There’s a pretty tired trope in movies and television shows featuring pregnant women, and I'm sure you've seen it. A woman, probably in her final trimester, begs her husband to fetch her some pickles and ice cream. It’s like the standard “gross pregnancy craving” and yet I’ve rarely met a woman who actually had that particular craving. So what do pregnant people really crave? I asked a number of moms to share their grossest pregnancy craving, and their answers were very different than what I’d expected. While some were fairly simple and not entirely disgusting, others were definitely interesting combinations I would have never thought possible. (It’s also important to mention that what might be totally gross to one person might be delicious to others, so keep that in mind.)
During my pregnancy with my own son, I didn’t really have what you’d call a “gross” craving. I was one of those (not so) lucky ones who had an incredibly strong sense of smell, which translated into a number of food aversions. Anything that smelled even remotely strong made me queasy, though I rarely threw up (which, honestly, is worse than actually throwing up). I spent much of my first trimester eating extremely bland rice and beans, vegetable soup, and grilled cheese sandwiches. In other words, nothing too exciting to see here, folks.
In asking other moms about their experiences, it also seemed like many had more aversions than they did cravings. So, perhaps if you’re writing a story about a pregnant person, you’ll want to write more about them hitting the bathroom when they smell someone’s tuna sandwich than wanting to eat Cheetos dipped in cream or cheese or something. Food for thought. Now, on to those weird cravings:
Ani, 31
“Frosted cheerios in ice cream when I was pregnant in 2004. Also, I'm pretty sure dill pickle Doritos were invented for pregnant women.”
Janel, 44
“Probably the grossest thing I ever ate while pregnant was jalapeño chips crumbled on top of chocolate cake. Mostly it was about what I didn't want to eat. So many things smelled like death to me. I was all about the aversions.”
Kristen, 31
“With my first pregnancy, I craved Poor Man's Oyster. It's cocktail sauce on a saltine cracker. I think it's delicious, but some people think it's gross. I also ate six boiled eggs with mustard squirted on them once. Also, pig skin, or pork rinds as most call them.
With my second pregnancy, I ate jalapeños straight from the jar. Also, as far as cravings that I did not partake of, the most intense cravings I had were in my first pregnancy for beer and raw meat. It would make my mouth absolutely water to see raw beef. Same if I smelled beer (and I worked at a restaurant at the time, so it was hard). Oh, and I drank tons of pickle juice with both.”
Miranda, 36
“I craved a Burger King Whopper every day at 10 a.m. for five weeks. One Whopper isn't gross, but weeks of having one every day? Ew. I can't even smell a whopper now.”
Britani, 31
“I just put massive amounts of salt on everything.”
Emily, 37
“Do Dunkaccinos count?”
Mechi, 27
"Yogurt. I know that doesn’t (normally) count but I hate yogurt. While pregnant, it’s all I wanted to eat ever. To this day, I still eat yogurt, but developed a hatred for ham while pregnant. I never could eat ham again.”
Pauline, 38
“I had to have a Wendy’s Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger every day. I cried after I had my daughter while eating my first Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger not pregnant. It was not magical anymore.”
Janette, 32
“Sauerkraut on pizza. Costco was so convenient!”
Victoria, 31
"Not gross, but definitely weird. I had anemia throughout so I had pica. I had to have a huge glass full of crushed ice every day and I would lick the tiny bits of ice that would form around the ridge. I also has this weird craving for smelling things, primarily my leather wallet and new car smell air fresheners. Not like a little whiff either, no. I’m talking about a huge sniff of it.”
Rose, 32
“Cereal with hot milk. Some people think it’s weird to drink it hot, but I love it and loved it more when I was pregnant.”
Ale, 32
“The only thing I craved (only happened once a day) was a baked potato.”
Karilyn, 31
“White pizza with broccoli and Wendy’s fries on it.”
