Pregnant Desires

Is there medical basis for a woman's cravings during pregnancy?

By Michelle Ciriacruz

Who does not know a pregnant woman? Who has not gone through the pains and discomforts of the pregnancy along with her? Who has not coddled, slaved for her needs and wants, been frantic with worry, irritated with her demands, yet scampered to do her bidding, nevertheless? Who has not?

    Well, each of us has.

    Pregnancy has a way of dragging everyone into the picture, especially with a closely-knit culture like ours, with family ties that are unashamedly iron-strong. We're part of our wife's, sister's, mother's, aunt's, (etc.) pregnancy, whether we like it or not. There is no escaping it, in fact.

    In a sense, it is not just the pregnant woman who is "pregnant." Each of us is.

Medicine's Disclaimer

    The truth is, pregnancy is not simply a biological process that aims to create new life. It has evolved into a social phenomenon and curiosity-for some parts of it (at least, from the medical viewpoint)-that hold all the idiosyncrasies and nuances of the woman and the environment she grew up in.

    We have also attributed so many beliefs and folklore to the things that happen during the nine months of a woman's pregnancy. And notwithstanding what medical science has accounted for, this conglomeration of ideas take turns to infect the woman's behavior and that of her kin in a variety of ways.

    These influences are most visible when a pregnant woman experiences all sorts of craving or dismay for certain types of food. There is hardly any medical explanation for this, leaving the assumption that this condition is really sociological or psychological.

    According to Dr. Nida Gloria D. Villanueva, an obstetrician and gynecologist (ob-gyne) at the Manila Sanitarium and Hospital and School of Medical Arts, the cravings might be explained indirectly with the high level of the hormone progesterone in a woman's body in the first trimester of pregnancy, which slows down the stomach's emptying time. Although medical literature says that this should make the stomach less acidic, a lot of women complain of ulcer or gastritis, and they feel the need to keep their stomachs full at all times to lessen the aggravation.

    Dr. Teresita Sanchez, also an ob-gyne, says that this should indeed affect the appetite of a pregnant woman, but it does not, however, explain the selectivity of the cravings. She surmises that the interplay of hormones creates all these gastronomic fluxes, but she cannot attest to its scientific validity. She explains: "[It is] documented that women claim to be attracted to certain kinds of food, but no sufficient-as far as I know-scientific basis for it."

    Just as pregnancy takes each women differently...

    "The effect [of pregnancy] on a particular person is different. It varies with another person. And even with the same person, your pregnancy now might be totally different with your pregnancy in the future...in the past. It doesn't follow that it will follow a certain pattern," says Dr. Sanchez.

    So do the cravings and nausea come in varied forms.

A Season of Taste

    During the time of paglilihi, normally lasting until the third month, a pregnant woman's senses will be buffeted by all sorts of yearnings. She will want to see, hear, smell, touch, or taste specific things. Sometimes her preferences would catch even herself by surprise.

    Supposedly, says anthropologist and professor Maria Luisa Lucas Fernan, according to folklore, the types of food craved also makes an impact on the baby that is forming, that they would have an influence on the physical characteristics of the child.

    The attribution might be silly, but there are enough anecdotal reports out there (like the woman who was so fond of eating crabs when she was pregnant, then gave birth to a baby with claw-like limbs instead of five-digit hands and feet) to make women leery of tempting fate. So their cravings conveniently fall on foods with pleasing connotations.

    When Ella Publico, operations manager of a professional marketing firm, got pregnant with her second child, she could only go for three to four days without dining on Alfredo Szechuan, a type of seafood pasta served with white sauce. It was the only food that did not offend her appetite and could make her stomach feel full. The smell of rice and noodles nauseated her, so she felt weakened unless she got her pasta meal.

    When Jao was born, he was indeed as fair as the food that became his mother's favorite while he was growing inside her. Also a trained nurse, Ella, was understandably reluctant to credit superstition, but initially, she must admit, she was convinced cravings during pregnancy were ridiculous-until she got caught in it herself.

    Women who go through this phase are characteristically restless if denied for too long. Some women, meanwhile, indulge without guilt, because they believe denial is a greater sin. Maglalaway ang anak ko when he is born, they firmly believe-like our office receptionist, Pinky Flores, did on her three pregnancies. She craved, by turn, french fries, ginataang bilo-bilo, and chocolate ice cream. No sort of correlation happened, fortunately.

