Craving Milk During Pregnancy – What It’s Trying To Tell You!

By - Aneeza Pervez

You’re not only blessed with a baby but also an unusual craving as well! These cravings are intelligent signs that your baby wants to develop and grow.

For instance, craving milk during pregnancy probably means your body needs calcium. Guzzle dill pickles mean your body has a low sodium level.

But is it OK to crave milk during pregnancy? What are its benefits and side effects? Is craving milk during pregnancy telling you the gender of your child?

You’ll learn these and many more in this article. So, let’s dive into craving facts!

Cravings During Pregnancy

When you get pregnant, you may experience some odd food cravings. It is mainly due to hormonal imbalance and some nutrient deficiencies.

Typically, a pregnancy craving is an intense desire to eat something. It can be food or something else, for instance, coal, clay, ice, playdoh, etc. Some believe it is an urge of your infant. But, there is no scientific evidence to support this notion.

Unusual hankering after pregnancy is mainly due to the following reason:

When you get pregnant, there is a sharp change in your hormone pattern. In particular, the estrogen and progesterone levels. Indeed, hormones are the main culprit behind food hankering.

Progesterone rises concurrently with estrogen deficiency. As a result, you may develop odd cravings and be less satisfied after eating. The effects of these trigger changes in tongue and brain receptor cells, giving you an increased desire to consume certain foods over others.

Foods you normally enjoy eating can also become aversions. Certain cravings, however, have a medical origin.

Calcium, zinc, iron, and sodium deficiency also contribute to cravings. You can also turn what you once enjoyed into a habit as well.

What Are The Most Common Pregnancy Cravings?

The pregnant ladies ask for the food combo that may make you cringe! For instance, they desire ice cream with pickles, meat to eat with their hands, nachos with whipped cream. In fact, this is not the end; these ladies may demand weird things to eat.

Below are some of the most common hankerings among pregnant ladies.

Expected ladies may also be obsessed with things that aren’t considered food, such as:

What Does Craving Milk During Pregnancy Mean?

Milk and its counterpart ice cream or dairy are the most common cravings among pregnant ladies. Most often, women crave milk along with chocolate, cereal, fruits, and salty snacks.

Desiring milk or related products is high in the second trimester.

Craving milk during pregnancy is a sign of calcium deficiency.

Milk cravings are also the subject of some myths. A female fetus is said to cause the milk craving, but health experts have debunked this myth.

What Causes You To Crave Milk During Pregnancy?

Weird cravings in pregnancy are pretty usual. You don’t need to be hungry to eat pickles or drink a cup of milk. They crave it after every meal, during meals, or even at midnight.

The milk habit may be difficult to break if you’re trying to give up dairy products or reduce your intake amount. Indeed, this may be due to several factors.

Such as you crave milk because you are used to it, or you crave something sugary. Moreover, if you are deficient in calcium, vitamins, and minerals, you are more likely to crave milk.

Besides, if you are thirsty or hungry, you are more likely to drink plenty of milk during pregnancy.

However, it’s healthy to crave milk for whatever reason you have, so you won’t be too bad about reaching for it.

Is Drinking Milk During Pregnancy OK?

Drinking milk is safe during pregnancy. In pregnancy, milk provides all the essential nutrients you will need. Apart from eating fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, and other healthy foods, you should also consume a glass of milk each day.

However, it is not always the case. During pregnancy, you should always be conscious of your diet. A high intake of milk can make you constipated or bloated. Also, it makes your child iron deficient.

A moderate intake of milk with a variety of other foods can help the healthy development of a fetus. Also, it promotes safe pregnancy.

Unless you are lactose intolerant, you can definitely have milk if you want it. Also, if you repeatedly crave milk while pregnant, consult your doctor.

Why Is Milk Bad For Pregnancy?

Milk is a good source of calcium, but it is poor in iron content. Milk is also quite filling and can reduce the appetite for other foods that are better sources of iron.

Iron is the main element for healthy brain development. Thus, iron deficiency during the gestation period (especially in the brain development phase) may cause congenital brain disease. It affects the function, learning capabilities, and behavior of the infant’s brain.

If a pregnant woman consumes a lot of milk, she puts her child at risk of iron deficiency during a critical stage of development. Iron-deficient women who are pregnant are more likely to give birth to babies who are low-weight and premature. Breastfeeding mothers are more likely to be iron deficient after giving birth.

The researchers suggest that women should not stop drinking milk but limit its intake and increase their iron-rich foods and vitamin C, which improves iron absorption.

Iron supplements should also be taken by pregnant women who drink a lot of milk to prevent any deficiency which could affect their unborn child’s development.

To keep both mother and child healthy, one solution would be to improve the nutritional content of milk consumed by pregnant women.

Craving Coconut Milk During Pregnancy

Coconut milk is a good source of iron and good fats. It can decrease LDL fat (bad cholesterol) and increase HDL cholesterol. Indeed, it contains healthy fats that are important during pregnancy.

