NEWS FROM COW & GATE

Pregnant women take on culinary Kings with weird and wonderful cravings creations

New survey reveals the weirdest and wackiest hankerings experienced by mums-to-be

 A poll from C&G Baby Club Community reveals a third of pregnant women (31%) are just as likely to find the object of their craving in a chemist or hardware store, as they are in a supermarket, as they admit to unusual hankerings for non-food items, such as soap (11%), chalk (6%) and toothpaste (5%), as well as creative combos such as sausages and jam.

A side of soap with supper

The survey found the most popular cravings to be sweet chocolate (30%); sour pickles (29%); and salty crisps (28%). With some of the more unconventional individual responses including rubber, paint and rocks, while one person even said tree bark and another the smell of tennis balls.

At some point during pregnancy, nearly half of mums-to-be (49%) have felt embarrassed by their cravings, with a majority turning to an online delivery service to stock up on their unusual urges (34%).

The new poll aims to celebrate all of the weird, wacky and wonderful elements of pregnancy, with the C&G Baby Club Community offering future mums a place to share their pregnancy experiences without judgment among those who know the feeling or have been there before.

Nutritionist, Jo Travers, comments:

"Mums needn't be fazed by their pregnancy cravings. After all, they are just one of the weird and wonderful experiences of pregnancy that every mum-to-be has.

“The survey reveals almost half of mums are embarrassed about their hankerings, however, this doesn’t need to be the case. If they need reassurance they can speak to a nutritionist or if they’re just looking to share and chat about their own experiences, even the wackiest moments, they can visit the C&G Baby Club Community, a safe and reassuring place where likeminded mums can connect."

Right here, right now

More than one in ten (12%) are desperate to fulfill cravings before breakfast while over a third (36%) of pregnant mums confess to sending their other half out in the middle of the night on a special trip to pick up a cravings meal. Family members and friends are also kept busy with one in three (32%) pregnant mums calling in foodie favours from their nearest and dearest.

Cravings most commonly occur three to five times a day for more than a third of mums (36%) and it's not always just a case of popping to the local shop.  Nearly half (49%) of hungry mums-to-be are prepared to travel five to ten miles if what they crave is not already in the house, while almost one in ten (9%) would travel over 10 miles to fulfill their craving. Money is no object for some when it comes to matters of the tummy, with one in seven (15%) confessing they'd splash over £50 on their hankering.

If mums-to-be can't satisfy their cravings, they admit to suffering a range of emotions with many left feeling, anxious (23%) upset (21%) angry (20%) annoyed (18%) and even frustrated (18%).

Sweet, salty or both?

With chocolate being a popular choice, it's unsurprising a quarter of mums-to-be most commonly have an urge for desserts (25%), followed by red meat (18%) and surprisingly some even fancy extra vegetables (13%).

A quarter (27%) of respondents confessed to a liking for bizarre mixtures of sweet and savory foods. Intriguing combinations listed include sausages and jam, Mars bars and bacon, and Yorkshire pudding with chocolate spread.

Jessica Thornton, mum-to-be and blogger at Lilypod and Sweetpea, adds: "My cravings have been all things minty, whether that be Tic Tac's, Polo's or Murray Mints. It's gotten to the extreme of mint sauce on everything...including toast, which can be a little embarrassing at family events! If I run out of edibles I've been known to take to the toothpaste tube, or simply send my fiancé out for the goods."

To learn more about the C&G Baby Club Community or to share your pregnancy trials, tribulations and celebrations, from pregnancy cravings to best buys, visit www.cgbabyclub.co.uk/