Strange Things We Cannot Eat While Pregnant

[Myra]

I know there's at least one other CS-er who is currently pregnant besides myself, I also know there are numerous moms and dads on here, so I thought I'd pose a question:

What foods could you not eat (because they made you sick, you didn't have an appetite for them, etc) while pregnant that you used to love? Or did you have a hunger for things that surprised you?

Mine is bacon. I have always loved it, I used to be able to just eat it as a meal and be happy. But last week at work, Boss decided to treat us to breakfast for lunch, and made eggs, bacon, and sausage on our griddle. The smell and taste of the bacon made me ill, and I was throwing up all day. I was so bummed! I also cannot stomach the smell of a fireplace - which is weird, I used to LOVE the smell of a fire in a fireplace! Now that it's chilly here, when I go outside and smell the neighbors' chimneys, it makes me ill.

I've been craving spagetti, oreo mcflurries from McDonald's, chicken noodle soup, and egg drop soup. But not just any egg drop soup, the soup from this particular chinese restaurant in town! It's the good stuff: just broth and egg, no veggies like egg drop soup was meant to be.

So anywho, pregnancy has been exciting, just hoping the nausea wears off after the first trimester. That part is getting old!

[NightAngel]

I've had three children and only once did I ever have a craving that was outside the regular, "I want to have *thisfood* for dinner," that I normally have.

It was for Bleu Cheese dressing. I DESPISE Bleu Cheese dressing. But, that one time I HAD to have it- I ate a whole bowl with potato chips.
I shudder at the thought... :puke:

Also when I was pregnant with my first I developed Gestational Diabetes so I was put on a sucky diet.

When I was pregnant with my 2nd child I developed a gestational form of Lactose Intolerence and had to take horse sized Calcium pills.

[XCashier]

I craved carrots. Ate baby carrots by the bagful like they were popcorn. Son has excellent eyesight... :D

I also craved fresh peaches in my first trimester. Guess what wasn't in season at the time?! :hairpull:

I don't think there was anything I didn't want or couldn't eat.

[Ljt09863]

i can't eat eggs for some reason. i can eat food that uses eggs as an ingredient, but i tried eating an egg sandwhich, and halfwaythrough, it came back up. i couldn't eat the rest. the thought of eggs makes me feel sick.


but ive craved different things. i too craved spaghetti. i also craved pickles, reeses peanut butter cups, cherries(which i normally don't eat),and crab rangoon from a specific chinese restraunt....and unfortunatly, i want some crab rangoon right now and can't afford it :( . oh well. in a way, i can't wait for this pregnancy to end, cause i will hopefully be able to eat eggs again. i like eggs! but other than that, i love being pregnant!

[CaroPhoenix]

What I couldn't eat:

This happened during my first 6 months or so of my pregnancy:

Anything and everything! Oy .. .it was annoying. The only thing I could eat and keep down and not have really really really really bad heartburn afterwards was Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches! I ate them for breakfast, lunch & dinner. I cleared it with my ob/gyn, and she was like, "If you want to eat those all day, do it. You'll get your grains, sugars & protein. Have fun!"

Also, red pasta sauce. (I know I put this in another post here on CS, but I'm lazy to find it). Every wednesday my mom makes pasta. Cooks her sauce in the crockpot all day long (I do it too, so much easier that way). I couldn't go to her house on Wednesdays 'cos the smell made me absolutely sick to my stomach. That is when I developed a love for alfredo. Go figure. :D

Cravings I actually had:

During my 3rd trimester, I suddenly got cravings. Cravings for things I normally wouldn't want to eat. The 3 things I craved the most and had to have with me at all times were:

1. Cherry Coke (fountain NOT canned)
2. Coca-Cola gummis
3. Cayenne Pepper (had to have it on everything - eggs, chicken, steak, hashbrowns, etc.) - I have never liked Cayenne Pepper before or after my pregnancy - I'm surprised Kelly was born with black hair (which has now lightened to medium brown) instead of Cayenne Pepper-colored hair (which would be red).

