Well, here's the deal...if you asked a doctor what pregnancy is like, they'd tell you 99% of them are all the same.
If you ask a woman what her pregnancies are like, they're going to give you far more details, be a lot more enthusiastic, talk about the baby as a real person and not a 'fetus', she can tell you every little subtle difference between pregnancies, between having a boy vs a girl, etc....so, IMO there's really 2 right answers here.
Does everyone who says 'the baby wants x' really believe or mean that? No. Do people who know the medical reasoning still say that? Yes. It's simply because pregnancy is a lot more than just another medical experience. It's not a broken leg or a cut, it's something that involves and controls your entire body and mind for at least 9 months and it's got to be the most amazing thing a human body can do.
The baby is you and your partner, it's inside of you, it's there doing stuff, it's an individual, it's OK to be stupid over it. That's what you're supposed to do. Part of our instinct is to care for our babies as well, not just birth them, so the bond starts long before actual birth and only gets stronger (in normal people)....it's just another part of nature's way. I don't think most people would even be capable of looking at their 'fetus' from a totally medical and rational standpoint. I mean, with all we know about medicine these days and pregnancy has not lost it's 'magic' (to the parents, anyway) in the least, so...
I'm just trying to clear this up here because I have literally no idea...
Does the woman know which food the baby prefers, or are her cravings her own but she speaks for both parties?
I know that women can feel the baby inside of them and get worried when they don't move or don't act in a certain manner, but as far as any deeper bond goes, I haven't the slightest clue. My friends are very personal with their babies already before they are born, and I can understand why, but I don't know HOW personal one can get.
You want it because you're pregnant, so you attribute it to the baby itself sort of, especially if it's something you'd ordinarily not eat-or not eat so much of. You don't really look at the whole digestive process when you're pregnant, you pretty much see it as a direct pipeline, even knowing it's not...
It's really hard to explain, it's just something you have to experience. When you get a true craving, it's so incredibly intense, I can't compare it to anything really.
Here's some articles I found. They seem to suggest that flavors can be present in the amniotic fluid and can affect the tastes of a baby, however it doesn't suggest at all if that's where cravings come from. I don't think there's an explanation for exactly why you pick the specific foods, besides possibly an instinct for the nutrients or calories. Of course that doesn't apply to all cravings, I mean you could have a perfectly balanced diet with proper calories and still get an intense craving.
That and what the below poster said makes a little more sense.
It's odd because my Mom drank a lot of non-alcoholic (or so she says har har) beer and ate a lot of peanuts and I can't stand either one of those.
I think those studies are on to something in regards to studies in prevention of obesity. Like say, how a pregnant woman who eats certain foods is likely to pass the cravings for those certain foods down to the baby. I have to read into that a little more.
But you're right, it is one of those things that would be difficult to tell unless one has been there, in regards to pregnancy it seems that it is one of those experiences where reading about it just doesn't suffice =/
Is it normal for a fetus to have cravings?
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Well, here's the deal...if you asked a doctor what pregnancy is like, they'd tell you 99% of them are all the same.
If you ask a woman what her pregnancies are like, they're going to give you far more details, be a lot more enthusiastic, talk about the baby as a real person and not a 'fetus', she can tell you every little subtle difference between pregnancies, between having a boy vs a girl, etc....so, IMO there's really 2 right answers here.
Does everyone who says 'the baby wants x' really believe or mean that? No. Do people who know the medical reasoning still say that? Yes. It's simply because pregnancy is a lot more than just another medical experience. It's not a broken leg or a cut, it's something that involves and controls your entire body and mind for at least 9 months and it's got to be the most amazing thing a human body can do.
The baby is you and your partner, it's inside of you, it's there doing stuff, it's an individual, it's OK to be stupid over it. That's what you're supposed to do. Part of our instinct is to care for our babies as well, not just birth them, so the bond starts long before actual birth and only gets stronger (in normal people)....it's just another part of nature's way. I don't think most people would even be capable of looking at their 'fetus' from a totally medical and rational standpoint. I mean, with all we know about medicine these days and pregnancy has not lost it's 'magic' (to the parents, anyway) in the least, so...
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I'm just trying to clear this up here because I have literally no idea...
Does the woman know which food the baby prefers, or are her cravings her own but she speaks for both parties?
I know that women can feel the baby inside of them and get worried when they don't move or don't act in a certain manner, but as far as any deeper bond goes, I haven't the slightest clue. My friends are very personal with their babies already before they are born, and I can understand why, but I don't know HOW personal one can get.
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You want it because you're pregnant, so you attribute it to the baby itself sort of, especially if it's something you'd ordinarily not eat-or not eat so much of. You don't really look at the whole digestive process when you're pregnant, you pretty much see it as a direct pipeline, even knowing it's not...
It's really hard to explain, it's just something you have to experience. When you get a true craving, it's so incredibly intense, I can't compare it to anything really.
Here's some articles I found. They seem to suggest that flavors can be present in the amniotic fluid and can affect the tastes of a baby, however it doesn't suggest at all if that's where cravings come from. I don't think there's an explanation for exactly why you pick the specific foods, besides possibly an instinct for the nutrients or calories. Of course that doesn't apply to all cravings, I mean you could have a perfectly balanced diet with proper calories and still get an intense craving.
http://www.parentingscience.com/prenatal-learning-about-food.html
http://www.divinecaroline.com/22097/73457-mom-s-diet-affects-baby-s-tastes
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That and what the below poster said makes a little more sense.
It's odd because my Mom drank a lot of non-alcoholic (or so she says har har) beer and ate a lot of peanuts and I can't stand either one of those.
I think those studies are on to something in regards to studies in prevention of obesity. Like say, how a pregnant woman who eats certain foods is likely to pass the cravings for those certain foods down to the baby. I have to read into that a little more.
But you're right, it is one of those things that would be difficult to tell unless one has been there, in regards to pregnancy it seems that it is one of those experiences where reading about it just doesn't suffice =/