The pregnant woman barking at her partner for ice cream is as played out a sitcom shtick as the birth scene where the woman screams for approximately 27 seconds then blam-o! Baby time. But, as with most clichés, there is some truth there. Mothers-to-be are often overtaken by strong cravings and aversions (says the woman who ordered a five-pound bag of gummy peaches off the Internet in her first trimester). At least half of moms experience pregnancy cravings, and up to 85 percent experience aversions, for reasons that aren't entirely understood -- though hormones likely play a big role.
Comfort foods, candies, chocolate and pickles are common cravings, while eggs, chicken and veggies are frequent offenders. But then there are the really out-there foods, your Cheez-whiz-on-bananas-type dishes. (I made that up. But I'm sure some pregnant woman somewhere is nodding her head thinking, YES.) We asked HuffPost Parents readers for their most bizarre pregnancy likes and dislikes, and here were some of their more surprising answers -- food and otherwise.
Crazy Cravings:
During my first pregnancy, I craved deviled eggs. It was bizarre. My husband would come home to find me boiling dozens of eggs -- I wouldn't even wait until they were cold. I'd be frantically shoving warm deviled eggs in my mouth. -- Ashley
I suffered from pica [the eating of non-food materials, that can sometimes strike during pregnancy]. I wanted dirt, rocks, and I loved the smell of cars and trucks that ran on diesel. There was absolutely nothing I could do to help my cravings. -- Andrea
Jalapeños, 24/7. I ate jalapeños with eggs smothered in hot sauce for breakfast, jalapeño-stuffed olives with spicy pickles for lunch, and a plate of jalapeños with dinner. That was my daily routine for weeks during the first trimester. -- Jessica
Kangaroo. I couldn't sleep on a Saturday night, because I craved it -- it just sounded so delicious, though I'd never actually eaten it. Luckily, we live in a neighborhood where there is an Australian restaurant that delivers kangaroo burgers with grilled pineapple and bacon. I didn't actually love it, but it satisfied my craving. -- Amanda
With my first child, hot sauce on everything -- mashed potatoes, burgers, pizza, potato salad. I would go to the drive thru of Roy Rogers and ask for handfuls of Texas Pete Hot Sauce packets, so I could stash them in my purse and put it on anything I ate. And milk. I would drink about a half gallon a day. -- Faith
I craved Colby-Jack cheese and lemonade -- together. -- Carla
When I was in my first trimester, I would wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to go back to sleep, because all I could think about was iceberg lettuce dipped in sour cream. I could practically taste it, the image was so vivid. -- Ashley
I totally craved mustard. I would even pick up a few of those little mustard packets and bring them along as snacks throughout my day. -- Shauna
During my third pregnancy, I craved peanut butter and pickled bologna. Together. Somehow, it worked. -- Rachael
I would only eat tomato soup with a few M&Ms in it. It sounds totally gross, but it was my dinner for a few weeks during the third trimester. -- Nikki
I used fruit pies as "dip" for potato chips. -- Nichole
I craved lemons with my son, I ate two or three a day -- sometimes a whole bag. I couldn't stop. -- Beth
With my first pregnancy I craved burnt popcorn and strawberry milk. -- Laura
All I wanted was cream cheese on a cinnamon raisin bagel not toasted, which is unusual for me, or balsamic vinaigrette with endive. -- Kate
With my second pregnancy, I felt an aversion for wood. The smell and look of it made me want to throw up. -- Mercedes
For my entire pregnancy, I could not even think the word "pasta" or I would start gagging. And I love pasta. -- Heather
When I was at the end of my first trimester and in the first couple weeks of my second, I had an aversion to my iPhone. I could not text, or go on Facebook, Pinterest -- just looking at the screen made me extremely nauseous. It was so bizarre! -- Briana
Nothing sweet tasted good to me. Eating even a small amount of fruit, candy, a cake -- anything -- would leave a terrible sour taste in my mouth for the rest of the day, even if I brushed my teeth and rinsed with mouthwash. -- Sharon
I truly hated and felt nauseated by any artificial smell of soap, shampoo, or laundry detergent. We had to switch everything in our house to scent-free products. I felt crazed! -- Pilar
Balsamic vinegar has always been my favorite condiment, and it still is, but for nine months it was a sure fire way to make me vomit. -- Tasha
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I craved ice, but not just any kind of ice cube -- I went through about 30 or 40 pounds of Sonic ice. Now I'm pregnant again, and the thought of ice makes me want to hurl. -- Caitlin
I couldn't handle anything mint. I had to change my toothpaste to Close (which is cinnamon flavored), I couldn't chew mint gum or eat mint candy. Anything with the slightest hint of a mint scent would make me gag. -- Lara
Randomly, when I was pregnant with my second child, I could not drink liquids without using a straw. Sipping anything without one made me gag and vomit, so I carried a straw with me everywhere and had to use it for all drinks, hot or cold. -- Vikki
These accounts have been edited and condensed.
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