[Myra]

Okay I had read about how certain seafood, you should avoid while pregnant because the high level of mercury in the food is not safe for the baby. One of the things they listed was crab. Now, in crab rangoons, there is very little crab, and it's cooked. Has anyone asked about this particular food? Because I also crave those little buggers but have been avoiding them for fear the crab would hurt the baby. Am I being paranoid? I probably am, I'm like that.

Today, I had to have a ceasar salad from Panera Bread. I usually avoid that place like the plague because of how packed it is, but I just had to have it today. So I braved the crowd, and luckily, it wasn't busy at work and my coworker didn't mind my being gone a bit longer than usual. It was SO GOOD though. SO worth it. :p

[Ljt09863]

from what i heard, most types of fish are ok, and recommended. canned tuna and albacore, though, you want to limit to no more than 6 ounces a week. i had to look this oneup early on in my pregnancy. i guess eating crab and shrimp will be fine, just don't eat more than you normally would.

[ditchdj]

I've heard that if you get sick when you're pregnant you're gonna have a girl.

[Barefootgirl]

Um, most women get sick when they are pregnant, and men aren't hugely outnumbered in the population. i didn't get sick very much beyond my 15th week, and i had a girl. My colleague at work was sick from the time she conceived untril the time she went into labour (she was actually on a drip for the last trimester) and she has a lovely little boy.

Wheni was pregnant, i CRAVED cherries. I like cherries anyway, but i absolutely wanted them when i was preg. Unfortunately, my DD wasn't born until October- have you any idea how expensive cherries are at the end of September? I was reduced to buying the obscenely expensive ones from Marks & Spencer, which were £10/pound (yes, nearly $17 at the time !!!!!).

[Seanette]

I've heard that if you get sick when you're pregnant you're gonna have a girl.
My mother says she had absolutely no morning sickness while pregnant with me, and last I knew I'm very female. :D

[Jpurple]

I only had two food aversions when I was pregnant, but they were killers: Coffee and chocolate! I don't normally drink a lot of coffee, but having chocolate make me feel ill was just... wrong!

I craved all things tomatoey, especially V-8 and bacon & tomato sandwiches. I expect it was actually a tomatoes and salt craving, but it was hard to distinguish between the two.

[Kiwi]

my mum could not eat anything other than the list below while she was pregant with me, everyone else had to go outside to eat because she couldnt stand the smell

oranges (im allergic to citric acid)
stewed apples (my favourite way to have fruit)
bananas
mashed potatos
meat pie (mostly curried beef)

thats it...for nearly 9 months. Shes a chocoholic and couldnt have a bite with me. With my brother it was anything she could get her hands on!

[sportsmom]

I didnt have any aversions to foods, but when I was pregnant with dd2 I craved steak. I was never much of a red meat eater before, but hubby took me out to dinner one night and I finished an entire 16 oz porterhouse by myself. Forget the potato and veggie, which I loved, I was all about the steak.

I have heard that if you crave things like that, it is your body telling you that you need something from it.


BTW, if you are having leg cramps at night, drink milk or eat a banana before bed. It helps, I promise.

[Knightmare]

when my gf was pregnant, she would get the weirdest cravings. Always late at night, and guess who got to go out and get the food? :)

The weirdest one she had was for the sandwiches at 7-11. Those pre-made things that sit in the cooler. One time she woke me up at 3 am to get some of those.

But I don't recall anything out of the ordinary. No pickles and ice cream or anything like that.

[Myra]

when my gf was pregnant, she would get the weirdest cravings. Always late at night, and guess who got to go out and get the food? :)
Aw what a good SO you are! My husband hasn't started the trips yet, as he generally doesn't have a chance to. I'm up and in my shoes before I realize what I'm doing.

Desperate Housewives is one of my favorite shows. I LOVE it. Two Sundays ago, during a particularly good show, an ice cream commercial came on. For some reason, it made me crave an oreo McFlurry from McDonald's. So I was up and at McD's before I realized, I had just left right in the middle of one of my favorite shows! Which is VERY uncharacteristic of me. When I returned home, Husband was giggling and happily told me what I'd missed. It's amazing what cravings will do to ya!

