Well it has started..

Both craving and nausea are how the body chooses the foods baby needs and avoids those which will irritate baby. Or, at least, this is how it was explained to me. I do not know if any real woman ever had the pickles and ice cream craving. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ([i]Enjoy the Ride, but Only Around the Block Food cravings and aversions during pregnancy haven't been explored with any great scientific rigor, so no one knows for sure just how widespread they are, whether certain foods are more common than others, or even why the phenomenon occurs. And it's hard to know just how much of it is psychological. "If a woman has been raised to believe that during pregnancy one craves pickles, then ... she's likely to crave pickles," says Roy Pitkin, MD, professor emeritus of obstetrics and gynecology at UCLA, and editor of the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. [/i]) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (1) The question, however, at the back of my mind is how much are these cravings 'real' and for the baby's benefit and how much are they for the mother's. For example, is there a psychological advantage in knowing that hubby will go and fetch whatever your strange heart's desire might be? Or, is this a time to indulge your cravings, a perfect excuse to eat all that bad stuff you'd like to cram in your face normally but resist the temptation? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ([i]Should moms-to-be give in to their dietary urges? Pregnancy is supposed to be enjoyable, so have a little fun with your cravings, the experts say, but do not go overboard. The key is making sure you're getting a healthy diet first, and then working in those extras. "If you eat whatever tastes good, pretty soon you could be 400 pounds," says Bruce Bagley, MD, a family-practice physician in Latham, N.Y. "Make sure you have a balanced diet, and then if you feel like eating ice cream, go ahead, but within a reasonable calorie range." [/i]) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (2) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ([i]"Most food cravings are irrelevant and appropriate for mothers to succumb to," says Imler. "Non-food cravings, however, pose a concern." Pica Imler is referring to substances pregnant women crave that have absolutely no nutritional value. This craving is referred to as pica, which is the Latin word for magpie, a bird that will eat just about anything. The most common pica substances craved include dirt, clay, laundry starch and ice that is chewed. ... For example, in some cultures, women have been known to crave and eat dirt, which is thought to contain trace elements of iron. [/i]) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (3) I still can't figure out where "Pickles and Ice Cream" reference comes from. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ([i]Pickles and ice creams are the most delicious and tempting food products. However during pregnancy the craving for these items reaches a very high level. The mere mention or sight of pickles is enough to cause a craving for a pregnant woman. Even the thought of ice creams is equally tempting. Although, these food items cannot be eaten together, their craving is irresistible, some sweet pickles make excellent toppings for ice-creams. In pregnancy women tend to crave for weird combinations of food items such as pickles and ice creams. Pickles tend to produce a hot and tangy taste and an equally delicious aroma. On the other hand, ice creams are the delectable food items which can be savored irrespective of age, gender and season. Pregnant women love to munch on the salty pickles as well as sweet ice creams. If the percentage of such craving women is calculated almost 68 percent crave for ice creams and pickles. And hence a maternity store has been named after these food items. The store is very famous and is a chain of shops. [/i]) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (4) Aha! Well, that doesn't sound very authoritative, If the percentage of such craving in women is calculated.. buy whom? When? Where? Oh, well. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Various included footnotes: 1) Pregnancy and Food Cravings - ( http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=51635 ) 2) Same Source - Same source as reference 1. 3) Craving Pickles and Ice Cream? - ( http://www.pregnancytoday.com/articles/nutrition/craving-pickles-and-ice-cream-3748/2/ ) 4) Why Pregnant Women Love Pickles and Ice Cream - ( http://www.articlealley.com/article_539957_26.html ) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That doesn't sound to weird. Yeah, I once had a eird craving for fried chicken livers and strawberry icecream together and yes I got it. But the weird factor is that I hate chicken livers but that night they tasted so good. I have not been able to eat them since then it was a one time thing for me. When my sister was pregnant she was always craving Fried chicken livers. My mom it was strawberry milk,marshmellows and crab neptune salad.

I don't recall having any weird food cravings when I was pregnant with either of my kids. I had terrible morning, noon, and night sickness with both of my kids though. For about a month with my son really weak juice or gatorade was about all I could keep down. I wanted spicy things when I was pregnant with him, but with my gall bladder issues spicy was out of the picture. With my daughter I wanted oranges everyday for about a month and there were days when all I could keep down was orange juice.