These fats help to build strong immunity during pregnancy. As coconut milk is a good source of iron, thus it helps to naturally manage blood sugar, blood count, and blood pressure during pregnancy. Also, the lauric acid in coconut milk helps with lactation.

As a whole, coconut milk is good for mother and infant health. You can go with it for milk and dairy alternatives. As with any pregnancy recommendation, moderation is important here too.

It’s OK to enjoy coconut milk; just don’t go too far in your cravings.

Which Milk Is Best During Pregnancy?

During pregnancy, women require a healthy diet filled with nutrients for the development of their infant. Therefore, it is advisable to opt for a high-milk alternative in essential micro and macronutrients.

While water is the most important fluid we should drink, drinking cow’s milk or a milk alternative in moderation can provide nutrients that your body needs to be healthy and strong during pregnancy.

The mother-to-be also needs to consume more calcium, iron, folic acid, and vitamin D during pregnancy in addition to the additional calories, fluids, and proteins she usually consumes.

Whatever kind of milk you drink during pregnancy, whether you consume dairy products or do not, pregnant women need to eat nutritious, whole foods to meet their daily nutritional needs.

If you are pregnant and craving milk, here are some options you can consider:

How Many Glasses Of Milk Should A Pregnant Woman Drink?

Although milk provides pregnant women with a wealth of nutrients, you should consume it in moderation along with other nutritional supplements.

A daily intake of three cups of milk can provide you with all the nutrients you need during pregnancy. If you drink another kind of milk apart from cow’s milk, check the nutrient level and adjust the quantity accordingly.

Overdosing on milk can cause indigestion and bloat during pregnancy. To prevent this, you should limit your intake of milk and other dairy products during pregnancy.

What Is The Alternative To Milk In Pregnancy?

If you have consumed your daily intake and now craving something sweet or milk. You can eat or drink something with a good calcium content.

You can choose something from the following list to satisfy your festive urge for calcium.

FAQ

Is Craving Ice-cold Milk During Pregnancy Safe?

Craving ice-cold milk is certainly safe for pregnancy. Pregnancy is the result of the body’s physiological process rather than a condition. In other words, you can do all the things you used to do before you were pregnant.

Instead of consuming cold carbonated drinks, a pregnant woman can opt to consume cold milk and dairy products containing large amounts of calcium to help develop the child’s bones and teeth.

Is Craving Milkshakes During Pregnancy Safe?

If you are not using the shakes to lose weight, you can drink them while you’re pregnant. Here are a few milkshakes good for pregnancy.

Why Do I Crave Milk In Early Pregnancy?

The first and second trimester is the phase of high development in the fetus. Thus, in this period, the mother’s body requires more nutrients include calcium, iron, folates, vitamins, minerals, and many more.

Milk is a good source of calcium and protein, thereby craving milk during pregnancy means you are deficient in calcium.

Is Drinking Too Much Milk During Pregnancy Bad?

Although drinking milk is good for a pregnant lady and her baby. But overdose of milk can cause anemia in mother and baby. Moreover, it can also cause premature labor or pregnancy pain. Besides, it may also make your baby malnourished.

It is therefore recommended to intake 3 cups of milk daily during the gestation period.

What Do You Crave When Pregnant With A Boy?

It is a myth that you crave the following things when you are expecting a baby boy:

However, all these concepts are not supported by the scientific community.

When Do Pregnancy Cravings Start?

It is normal to experience pregnancy cravings during the first trimester, usually during the fifth week. In the second trimester, these cravings are more intense and frequent. However, these cravings will eventually cease following the second trimester.

What does a pregnancy craving feel like?

Hormonal changes during pregnancy trigger intense cravings for certain foods. Food cravings during pregnancy can make it seem as if you can’t resist the urge to consume certain foods. Fruits and vegetables can trigger food cravings, as well as seemingly bizarre combinations of junk food.

Do Pregnancy Cravings Reveal The Gender Of Your Baby?

The old wives’ tale that is, certain craving things during pregnancy can reveal your baby’s gender. But today, these myths don’t hold any scientific evidence. It is usually believed that you crave sweet and mild salty foods with a baby girl. While baby boys make you crave spices and savory food.

Ultrasound is the safe and most used method to reveal your baby’s gender.

Is Craving Milk A Sign Of Pregnancy?

Indeed, craving milk is the sign that your body is deficient in calcium and protein. But it is not always a sign of pregnancy.

Knowing the difference is the key. Here are some signs that indicate your craving is due to pregnancy:

Embrace Your Weird Cravings!

Don’t be afraid if you want to eat honey on a hemp burger. You can add a bit weird to your diet while pregnant. Indeed, your body demands to eat something for nutrition satisfaction. However, you should not be obsessed with these hankerings; otherwise, they can affect your little soul and your health too.

For instance, craving milk during pregnancy is good for health. But if you overindulge, it can make you and your child anemic.

Gestation is the most beautiful phase of life. Despite its ups and downs, it always leaves beautiful memories. Seeing a little soul emerge from the womb is a joy to feel.

Indeed, this is the zone where you should be especially aware of your diet and health since it will positively affect your baby. 

Happy pregnancy to you!