[NightAngel]

I've heard that if you get sick when you're pregnant you're gonna have a girl.

I did not have morning sickness with any of my three kids. Two boys, 1 girl.
(I'm insanely lucky, eh?)

There are many wives tales about how to tell the sex of a baby. Most of them are wrong.

[Ree]

Well, I had morning sickness practically from the time the egg implanted until my 34th week (because my daughter was a preemie).

I lost 15 pounds over the entire pregnancy, rather than actually gaining weight.

The day after my daughter was born, I stepped on the scale and I was 13 pounds less than before I got pregnant.

I couldn't stand the smell of or eat popcorn.

I couldn't stomach any milk based foods such as ice cream or pudding, until the last month, when I craved those chocolate "Revello" ice cream bars.

Pretty much the only thing I was able to eat was Won Ton soup from a specific restaurant.

In fact, I think that was one of the things that contributed to my weight gain.
It had been so long since I was able to eat and not get sick that I just started eating because I could. :p

[Tria]

I've heard that if you get sick when you're pregnant you're gonna have a girl.

Wow, doctors screwed up with my aunts. ALL chronic pukers during pregnancy and all had boys.

Aunt 1: 4 boys, 1 girl
Aunt 2: 2 boys
Mom: three girls
Aunt three: 5 boys, sillborn daughter.

[Ree]

There are many wives tales about how to tell the sex of a baby. Most of them are wrong.Well, it's a 50/50 chance, isn't it? :p ;)

[hawkchick11]

I lucked out, I never had morning sickness when I was pregnant with my son.

I did crave hot tamales, chicken wings from the bar down the hill from my apt, and chicken burritos from this mexican fast food place.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

At the risk of being a pain in the neck giving you unsolicited advice, you shouldn't eat bacon anyway while you are pregnant. All that nitrate isn't good for you. (that doesn't stop me now, but it did while I was pregnant).

Turkey burgers. I was so sickened by the thought of turkey burgers I'm even now not keen to eat them. And I loved them before.

All I wanted to eat while I was pregnant was watermelon and red plums, with milk and cottage cheese. I ate a balanced diet, but if I had my choice, it would have been just milk stuff and red summer fruit.

And first trimester, I had a classic pickle craving. :lol:

[Cia]

I had morning sickness for the full first trimester and lost 10 pounds. Everything made me sick, I lived on Cheerios and pineapple juice. But after that I could eat most foods except Dr. Pepper. I love DP but couldn't stand the taste at all while pregnant. The best thing to happen is my lactose intolerance went away. The bad thing is it came back after Anja was born.

[CaroPhoenix]

When my mom was pregnant with me, the only thing she really craved were powdered sugar donuts (plus, she was on a diet during her pregnancy - military doctor (britsih air force to be exact) and she was heavy to being with, but really). I LOVE powdered sugar donuts!

With my sister, my mom craved peanut butter - she'd eat JARS of it at a go. I remember my dad coming home, asking what she'd had all day, and she'd show him the empty jar of peanut butter. It was expensive peanut butter too - we had to get it at the comissary on base 'cos my mom didn't like british peanut butter. My mom. doesn't. like. peanut. butter. She'll put it on her toast, and she likes it on celery, but otherwise, nope, she won't eat it. My sister LOVES peanut butter (the crunch kind - my mom ate nothing but creamy with her).

And when I was pregnant, I never once was sick. YAY me!

[ZumZum]

With my son, no aversions and my cravings were sour cream and onion potato chips. Oh and Pizza Hut breadsticks.

My last two pregnancies were surrogacies, so not my kids. Couldn't stand the sight, smell or taste of pork.
With the girl, couldn't eat ANY white meat. For protein it had to be steak. I also couldn't walk down the frozen food aisle!! (the aisle witht the frozen dinners, Lein Cuisine, etc). It was so weird.
With the twins, I could eat chicken. I could also walk down the frozen food aisle.

[Myra]

Amusing story.

