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Day 38 of 280 · 5 weeks + 3 days

Cravings, and the odd one

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 5 sources · Plain-text version

Wanting pickles is ordinary. Wanting to eat dirt or ice is a question for your provider. Today you keep a short list of both.

Size this week
about the size of a sesame seed
Length this week
around 2 mm from head to bottom
A Latina woman in a loose sweater standing in front of an open fridge at night, lit by its light, holding a jar and laughing at herself.

Five weeks and three days. Cravings are the pregnancy cliché that happens to be true for a lot of people, and most of them are harmless. One kind isn't, and it's worth knowing the difference today.

Your baby

One pale sesame seed on a dark slate board, photographed close up in soft daylight.

Around 2mm long, about the size of a sesame seed (NHS). The embryo already has its own blood vessels, which will become part of the umbilical cord, and the placenta is starting to form, supplying nutrients and oxygen and removing waste (NHS). The supply line is being built this week; what you eat is what travels down it.

Your body

Food cravings may appear around now, linked to hormonal changes (NHS). The NHS adds one clear exception: unusual cravings, such as wanting to eat dirt, should be discussed with a midwife or doctor, because they can signal a condition linked to low iron (NHS). Iron matters more now: MedlinePlus puts the need at 27 mg a day during pregnancy, because blood volume rises (MedlinePlus).

The ordinary cravings don't need a plan beyond a varied, balanced diet, and the NHS is plain that there's no "eating for two" (NHS). In the first trimester you need little or no extra calories at all (MedlinePlus). If nausea is driving what you can face, small snacks as often as every 1 to 2 hours beat large meals (MedlinePlus).

Try today

  1. The craving check

    Time: 1 minute a day, for a week

    1. Keep a line on your phone. Each time a craving hits, write what it was and whether you gave in. No scoring.

    2. Mark anything that isn't food: dirt, clay, ice, laundry starch, chalk. That line goes straight onto the first-visit list, because the NHS says to discuss it with a midwife or doctor (NHS).

    3. Look at the food ones at the end of the week. If one is doing the work of a meal, pair it with something from the varied diet the NHS asks for (NHS).

    4. Tell whoever shops. A craving that's already in the house is cheaper than one at 10pm.

    Make it work:

    Only take vitamin and mineral supplements a provider recommends (MedlinePlus); a non-food craving is a reason to ask about iron, not to buy a bottle.

Watch for

  • Normal

    wanting one food and refusing another, linked to hormonal changes (NHS).

    Call your provider

    about a craving for something that isn't food, such as dirt, which can signal a condition linked to low iron (NHS).

  • Normal

    feeling tired and a little light-headed when you've skipped a snack; fatigue is common this week (NHS).

    Go to the ER

    or seek care immediately for dizziness or fainting (CDC).

  • Normal

    mild cramping, which the NHS lists for this week (NHS).

    Go to the ER

    or seek care immediately for severe belly pain that doesn't go away (CDC).

For you

The light version: food cravings often fade after the first 3 months (MedlinePlus). The jar of pickles is a season, not a personality.

If you're the partner: your job is not to police the list. Buy the thing, and if something on the list isn't food, make sure it gets to the appointment, because the NHS says it needs a conversation with a midwife or doctor (NHS). That's the whole assignment.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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