Wow, this topic brings back memories. I had so many similarities to others who have posted. My first pregnancy found me craving healthy food and not wanting anything to do with junk food. I couldn't drink anything cold at all. When I could tolerate cold, TCBY frozen yogurt shakes made me feel better. I was sick for weeks and weeks and took to carrying around zipper-close plastic bags.

The enhanced sense of smell is unbelievable. During pregnancy number two I sat near the kitchen at work and died every time someone made microwave popcorn. It was during that pregnancy that I went to Ghirardelli with a colleague and had a hot fudge brownie sundae. I couldn't stop eating them after that.

Pregnancy number three completely flip-flopped my food preferences. I normally don't like a lot of red meat, but craved it then. I couldn't stand eating chicken; something about the texture. And the sense of smell again! Similar to the garlic bulb story, I could not open the refrigerator because of something I smelled in it. My husband searched and cleaned, searched again, and finally found a rotted onion that was hidden somewhere in the veggie drawer.

LOL - makes me remember that, while my pregnant self loved cold drinks, Sparky wanted nothing to do with them. He would kick me until the cold drink went back where it came from...

The enhanced sense of smell is what I most remember, especially from pregnancy #1. We had a large package of chewing gum, and I could not stand the smell of it. I made my husband take it out to his car because it stank up the apartment to my senses and he was too cheap to throw out something perfectly good like sugarless gum . He would chew it sometimes when driving, but I could smell it on his breath later and wouldn't get too near him, much less kiss him. He finally threw it away. Coffee's odor also bothered me during the first few months, and I love coffee normally but couldn't drink it during the first trimesters. I don't remember any particular food cravings.

Had a few chuckles and moments of recognition browsing this thread. I'm around 8 weeks pregnant. I can't stand coffee (used to drink 2+ cups a day) or most red meat. The thought of hamburgers makes me queasy. But I have had a constant craving for Potbelly (I guess I didn't burn myself out on those sandwiches when I worked there a few years ago after all) and Vietnamese food. Noodles in particular have really been my bag. And last Friday I had my most intense craving so far: A MURDEROUS desire for spicy miso ramen from Lulu's in Evanston. Unfortunately, Lulu's closed a few months ago. I convinced a friend to accompany me downtown for a late lunch at Slurping Turtle (which was great, but it was no Lulu's ).

And to the person who found Cheer detergent soothing: I've found the same thing for fabric softener. I feel so pleasant when I'm outside and get a blast from a random dryer vent.

Congratulations LPython! Your first? If so, you are embarking on one of life's greatest journeys.

I was the one who love the smell of Cheer (and hated the smell of almost everything else). I love how you describe the desire as murderous. Great way to put it and only those who've experienced it will understand. It is totally different from non-pregnant cravings in which you merely desire something. I would have killed for pretzels which I never ate before and I haven't eaten since! Keep us posted on little python!