You must be wondering what the logic behind eating baby powder during pregnancy is? And why would a sane person crave baby powder during pregnancy? Women tend to get depressed about their weight gain during pregnancy; craving inedible food items is common in expectant mothers. If you are craving non-food items, then it means you are suffering with a condition called pica. The condition typically affects people with intellectual disabilities and young children. Moreover, pica is also a symptom of an obsessive compulsive disorder which is also sometimes but less frequently experienced by pregnant women which leads to eating baby powder during pregnancy.
What is pica?
Pica is basically an eating disorder which is mainly characterized with eating non-food items, for example, baby powder, ice, charcoal, metals, sand, paper, chalk, glue, paint chips, clay and dirt.
Causes of pica
There are many causes of pica, but, one of the most prevalent cause is nutritional deficiency, for example if you are deficient in zinc, calcium and iron which contributes to the craving of non-edible substances like eating baby powder during pregnancy. Moreover, to rule out the cause of pica you must consult a doctor to find out about what nutrients you may be missing. Craving baby powder is the body’s way of telling you that you are deficient in nutrients; it is the body’s way of trying to get the nutrients the body is missing. Therefore, you start craving substances like talc, clay and dirt.
How do you identify if you have a nutritional deficiency during pregnancy?
One of the most prevalent signs of a nutritional deficiency is that you start craving or eating baby powder during pregnancy. Nonetheless, eating baby powder during pregnancy is a sure sign that there is something wrong, you are either suffering with mental health disorder or you have a nutritional deficiency. It is very likely that you have a deficiency in calcium, zinc or iron. Likewise, there are a few other symptoms you need to watch out for to rule out a nutritional deficiency. Iron deficiency is quite common in women with heavy menstrual bleeding and in women who are pregnant. The symptoms of a nutritional deficiency other than eating baby powder during pregnancy include, brittle nails, cold hands and feet, sore and inflamed tongue, shortness of breath, tachycardia (fast heart beat), dizziness, headache, pale skin, weakness and extreme fatigue. However, if your body is low on zinc then you may experience mental slowness, taste abnormalities, poor wound healing, diarrhea, hair loss, frequent illness and a loss of appetite. However, if your body lacks an adequate amount of calcium then the symptoms would include sore and stiff muscles, tingling feet, fingers and nails, forgetfulness, depression, confusion and muscle cramps.
If you are eating baby powder during pregnancy and your habit is accompanies with any of the symptoms which have been listed above then there is a chance that you are suffering with pica.
What are the dangers of eating baby powder during pregnancy?
Something as unusual as eating baby powder during pregnancy obviously comes with certain dangers. It is extremely important to get to the root of your craving from a nutritional point of view and to save yourself from potential complications and cancers which are associated with eating baby powder. The long term use of baby powder has been linked with causing ovarian cancers, so, you should be aware of the risks associated with ingesting baby powder. The risks of ingesting baby powder are more serious than the topical use of baby powder, so far that the use of talc in personal hygiene products has been banned by the European Union.