9 Weird Things I Did When I Was Pregnant

Pregnancy is notorious for bringing out the oddest cravings and behaviors in women. Here are a few that I personally experienced, and I added a bonus section that includes some goodies from my friends and family.

1. I would carry packs of Cinnamint Orbit gum with me everywhere to smell when I felt sick. It was the perfect cinnamon aroma to keep my nausea at bay, but it was always a little awkward to sniff away at my gum pack in the middle of a meeting.
2. I always had a large trash bag in my purse in case I got sick.
3. I would mutter to myself, “You got this. You’re a champ,” when faced with a seemingly impossible feat (like a particularly long flight of stairs)
4. I could only put half a portion of food on my plate at a time, or I would get overwhelmed and start crying. So Yev always had a bunch of food on his plate, and I would just take what I wanted when I was ready.
5. I would eat in the pool because it was the only time I wasn’t nauseous.
6. I would roam the Trader Joe’s aisles with their lavender soap under my nose because it was just the best smell in entire the world, and I couldn’t stop myself. I tried to be discreet, but let’s be honest, everyone could see me.
7. I LOVED the smell of beets cooking, even though I HATE everything about beets, especially the smell.
8. I was totally obsessed with old fashioned donuts, but I was supposed to be gluten-free. I was often in a state of distress, deliberating over denying my craving or feeling very ill. This usually let to a satisfied craving, a vengeful stomach, and mind full of regret.
9. I craved cognac the whole time I was pregnant, and then as soon as I delivered, I wasn’t interested in it at all.

Bonus Section

1. I ate chalk because it helped alleviate severe heart burn caused by deficits in calcium (DISCLAIMER: This was in Russia, several decades ago. Please do not eat chalk.)
2. I would walk around chewing dried fruit to keep my nausea at bay. As long as I was chewing, I wasn’t sick.
3. I would keep spitting in my bin at work because I salivated so much.
4. I avoided Christmas trees because the smell made me sick.
5. I wanted beer all the time, but the funny thing is, I hate beer.
6. I ate A LOT of cabbage soup.
7. I wanted champagne and ice cream all of the time.
8. I was living with my mother-in-law when I was pregnant, and I wanted borscht from some fast food place. But I could never go because someone would see me there and tell her, and she would get offended that I wasn’t eating her borscht.
9. I ate a MINIMUM of 10 ears of corn per day and 2-4 lbs of cherries.
10. I drank pickle and olive juice in cups during my first trimester.
11. I ate my body weight in mac and cheese, every day.
12. I used to stay at home in crop tops and sweat pants, letting my 7th month belly breathe.
13. I used to walk around my dining room, while watching Grey’s Anatomy, for exercise.
14. I could only drink iced cold water. I hated room temp water; it had to be iced cold. 
15. I randomly started liking pineapple, even though before pregnancy, I hated it.
16. I rubbed peppermint oil on the bottom of my feet to help with nausea.
17. I bought nursing bras and started wearing them WAY before my due date.
18. I would wake up so hot at night that I would go swimming in our backyard naked at 1, 2, 3 am.
19. I had a hard time getting around when I was really pregnant. I would walk 5 flight of stairs and by the time I hit the bottom, I wanted to go back up to pee!!!
20. I  could not get used to being like a ball. I climbed a toilet to get something from a cabinet over it. Lost balance and fell off of it!!!! I got scared more than hurt.  But lesson was learned. Some things I just could not do any more 🙂