I'm not saying you're fat, I have no idea what you look like!

If your blood pressure is up and there's other things you're worried about then yeah, try and get a midwife on the phone for some reassurance.

HeighHo · 02/01/2010 17:16

I wondered if you've been measured by the same midwife every time and then once by the GP, their measurements might be inconsistent, in that they might not be measuring exactly the same distance IYSWIM, so I wouldn't worry about it until the midwife has checked it her way. Does this make any sense??!

sockmonkey · 02/01/2010 17:38

My MW said liquerish (sp?) was a good substitute for the coal/chalk cravings that I had with DS1

Saying that I did eat coal anyway and it was veeeeery satisfying. In fact I ate coal & chalk with DS2 and am eating a little bit of coal every day with this pregnancy. It's the crunchiness that I crave.

Have you tried eating icecubes? They have the same kind of crunch without the issues of wierdness.

I have come to the conclusion that the whole fundal measurement is a big waste of time and only seems to cause worry... at least I hope so or else I'm in for a 10lb baby

Deemented · 02/01/2010 19:22

I have the weirdest craving ever.

I long to lick those bright metallic lime green cars.

I have so far resisted.

But it's a close thing.

jardins · 02/01/2010 20:32

And I LOVE chewing coffee grounds in the bottom of a Bodum cafetiere.... spitting them out again all over the kitchen sink is a wearing waste of time but it's the CHEWING and TEXTURE of the grounds I crave.

thelunar66 · 02/01/2010 20:38

Wow at the lime green cars... I'd actually just have a leetle lick when nobody looking

I call being crazy for Cilit Bang Lime and grime.

ellesabe · 03/01/2010 16:25

Ha ha ha!! That's so funny! I would love to see the expression of a driver's face as they stopped at the traffic lights just to be pounced on by some madwoman licking their bonnet!! Ha ha ha!

Original poster

TotallyAndUtterlyPaninied · 04/01/2010 10:25

Have you tried lime green ice lollies? Might have the same sort of appeal but edible

I am now adding Tea Tree oil to my list. I can't wipe my make up off without licking the wipe

OP posts:

quasimomo · 04/01/2010 11:51

Hi with my last baby I craved soil really badly towards the end...The weirdest I allowed myself to actually get was eating raw potatoes though, which sort of helped a bit I think it has to be about lacking something in your diet - I know that I was a bit anaemic by then, so that may have been linked.

Amapoleon · 04/01/2010 11:56

My mum used to chew on leather when she was pregnant with me.

skihorse · 04/01/2010 14:10

2 days before I got my BFP I was at the stables and one of the girls was dressing a wound on her horse's knee. The smell of the wound cream was so "delicious" it was all I could do not to grab her hand and inhale/lick!

becklespeckle · 04/01/2010 14:22

When pg with DS2 I couldn't stop brushing my teeth and particularly my gums - I used to do it numerous times a day!

When pg with DD I LOVED the smell of washing powder - even when everything else was making me hurl! I could have stood in the washing powder aisle at Tescos for hours just breathing in the smell!

Meeshamie · 04/01/2010 15:04

Have you seen this?

www.naturopathyworks.com/pages/cravings.php

Okay so it doesn't have coal/charcoal, turps or soil but some of it is quite interesting.

Good luck with the gums - take care not to over do it!
x

BlauerEngel · 04/01/2010 15:19

I thought a craving for soil was a pretty clear indication of anaemia. I craved mustiness in my first pg - I loved the smell of building sites (v. slightly dangerous, had to control myself there) and underground stations - anywhere with slightly dusty air. Eating dried roasted chickpeas really helped, available from Turkish/Arabic stores - they had the necessary musty crunchiness.

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