Pica during pregnancy?

[lilmisscaviar]

I remember when my midwife first asked me during my first pregnancy if I had any non-food cravings for things like clay, soil, sand, chalk, etc and thinking how could anyone find those things appealing? However, come down to my fifth baby (eighth pregnancy in all) and as odd as it sounds I'm starting to find those things appealing! Like I'm not really craving them per se but if I see chalk at the store or rocks in the driveway my mouth starts to water. I haven't given into Pica and actually ate this stuff but it does disrupt my day to day life. It is the weirdest sensation ever and I can understand how anyone reading this that doesn't have Pica thinks I'm crazy however I was looking to see if there was anyone out there suffering from the same condition and what you do to manage it?

Before anyone tells me to get checked out let me just add that I did mention this to my midwife and she has already diagnosed me with Pica. She checked my blood for deficiencies, particularly iron, but believe it or not my iron came back at 15.5! She said it may just be a hormonal thing. I remember craving ice a lot in my last pregnancy but I never brought it up to my midwife thinking that it was probably my body just trying to prevent hydration. Looking back though it could have been Pica in mild form. I do remember that it went away within a couple days after giving birth. Hoping it'll do the same again.

 

[Zephram]

Was it ferritin that was checked? In New Zealand they want your iron to be over 20 during pregnancy, so 15.5 would actually be diagnosed as mild iron deficiency here and you would be prescribed iron supplements. My iron came back as 17 in my last pregnancy (he’s 2.5 weeks old now, haven’t updated my ticker) and I was prescribed iron tablets. I never experienced pica but I did feel more energetic within a few days of taking iron. If I were you I would go and get some iron supplements to take as your iron is definitely on the low side.

 

[maybaby2018]

I had this with my previous pregnancy for damp towels and sponges..but they had to have that damp smell..id just sit and chew on them. And now at 30 weeks it's come back again with this pregnancy! All my bloods are fine etc! Mad what hormones can do x