What Do You CRAVE?
ANN Wambua suddenly started having a longing for lemon peels. She would rush out of the house to the local market and buy at least five lemons each day, eat the peels and throw away the lemons! This unusual habit amused her two siblings, but not her mother, who promptly recommended a pregnancy test for her daughter. Ann thought this was a joke, but true to her mum’s wisdom and experience, the test turned out positive.
Cravings are common during pregnancy and are absolutely normal. The question, however, is: what do you crave for? The nature of items pregnant women crave for varies significantly. In some cases these cravings are so unbelievable that they provide a ticklish source of amusement to people close to some mums-to-be. However, the problem arises when indulgence is in junk food such as french fries and high calorie foods. These may result in drastic weight gain; and may put both the mother and her unborn baby at risk of obesity and consequently difficult labour.
To avoid complications associated with cravings abuse, try these simple tips to help you put bothersome cravings under firm control.
Eat a healthy serving of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. Fruits are a great source of beta carotene, vitamin A and C. Vegetables provide minerals such as potassium, iron and magnesium. Fruits also supply sweetness and provide energy.
Never skip meals especially breakfast as it makes the cravings worse. Take time to digest food so that you stabilize your blood sugar levels and stop fat storage. This makes you feel full for a long time.
Get plenty of exercise. The simplest and best exercise for pregnant women is walking for at least half an hour everyday. Other activities are swimming and yoga.
Try to surround yourself with people who can offer emotional support; those who make you feel loved and important. Avoid engaging in negative talk that may make you feel depressed. Stress and depression can lead to bad eating habits and abuse of cravings.
Drink water throughout the day. Since water is involved in every metabolic function of the body, one should drink at least eight glasses everyday. This will prevent dehydration especially during the third trimester. Water flushes out toxins when fat is burned for energy. It carries nutrients through the blood to the baby and helps prevent bladder infections. It also keeps at bay the craving for ice cream that may cause colds.
Take vitamins and iron elements as recommended by a doctor. This provides the nutrients you need on a consistent basis. The vitamins and iron elements may be either absent or insufficient in food. For example. Iron or Zinc deficiency has been linked to a craving for non food items (known as pica).
Substitute the cravings with a healthier option instead of trying to ignore it or indulging in harmful substances. Dark chocolate can be a useful source of magnesium and iron. Less sugary sources of these minerals include nuts, red meat. eggs, beans and oatmeal for iron. It is believed that eating chocolate may help a woman who is tired or depressed to feel better. Substitute ice cream with non-fat frozen yogurt.
Ultrasound scan cannot guarantee sex of baby!
By Dr Blasio Omuga
Recently a woman posed this question to Dr Blasio Omuga, a consultant obstetrician, university lecturer and editor at Pregnant. ’I delivered a baby boy in January this year. When I was pregnant, I went for a scan and was told I would be having a girl. What caused the confusion?’
Dr Omuga says, ‘Although an ultrasound scan can help tell the baby’s sex. there are no guarantees until the baby is born. This is because your baby needs to be in a certain favorable position for one to clearly see whether the organs of a baby boy exist otherwise the baby is assumed to be a girl. The scan also needs to be done at the right time. Less than 18 weeks is too early to tell the baby’s sex. Unfortunately, mistakes in determining the baby’s sex do actually happen. You are right in calling it ‘confusion’!
Chicken, ice cream, fruits, chocolate…There is no standard cravings list. Different pregnant women crave for different foodstuffs—and even non food items.
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