Pregnancy cravings have an air of mystery, because out of nowhere in the middle of the night a woman can suddenly crave a food that’s hard to find, like jackfruit with Dijon mustard sauce, or as happened with my mother—savory corn pamonha with coalho cheese and sausage. My father went out at 11 p.m. to the city center—this was in the 1970s, when public transport was complicated and places closed early—just to find this pamonha. My mother ate very little and almost everything made her feel sick. After wandering to several places looking for this pamonha, he found it, and when he got home, my mother pounced and devoured it all!
When I was pregnant with my eldest daughter, I had the same nausea as my mother, and although nausea often subsides after the 12th week, mine lasted until the end of the pregnancy, so yes, it can happen, and I was the lucky one this time. I asked my husband to bring me rotisserie chicken on a Tuesday, and as everyone knows, that kind of food is much easier to find on weekends. He managed to find it at Pão de Açúcar supermarket, but you know, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting—the taste was different. I ate it, but not with that much enthusiasm; in the end, he ended up eating all the chicken himself, haha. So it seemed that the pregnancy cravings were his this time. I don’t remember having such a strong craving during my son’s pregnancy, but I do remember really enjoying Passatempo cookies.
In this last pregnancy, I think the nausea was the same as when I was pregnant with my eldest daughter, but was intense until the 12th week. At first, I could only eat grapes and citrus fruits, and from the day the nausea eased, my most memorable craving was for filet mignon medallions, rare with just garlic and salt—that’s what I would eat, plus countless cans of soda daily! I hope no doctor hears me say this, because I am not proud of it at all, but that’s reality and those were my cravings at the time.
But why do pregnancy cravings appear in the first place?
In the end, pregnancy cravings are the body’s way of letting a woman know that she needs a specific vitamin. In my case, my doctor explained that my craving for rare steak was related to anemia—that is, my body needed more protein at that moment.
Some cravings include eating dirt, or eating a sundae with fries (all mixed together). So whatever your pregnancy cravings may be, take them seriously—this is the body’s way of telling you what it needs, and it’s not just being picky, okay? To all the husbands out there, experiencing pregnancy cravings alongside your wife is more common than you think! Indulge her, and happily, because this phase is so wonderful for women, and should be enjoyed in every way—even through small gestures of affection…
See also: Reference Table for Fetal Size and Weight During Pregnancy
Photo: total saúde
