Are you pregnant and think that every smell in the world is too much to handle? Welcome to the wacky world of pregnancy which is quite an experience. Almost every pregnant woman experiences the heightened sense of smell. A wide variety of things trigger nausea and your feelings.
There is no difference in the way the olfactory system functions in a pregnant woman when compared to that of a non-pregnant woman. Yet, there are different smells or fragrances which put off a pregnant woman, so much so that they run straight to the bathroom. This is very common in the first trimester along with the morning sickness.
Why is it that your gut starts churning the minute you smell certain odors and not others? Do we have anything other than your hormones to be blamed?
Yet again, hormonal play in the pregnant woman’s body is responsible for the heightened sense of smell that triggers the marathon run toward your bathroom.
So get to know these 10 smells that bug a pregnant woman and try to avoid them.
10 Smells That Drive Pregnant Women Crazy
1. Coffee
Do you feel like puking by the mere sight of a coffee shop? The strong scent and the odor of coffee will make your stomach go churning. Caffeine is not good, especially when you are pregnant. Maybe it’s the nature’s way of keeping all the expectant moms away from it. If you are a coffee lover and are pregnant, maybe one or two cups a day is fine. The effect of caffeine on the baby is not known, restricting your caffeinated beverages to two cups is always advisable.
For all others who just hate the smell of coffee, there’s still a long list of other odors to be avoided.
2. Eggs
The smell of eggs can put your gag reflex working overtime when you are pregnant. It is not the greatest smell at the best of time, we would say. The look, runny yolk, and the smell altogether give the squeamish feel. Although, it’s not completely possible to avoid when you are pregnant, try avoiding it in the first trimester.
3. Cheese Products
Cheese is not recommended when you are pregnant because of the potential bacteria it carries. Serious foodborne diseases like listeria and salmonella from blue cheese might lead to miscarriage. Now that you pregnant ladies stay off from cheese products, the smell won’t when someone else eats next to you.
Hard cheese made from unpasteurized milk is not safe. The smell of cheese, when you are pregnant, becomes overbearing, now do you know why people relate dirty old socks to the smell of cheese?
4. Perfume
The beauty products section in the mall on your next visit is totally a no-entry zone and off limits. Cosmetic products and their smell can be too strong for a pregnant woman. It is also not safe for a pregnant woman to inhale a lot of chemicals. Certain smells may bother some women and not others. But remember it’s always good to do things which are good for the baby.
5. Alcohol
Do not worry about your favorite alcoholic beverage during pregnancy, for the smell of alcohol would make you run to the washroom in just a minute.
6. Pet Food
Any work regarding your pet must just pass on to your partner. A small whiff of that pet food might be too much to bear for pregnant women. So just be relieved that poop scooping work would be your partner’s job for the next nine months.
7. Leather
Leather smell can be too pungent. Be it your luxurious leather couch or your car seats, it’s better to avoid being around leather for a long time. Especially, in the first trimester.
8. Air Freshener
Air fresheners are the worst that could happen to a pregnant woman. Just back off from those cars which have a fancy-looking air freshener hanging inside. It’s off limits for all pregnant ladies.
9. Raw Fish
You know how fish has a strong odor. Imagine a pregnant woman smelling the fish with her extra strong sensory organs. So avoid cooking or eating fish in the first few months of pregnancy and testing your gag reflex functions. Give your hormones time to settle down.
10. Laundry Detergent
Another job to be completely handed over to your partner (sly smiles). Look how being pregnant helps you? Unfortunately, you can’t stop washing clothes due to laundry detergent smell. It’s always good to try and find mildly scented or unscented detergents. Also, make sure not to inhale too much of that scent and try as much as possible to stay away.
There are of course many more smells that would put off a pregnant woman. These are some of it. Don’t get too overwhelmed. Your pregnant body sure knows how to adjust when different things like this that you can’t stand are thrown at you.