    "Scientifically," Dr. Villanueva clarifies, "there is no basis in the belief that your child will reflect the food you craved du-ring pregnancy." She does not totally discount the link between the mind and the body, however. "Although I don't really know how strong the mental aspect of a woman can affect [the pregnancy]. But they say that the emotions a woman goes through during pregnancy somehow is transferred to her baby."

Family Affair

    Prof. Fernan explains, that from an anthropological or sociological point of view, "this craving for food is a way of involving, of sharing the experience of pregnancy, with the husband, the other members of the family, community, and kin groups."

    A pregnant woman bears the brunt of the burden, maybe-but not necessarily alone. Her partner and immediate kin could share in the burdens as well as the joy in the pregnancy. Their primary incentive might be to guard her health, but when they scamper to search for the particular item she wanted, somehow, their participation in the pregnancy is deepened and it becomes more of a social event. They may not be pregnant but they share in the pregnancy.

    Some, however, would tend to think the operative word is not share but demand. They think that this need for others' involvement is induced by a pregnant woman's subconscious need for attention. Prof. Fernan, acknowledges this angle but refutes its precedence in the hierarchy of explanations.

    Just as folk beliefs (or superstition, as some might dub them) might be a natural device for people in facing the hazards of pregnancy, the woman's need to share the pregnancy experience this way might stem from the instinct to make it more manageable. When she has her loved ones patently prioritizing her well-being, then her pleasure in the fact might make what she's going through a lot easier.

    And according to Prof. Fernan, the loved ones give in to these cravings because they believe it helps in the development and well-being of the child inside the mother.

Conditioned Reflex?

    Growing up, we imbibe social and cultural norms and concepts. They become ingrained in us, and if, as adults, we do decide to cast these away, still, they remain strong influences for the rest of our lives.

    So in a way, a pregnant woman's craving for certain types of food might be a result of conditioning, from having been immersed in a society that expects this sort of thing to happen with every pregnant woman. In a way also, she might even be somehow subconsciously complying with tradition. The strange feelings and cravings she suddenly experiences could very well be operating under this premise.

    In fact, a woman who does not go through this phase feels as if she were missing out on something. She might even wonder if her pregnancy was proceeding properly. Such is the power of suggestion, perhaps, that even if it were implanted years ago, it would rise to express itself in a variety of forms when the biological requirements have been met in the woman.

    This reasoning is flawed, however, if placed in contention with the diversity of cultures. Some cultures do share some similar elements with ours, like the paglilihi-but there are also others, in which lihi does not seem to have a place.

    Some women expatriates, particularly those from northern European societies, have averred their lack of personal familiarity with cravings during pregnancy. Outside looking in-perhaps, this condition might even be viewed as frivolous, something that complicates the process of pregnancy all that much more.

    It has been suggested that paglilihi might be an Asian, if not solely Filipino, thing. The point is evident if we try translating lihi to English. There is no such equivalent! In L. English's Tagalog-English Dictionary, one of the most comprehensive dictionaries of its kind in our country's bookstores, the closest English word he could come to was "conception," which, I am sure, just elicited reactions of surprise from Filipino readers.

    Unless you define lihi, which English also did, the English language has no adequate counterpart. Since language is the dynamic offspring of several social groups, the assumption in this case is that the groups that contributed to the development of the English Language must not have had much experience with the condition.

Pregnant Possibilities

    Sometimes endearing, at times exasperating, and most times baffling, a pregnant woman's craving for certain types of food is perhaps one of her and immediate relations' most memorable experience, third only, perhaps, to the realization of the pregnancy and the actual moment of birth.

    While medical literature is really still hazy on how the psychological disposition of a woman affects her and her child's well-being, most people seem indifferent about the lack of scientific verification. Our common belief is credence enough; grumpiness in a pregnant woman must be prevented at all costs. We would rather play it safe than be sorry.

    Why else, do we give in? No matter how preposterous or troublesome to obtain the desired object? Lacking a medical directive, folk wisdom must suffice.

    And it's saying: Give in.

"This craving for food is a way of involving, of sharing the experience of pregnancy, with the husband, the other members of the family, community, and kin groups."

-Prof. Fernan

"[It is] documented that women claim to be attracted to certain kinds of food, but there is no sufficient-as far as I know-scientific basis for it."

-Dr. Sanchez

"Scientifically, there is no basis in the belief that your child will reflect the food you craved during pregnancy."

-Dr. Villanueva

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