When pregnancy cravings veer from the usual

by Jennifer Jordan (Subscribe to Jennifer Jordan's posts) Oct 18th 2007 7:36PM

Categories: Pregnancy & Birth, Places To Go, Bump Watch, Celeb Parenting

When I was pregnant I wanted cupcakes. I ate as healthfully as possible whenever I could but there were times within the last month of my pregnancy when I simply had to have a cupcake. And it had to have a certain color icing and be from a particular bakery.

Given what I've heard and read about pregnancy cravings that sounds relatively normal. Friends and family claim they craved sugar or salt or other basic tastes while pregnant. One very pregnant celebrity admits to cravings a bit more unusual.

Multi-talented woman and soon-to-be-mamma Milla Jovovich recently admitted she'd been craving bone marrow, roving all over Paris desperate to get some in her! That's certainly...specific. And unusual.

Or maybe it's not. I'm vegetarian so bone marrow or heck, anything with bones, didn't appeal to me when I was preggers, but then again the body and the baby wants what it wants, right?

I've heard of women craving things in odd combos (you know, the whole pickles and ice cream thing) and even of women craving things like clay and lead, but never bone marrow. You say tomato, Milla says....

Pic of non-preggo Milla by SciFriqui.

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Comments (15)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Amy 10-18-2007 @ 8:32PM

With my first pregnancy, I craved Mexican food so much and so often that I was afraid the baby would come out Mexican (which would've been hard to explain, because we're not Mexican). To make matters worse, I've always joked with my husband about my (imaginary) boyfriend "Raoul," (his imaginary girlfriend is Bambi, and it all started when he went to Vegas when we were dating... Long story). Anyway, I endured a lot of jokes about "Raoul's baby" making me crave Mexican food.

I didn't have time to have cravings with my second pregnancy, as I was chasing a toddler around the whole time.

Amy @ http://prettybabies.blogspot.com

DaMoKi Bob 10-18-2007 @ 9:11PM

Jennifer,

With my wife it was not strange food as much as strange time and place. Living on Okinawa, in a house on top of a 300 year old burial vault... creepy!... she started craving cocktail onions in vinegar around 3:00AM. I don't speak Japanese, but I found myself wandering the back streets of the capital city, Naha, in search of the Japanese equalivate of a Convenient Mart... that was creepy.

Of course when the hunter-gatherer returned to the cave, with coctail onions, she had buzzed through a pint of vanilla ice cream and something in a bag with Japanese writing on it(?). I just went to bed.

Jenn 10-18-2007 @ 9:22PM

Well, ossobuco isn't particularly unusual in Italy, and the inclusion of the marrow is part of what makes it a delicacy.

And I know at least one vegetarian (and know of several others) who had such severe cravings for meat during their pregnancy that they became non-vegetarian for the duration.

I was lucky, the only cravings I had were for skim milk & apples! On one business trip I went on, I must have gone through 1/2 gallon of milk every day.

nicolebarber 10-18-2007 @ 9:22PM

With my first pregnancy burnt chicken nuggets from McDonald's was my big one , my second pregnancy was the smell of tar and I would sneak samples of sand gross as I think back on it.

Ethel 10-19-2007 @ 5:39AM

Bone marrow is delish! We overlook this highly tasty treat too often in the US - although if you have a gamy cow it's not so nice. Man, when I was little and we'd have that nice piece of cross cut femur I'd beg to have it. Yum!

brandi 10-19-2007 @ 3:22AM

With my first I craved coffee (decaf of course!). with the second it was eggs, i would seriuosly want eggs with everything at all meals! Damoki Bob I can't believe that on Okinawa you couldn't find a lawsons or a friendly mart as they are on every corner but maybe that was awhile ago! We are on okinawa right now and there seems to be one everywhere! Oh and the living on top of a burial ground made me laugh as those are also everywhere, but maybe its only funny if you've seen the way they integrate everything over here!

Jennifer Jordan 10-19-2007 @ 5:45AM

Ethel--really? I didn't know it was such a delicacy! Until I read bout it just yesterday I hadn't heard of it!

Erik 10-19-2007 @ 6:39AM

I hope she was just kiding

heather 10-19-2007 @ 7:56AM

I was going to say that bone marrow in other countries is not so unusual. Like someone else stated, I also know a vegan who craved meat while pregnant and I believe gave into that craving only while pregnant. Me, I just crave some mashed potatoes...carbs all the way!

india 10-19-2007 @ 11:28AM

my pregnancy cravings with my daughter were milkshakes and pizza..my son at first was taco bell i ate it soo much it made me sick, then it turned to steak and milkshakes..with both my children tho i had huge cravings of sand and dirt and anything gritty like that

doneta 11-18-2007 @ 10:57PM

When I was pregnant with my first son my only craving was for blood. A little troublesome since I was a vegetarian, but I think that is probably why I was craving it. I just wanted some raw, bloody red meat. But I didn't give in!
Also, to those who crave sand and other non-foods...it's a condition called pica. You may have an iron or zinc deficiency. Check with your doctor before adding iron supplements, especially when pregnant.

becky 12-05-2007 @ 6:50AM

With my first son, it was tomatoes and cucumbers in vinager, my second son, it was potato chips with pickles together

April 12-05-2007 @ 10:44AM

With my first, I craved Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream & dill pickles together. With my second it was chipotle ribs from Don Pablos, only time in my life when mexican food did not upset my stomach. With my third it was chocolate pudding.

Joy 12-05-2007 @ 12:36PM

With both my pregnancies, I craved Ice, Ice, and more Ice! I'd buy cups of ice at a certain gas station so often (they had the best kind for crunching, little pebble sized ones like at the hospital), that they started to know me and eventually stopped charging me at all. It was really sweet. However, I was pregnant over the winter both times, and I remember driving along and craving ice so badly I almost pulled over just to get some off the ground - glad I didn't give in to that one!

Me-O 12-05-2007 @ 2:08PM

I always stopped at the freezer when I got home from work, just to smell the freon scent (mouth watering for some reason). No strange food cravings except maybe exotic nuts and shellfish both of which I'm highly allergic to so I couldn't give in to those.

I did strongly dislike everyone...Everyone. What can I say, I'm was meanie.

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