Tuesday, September 1, 2009

It's Official: Nobody Likes Pica

sponge Pictures, Images and Photos
If you visit regularly, you know that every Wednesday, I do silly polls. I do them for my own amusement. It's fun having horrible options and being forced to choose one. I also love polls in general. If I see one, I always am compelled to vote. I know that my polls don't have especially large turnout, but it doesn't deter me from making them. I am very excited to know that my last week's poll (reflecting cravings during pica pregnancy moments) got the lowest turnout ever!

I know that no one really wants to crave sponges with mildew or Pine Sol, but it happens. Well, it happened to me. I am always slightly anemic with low blood pressure and body temperature. It often makes it hard to give blood, but normally it does not bother me. In pregnancy, my anemia really kicks into overdrive and having morning sickness all day for months on end does not help keep iron pills or iron rich foods down. I didn't realize until it was too late that my head would be filled with bizarre cravings all the time.

When I was pregnant with my son, I wanted very badly to smell/taste mildewed sponges. I would have even settled for a washrag. I never realized how much smell and taste are tied together until those senses became very sensitive in pregnancy. My rational mind was appalled by what my body wanted to consume. I turned to ice cold wet carrots to appease those cravings. It worked somewhat because wateriness is something I desired. I was eating 5-10 lbs of carrots a week. I brought them with me to doctor's appointments and even had a bag when it was time to deliver. I was teased that my baby would come out orange and it did worry me, but I never told anyone that it was either carrots or the mildew. Luckily, a few days after delivery, the cravings disappeared.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, pica reared its head again. This time it was cleaning products that I wanted to smell and taste. I remember going to a miniature golf course and noticing that they had drained their little ponds and were scrubbing them with Pine Sol. I couldn't concentrate on golfing because I just wanted to lie down in the pond and inhale that glorious odor. I ended up washing my floors a lot that pregnancy. My rational mind was still strong and I never ingested those chemicals. I turned to cherry tomatoes to help me fight my urges with a few carrots thrown in.

Those are the stories behind my last poll. I can see why no one would want either option. Of course, with any of my polls, I've experienced both options so it's always funny to see what people would really prefer. I think my poll for tomorrow should incorporate unicorns and rainbows for maximum results. I know there is a science behind successful polls and apparently pica is an epic fail.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOL Jess, I am glad you explained that post I really did not think either one would be fun. Those are some fun preg. cravings!

Amy

Together We Save said...

I always vote too. Strange things...odd. I guess I just like to know what other people are thinking.

Anonymous said...

I love voting on your polls- I missed the pica poll. I would have chosen sponges. Although I do like a good wiff of Pine Sol. Na

WillOaks Studio said...

Oh my, that is really amusing--now I've just got to see these polls! I can sort of relate to the Pinesol and the carrots...but mildew?? No way! Ha ha!

Jessica said...

Amy, Yeah, I won't ever forget them!

Together We Save, Thanks for voting for the weird stuff. I put the poll on hiatus for this week.

Na, I guess sponges would have won then because it was a tie 1-1 (And I was one of the voters, don't tell anyone)

WillOaks Studio, thanks for stopping by! There are polls pretty much every week since I've done this blog. Each one weirder than the next. I'm glad you can relate to the PineSol.

A.Marie said...

Oh Drats! I love your polls and always try to vote, but I have been so busy this week that I missed the Pica one! Phooey!

I thought that I was the only odd one during pregnancy! :) I craved ice BIG TIME! I practically lived in the kitchen, because I was always getting ice. I was pregnant during the winter, and I was STILL eating ice! Also peanut butter...I couldn't get enough. I tell my teen son that this is the reason he absolutely LOVES Captain Crunch Peanut Butter cereal!

As far as chemical smells, I was crazy about the smell of paint. I painted EVERY WINDOW in our house when I was pregnant. I thought that maybe it was the "nesting" syndrome, but it might have been the smell that I was craving! :)