Two nights ago, Husband and I are watching TV. He was off that day, and spent the day working on websites with the TV on for background noise. So once I'm hope and settled in, I realize I have a strong craving for Burger King's Italian Chicken Sandwich - the one with maranara sauce and mottz cheese. I gripe that BK hasn't had it in soooo long! (It's like the McRib...only around sporatically and for a limited time.) Husband laughs at me.

Seriously, not ten minutes later, an ad comes on TV. From BK. Saying "It's back!" My chicken sandwich! Husband and I fall over laughing. The ad wasn't on earlier in the day, it was the first either of us had seen of it.

I had two for lunch yesterday. Yum.

[Misanthropical]

Before I knew I was pregnant with my oldest son, the thought of chicken of any kind made me want to throw up. I loved chicken and couldn't figure out what the heck was going on, till I was told I was pregnant.

The smell of fast food and outside grilling made me want to throw up and still does. It didn't go away when he was born.

I love chocolate with a passion, but if I tried to eat it while I was pregnant with my oldest I would throw it back up. My son has never been big on chocolate, I guess that my getting sick should have been my first clue that he wouldn't be.

My husband went out at 3 AM to find me shrimp. I had to have it. He finally found a 24 hour place that served it at 4 AM. I always wanted shrimp when I was pregnant with my oldest.

The worst morning sickness I ever had was with the son I lost. I had it every single day for three months. It finally went away the fourth month. I also craved corn beef and cabbage, which nobody had, since it was long past St. Patrick's day. A friend made up a bunch of it for me, so I would have it on hand.

With my daughter, I had to have sugar cookies. I could not get enough sugar cookies. If it wasn't sugar cookies it was chinese food.

My first clue that I was pregnant with my little guy, was when I ate every single one of my husband's order of hot wings. I don't like hot wings, but I just couldn't get enough of them. I also had huge cravings for Roast Beef hoagies with tons of tomatos on it.

My little guy doesn't like hot wings or hoagies. I think I burned him out on them when I was pregnant with him. :D

[Kogarashi]

As far as morning sickness goes, I seem to have largely lucked out and inherited my mom's pregnancy genes. She was never sick at all with any of the five of us (and she had all girls, btw). I only got sick when I brushed my teeth or had early-morning stress due to a bad call center job I had. On the trade-off, I had to manage with massive, and I mean massive fatigue. The kind where you go to bed at 10pm, wake up at 12 noon, and still want to cat nap. Multiple middle-of-the-night bathroom runs didn't help. ::grumble::

Aversions:
While never really a chocolate fan prior to getting pregnant (the lighter the chocolate, the better, and white chocolate is my favorite), I could not stand it in the slightest once I did become pregnant. Couldn't even look at it. Same with any other candy, and I am a major sugar-addict. I can eat 2/3 of a Halloween haul in one sitting and not even feel slightly buzzed. Believe me, I did it all through high school and often enough in college. I also couldn't eat the really yummy germade cereal I had just bought. I had to wait until about halfway through the second trimester. Other foods occasionally cropped up on the "no" list, though I can't remember them off the top of my head. Apples I love, but if they are the first thing I ate in the morning, they usually find their way back up and into the toilet within an hour. Nothing else causes that reaction.

Cravings:
I have actually craved ice cream, and pickles, but not at the same time. There was one point where I craved sour cream and onion potato chips with plain sour cream for a dip and had to send my husband out to fetch some, but then I rather like that as a snack on a normal day. Another time, I really wanted a tomato sandwich, but we had no Miracle Whip, so I had to send my hubby out for that too. Had several cravings for fruit smoothies and fresh fruit. The smoothie craving has waned a bit now that the weather's getting cold. I also periodically get fast food cravings, namely for the Big N Tasty from McD's and for fried chicken from KFC. One KFC craving had us driving around town for half an hour trying to find an open KFC. Unfortunately, they'd all either closed 15 minutes before we got there or had moved without updating the store locator on the website, so we opted instead for fries from McD's 24-hour drive-thru (great invention, that). I also have been craving spaghetti-o's lately.