How to satisfy my cravings when its dirt and egg shells??

[first_time_mummy]

Um, i feel like a total weirdo here, but i have been craving dirt or sand for months now, and i feel like just taking a big lick of the dirt in our yard....:/
Its beyond a joke, if i see or smell dirt or sand, my mouth waters.

I also woke up last night craving the crunchiness of a gritty eggshell....!!

i only have 3 1/2 weeks to go before bub comes, but i just cant get rid of this urge to eat it....

[Bathsheba]

Sounds like you have a mineral deficiency... what supplements are you taking?

[first_time_mummy]

im on iron, but i had to stop them because i was getting badly constipated.
other than that i havent taken anything.
I took folate in the first six months, but my midwife told me i could stop.

Maybe i should start taking a multivitamin?

[NaeNae]

Well,

if its any constellation a lot of the "older generation farmers" around here swear by a teaspoon of dirt a day for children. It toughens them up

Then again I personally wouldn't eat ANY of the dirt around here because I know how full of crap it is (litereally from cows, horses, alapcas, dogs, pigs, sheep, cats, birds and yes giant earth worms)

I am wondering if you have enough vitamins in your diet actually because finely crushed eggshells can actually be very helpful for some minerals in different animals diets. Like duck eggs for eggsample (sorry couldn't resist) if their shells are super soft their diet is lacking in something and finely crushed eggshells in their food can help produce harder shells ( I saw it on Dr Harry)

Other than that, I would have to say that is the WEIRDEST craving I have ever heard of.

Nae x

[Bumperstump Cummerbund]

Maybe an iridologist could help you out? Definitely sounds like you're lacking some vitamin/mineral - just don't know what it is! And then you can make sure that whatever you start taking is safe for bub as well

And if all else fails....at least sieve the dirt so there are no bugs

[BellyBelly]

I agree sounds like you have a mineral deficiency - I'd get along to see a naturopath who can identify and what you need and help, then provide you with potent, effecive and also gentle herbs. Don't bother with supermarket brand, they are no good.

The best iron supplement you can have that midwives rave about for their absorbancy, least side effects and effectiveness is Floradix. It's a liquid but it's very good. Sounds like you are craving something else though, maybe calcium? Would be a good idea to get that checked out too.

[NaeNae]

Bath I was actually thinking the same thing

FTM - your body is obviously lacking in minerals and vitamins. I would get onto a good pregnancy supp. There are many on the market, Blackmores pregnancy and breastfeeding, Elevit, Cenovis to name a few.

Your baby is litereally like a parasite that takes all the nutrients out of your body so s/he can grow big and healthy. You need to replace these things for your own benefit.

They can be a bit Exxy but oh so worth it so then you don't go reaching for dirt and eggshells

Nae x x

[Bathsheba]

My guess is that you have a calcium deficiency but like Kelly said maybe go along to a good natropath, they will ask the right questions. I took Elivit with all my pregnancies but it can be exxy... maybe you just need a particular mineral and it would be better to focus on that.

[squidipa]

i agree with these women sounds like you body is crying out for something.

[Talia*L]

Yes I also think that sounds like a mineral deficiency. It's quite an odd BUT not uncommon symptom of this. There are rural communities in the South of the US where the women crave and eat dirt, because their diets are lacking in some minerals.

[Glamourcide]

It sounds to me like pica, sweetie. It tends to be relatively common in pregnant women - Lauryn Hill suffered it during her pregnancy (she craved fingernails, corn starch and soil, according to a magazine article I once read lol). As the others have said, it's believed to be your body's demand that a mineral deficiency be satisfied, so maybe pay a visit to your GP and have a chat to see if they can work out what your body wants and find a safer, tastier way to satisfy it Good luck!!

[MummyDuck]

Apparently a craving for dirt is most commonly a deficiency in iron. However definately check with your GP.
Good luck

[LaDolceVita]

I agree with Glamourcide - I thought Pica as well, hoping you can sort it out soon!! I am having odd cravings also, as weird as it sounds, I feel like I could just nom nom nom on the bottom of the bath plug... Must be the rubber texture and smell. Sooooo odd. Haven't succumbed though of course lol - The things we go through for our bubbas haha - Not long now though hun! Good luck!! xox

[LimeSlice]

Eat some dirt.

It wont kill you and you will feel so much better! I once heard of a woman who had a craving for something for months, finally one day she ground up a brick and ate it and felt wonderful! lol

Find out what you're lacking and find a supplement Good luck!

[first_time_mummy]

is it too late to start on vitamin tablets if im due in a few weeks?
Or is it still a good idea to continue with the tablets even after the baby is born. Its obviously my body thats craving it, right? Bub should be getting everything it needs, shouldnt it??

[Phteven]

No, it's not too late to star vitamins and you should keep taking them after bubs arrives.

[pash]

Ehrm... you're not that weird. I've been craving chalk and dirt all the way through this pg. Isort of get around it by going somewhere that smells like dirt (I also like rubber) and chugging down a load of water while breathing in the smell. And chewable calcium tablets (not the orange flavoured ones but the vanilla ones) have been good for the chalk craving, and might be good for the eggshell craving too.

[Just Me]

I agree with pash, you're not that weird. I never posted about it but I was exactly the same from about 31 weeks onwards. I would drive past construction sites with the windows down just to smell the dirt. I had an incredible craving for sand and piles of dirt. We went to the beach and I was incredibly jealous when DS took a handful of sand and put it in his mouth. Since the birth of DD2, the cravings still haven't completely left me ... the urge just isn't as intense. I was on a pg multivitamin but still had cravings. My iron levels were completely normal so who knows what I was lacking ...

I satisfied my cravings by keeping a big bag of ice in the freezer and crunching my way through it. The crunch factor seemed to satisfy my cravings somewhat but then pictures of snow made my mouth water too.