JEDDAH, 2 March 2005 — When baby is on the way, it’s a special time.
It’s a time to get the nest ready and a time for the expectant baba to cater to the expectant mama’s every need and whim. So when mama asks for something very strange to eat, baba better get it or he may get it.
Get it?
Everyone has a favorite food, such as desserts, fruits, pastries, cheese or other items. Pregnant women, however, may have cravings, sometimes for seemingly crazy things, that need to be sated. Studies show that as many as 53 percent of pregnant women have these short-term food cravings.
Women in their first months of pregnancy often crave foods that they’ve never eaten — or even liked —before. Some others go wild for a specific type of food, like chocolate, for instance, yet over time they may become disgusted by the same food. A pregnant woman might have a hankering for an out-of-season fruit, like a watermelon in winter. But before you start calling pregnant women crazy, it’s important to note that experts remain undecided about that.
According to Dr. Mona Al-Sawaf, consulting psychiatrist and division head at King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah, the mystery of pregnancy cravings is still a riddle — and its causes are unknown. “Our clinical observations showed that the incidence of craving in Saudi women, especially among young, first-time mothers, is high, and it is socially accepted by their families and by their husbands,” said Dr. Al-Sawaf.
“Women consider this period of pregnancy as the most difficult time regarding appetite but the most wonderful time if husbands take care of their demands,” she added.
Seeking to feel more secure by attracting attention and love from family members, especially husbands, may explain craving. A pregnant woman’s demands need to be fulfilled for her safety and that of the coming baby.
Some people (probably men) say that women use this period to have an excuse to be fully spoiled and attract attention.
Sympathizing with the new situation of pregnancy by husbands, with all its weird changes and food inclinations is very important in order to support their wives and help them get over it. Moreover, accompanying their wives to their doctors is highly supportive.
“Sharing the moments of joy when seeing the fetus on the ultrasound monitor, hearing its heartbeats, and preparing the house for the new arrival and helping her in house holding would help a pregnant woman a lot in bearing the period of cravings and after,” said Dr. Al-Sawaf. She added that pregnancy may be adversely affected if the relationship between husband and wife becomes unstable.
There is another kind of craving, an actual eating disorder called pica, that may be more serious. Pica is characterized as digesting non-nutritive substances. Three percent of pregnant women tend to eat soap, clay, paper, sand or even dirt.
However, it has been noted in some research that pica is related to the culture itself. It is reported that African women have certain types of pica including geophagia (clay eating) and starch eating.
Eating non-nutritive substances may lead to an unsuccessful pregnancy, metabolic disturbances, liver diseases and even death in rare cases. “I used to eat dessert a lot before my pregnancy. After I got pregnant, I hated all kinds of sweets and craved for soap, not to smell, but to bite,” said teacher Sarah Samir about her cravings during pregnancy.
Some picas leave spots in children’s bodies according to the food or substances mothers crave. “My mother used to eat mango in big amounts when she was carrying me. Now, I have a mango shape with the same color on my back,” said Lubna Othman, a university student.
It may be important to note that the spots do not always resemble the particular food item in shape and color. It’s also worthwhile to note that many pregnant women won’t announce a pica craving. “When my wife was in her first months of pregnancy, she used to go to the Corniche everyday to smell some fresh air by the sea, as she used to say,” said Husam Salim, a middle-aged Saudi husband. “I once went to pick her up from there without her knowing, and I found her eating clay! I was shocked that she used to go there everyday to do so or asked the driver to bring her some sand to mix with water at home and eat it.”
There are other women whose cravings may be a little safer — and a lot easier — to satisfy. “What I like the most during this period is sleeping,” said Rula As’ad, a 21-year-old pregnant woman in her first months of pregnancy. “I became really lazy, and wherever I sit to watch a movie or read a book, I just find myself tired and end up asleep.” However, there may be worse things for a husband than having his pregnant wife request strange food items in the middle of the night.
“My friend’s wife used to detest his smell,” said Abdul Rahman Muhammad, a 37-year-old accountant. “She used to vomit whenever he came near her.”
