Pregnancy is a beautiful experience. Having a human being growing within can feel almost magical, like being a goddess with secret powers. But Real Talk: Plenty of things about being pregnant are totally bizarre. We're talking feet and ankles that swell so much they look like sausages in shoes, strange aches and pains that come out of nowhere (lightning crotch is real, and it totally hurts!), and baby belly gymnastics that leave our midsections looking like something out of a horror movie.
A woman's body does a lot of unexpected things while pregnant. But one of the weirdest things that happens while expecting is getting cravings for some foods or food combos we never would want to eat before the baby was on board.
It's no secret that pregnant women are known to get cravings for particular snacks. After all, with all the work that goes into growing 10 fingers, 10 toes, vital organs, blood, and bones for another person, moms-to-be need to make sure they're getting enough food to keep their energy up.
Many pregnancy cravings are so common, everyone's heard of them. There's the infamous combo of pickles and ice cream or tales of eager dads jumping out of bed and heading to the drive-through for a late night burger with a side of extra fries (and woe is he if he forgets the ketchup).
But sometimes pregnancy cravings can get a little crazy, from things that are strangely healthy, to wanting to eat things that aren't even food. Recently some super honest Reddit users opened up about their strangest pregnancy cravings. Check them out to see what pregnant women are really eating, and to feel instantly better about those chocolate chip cookies the bump is calling for.
Carb Overload
Pad thai isn't a strange pregnancy craving to have (though many moms to be have lived to regret the heartburn that comes after). And donuts are pillows of yum, pregnant or not. But putting them together? One redditor swears by it. "First pregnancy, Krispy Kreme donuts mixed into Pad Thai. So disgusting and delicious haha," she says.
An Alternative to Fries
We all know the salty/sweet flavor bomb that is dipping fries into a milkshake. But redditor bksnail said her pregnancy took this taste combo into overdrive by using a hot dog as a spoon for her chocolate Frosty. "Today, I used chicken nuggets as the vehicle for my frosty," she said. Do you girl, but we still prefer fries.
Creamy & Crunchy
As a preggo, it's totally frustrating when we make the effort to feed a pregnancy craving, and it turns out the special combo we were dreaming of wasn't all we imagined. This happened to user MongooseWarrior. "Cream cheese and pickles on a cracker," she said. "Wasn't bad but I wouldn't seek it out again."
The Tuna Trials
User LegallyBlondeMama found herself jonesing for the unusual combo of tuna and pepperoni recently, even though she typically hates fish."Y’all I really want a pepperoni and tuna sandwich. I feel so weird wanting this," she wrote. "Tuna and pepperoni pizza sounds good too. I don’t know what’s going on."
Was it good? Sadly no. "Update: DO NOT PUT TUNA ON PEPPERONI PIZZA, " she wrote. "99% sure my child was playing a major prank on me with that one."
Cheese & Chocolate
Cheese and chocolate are both foods no one would want to live without, but are two great things really better when put together? Redditor browneyedgirl79 says during her pregnancy the answer is an enthusiastic yes. "During my first pregnancy ('98), I craved cheese puffs dipped in chocolate icing (frosting)," she said.
Is the Baby a Vegan?
When we think of pregnancy cravings, we think of late night pints of ice cream eating with pickle spears, and towers of chocolate cookies perched on our baby bumps. But user ADunk2's fetus had other foods in mind for their mom. "Today I ate a half a bag of raw green beans," she writes.
Potatoes With a Kick
At first glance, user LikeWhiteElephant's pregnancy craving sounds delicious and totally unusual — baby wanted a pile of fluffy mashed potatoes. But instead of gravy on top, or even the less conventional but still not unheard of ketchup, this mama reached for hot sauce. "Mashed potatoes with franks red hot sauce," she writes. Sounds pretty tasty.
Chicken of the Sea
When redditor HitlersHotpants wanted a sandwich while pregnant, her baby asked for an unusual combo of proteins. "I wanted anchovies, put them on a chicken cutlet sandwich," she writes. "It was actually pretty good." We guess that's one way to get those omega-3's in.
Slimy Yet Satisfying
Waffles with syrup are amazing, no matter if it's day or night. And few things calm the tummy grumbles like a plate of veggie lo mein. But eating them both together? User electricalvegetables says it happened during her pregnancy. "Mine was veggie lo mein on waffles with syrup!" she says.
Peanut Butter Crunchies
Peanut butter isn't a strange thing to crave while pregnant (or anytime really because it's delicious) but some of the things our babies compel us to use as edible spoons are kinda out there. "My go-to for my first was raw carrots dipped in peanut butter, " says user Ladymethis. Carrots and not celery? Huh.
Straight Veggies, No Chaser
We all know it's important to eat a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of veggies while pregnant, but redditor AJmama18's fetus was super serious about making sure mama wasn't missing out on those greens. "Lettuce. No salad dressing. Just lettuce," she said of her pregnancy cravings. That's hardcore.
Maybe It's the Minerals
We've all heard of women wishing for odd food combinations while pregnant. But user sugarbythecube found herself craving something that no one should ever eat. "Soil," she says. "I never gave in, but the smell of soil." Maybe the baby wanted minerals. Or maybe it reminded them of brownie pieces?
Grab a Straw
Ranch dressing is the best dressing, everyone knows that. But user mamawolf2018 found herself craving this tasty topping to the extreme while she was pregnant, "Ranch," she writes of her cravings. "I drank it once at work." Bet we know what salad dressing her child now likes best.
Taffy Forever
Sugar and sweets aren't an uncommon pregnancy craving (I ate a giant bag of jelly beans in a week while pregnant with my twins) but for redditor ashinwonderland, it was the chewy texture of taffy she and baby craved more than the sugar. "In my second trimester, I constantly craved taffy. It was the texture/chewiness that I really wanted. I ate so much Laffy Taffy, Airheads, salt water taffy and fruit tootsie rolls I thought for sure all my teeth were gonna fall out!"
A Sign of Anemia?
User mrsgib had an unusual craving for ice that she realized could have an underlying cause. "I was all about ice! Especially shaved ice!" she says. "This can be a sign of anemia, so I asked my doctor and we found that I was mildly anemic, but after I started taking iron supplements the craving remained. I was pregnant mostly in the winter, and seeing all the snow outside made me want to eat it!"
A Childhood Classic
Sometimes having a child of our own can make us long for things that remind us of our own childhood. At least that's one way to explain redditor itscuteyouthinkthat's craving. "Spaghettios, " she says. "Haven't had them since I was probably 12, but starting at the very beginning I've eaten them for lunch like 4 times a week. Currently 30 weeks… that's A LOT of Spaghettios."
An Odd Soup & Sammy Combo
There's nothing inherently strange about having soup and sandwich for lunch. And dipping a melty grilled cheese into a bowl of warm tomato soup tastes amazing. But for user father_dan_the_man it wasn't peanut butter they wanted with their soup while pregnant. "I'll be real. I ate a lot of tomato soup and peanut butter sandwiches…which were dipped into the soup," the redditor said.
Fruity Bliss
Who knows if it was the baby trying wanting to test out what breakfast options they'll have outside the womb or if being pregnant brought up childhood memories, but user DreamingofWaffles found herself craving Fruit Loops after not eating them for 15 years. "I gave in, they were amazing," she says.
Minty & Sour
Orange juice isn't a weird thing to crave while pregnant. All the vitamin C has got to be good for the baby, right? What's odd about user ivy-and-twine's calling for OJ is the timing of it. "My current one is orange juice….but only after you brush your teeth," she says. "Anyone else? No? Just me?"
Grandma Would Be Proud
Redditor Dolla_Dolla_Bill-yal was all about Ovaltine while pregnant, the fortified chocolate powder mixed with milk our grandparents grew up on. "Ovaltine. In skim milk. With ice," she says. "Give me 8-10 glasses a day and I wouldn't even eat food. So good." Actually, that does sound like it would hit the spot.
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
