Dust Craving During Pregnancy
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It's dust too much...
When I was about 28 weeks pregnant I developed my first craving - for dust. Not dirt. Not mud. Dust. The fine powdery substance with the qualities of brown flour that's often found in places like outback dirt roads.
I was dusting shelves at work out of boredom when I realized I liked the smell - then - wonder of wonders, I realized I wanted to lick it. Strange! However, let's just say that, for the rest of my pregnancy if there was dusting to be done, my work associates nicely let me do it! I had certain spots I knew were just coated in mounds of it where I could dust away and enjoy the heavy clouds of dust around me.
I looked it up and the closest craving I could find online was dirt - which to me was like someone who loved hass avocadoes being told to eat a fuerte avocado. According to the internet my dust craving probably meant I had a lack of iron.
I went to my doctor and told her I had low iron. I don't think she believed me because I had no other symptoms but she did a blood test - and I had low iron. I started taking iron tablets but my dust craving still remained.
It's dust not what you think...
It's been six months since I had my baby girl - and my craving hasn't subsided. So I thought I'd write a hub about it - since when it began, I could find barely two words online even telling me about dust craving. Oh yes, there were pages on toilet paper and baking soda cravings - but no dust!
While I was pregnant I asked my dad to bring me a bucket of dust on one of his regular work trips out of town - he brought back a big container which I contented myself with sticking my finger in and licking once a day during pregnancy, from its spot beside my bed. It was a little crunchy so I ended up with a sieve and bowl beside it to strain it. No, it didn't end up with its own chair.
Near the end of my pregnancy we had a dust storm envelop a large part of the state. I was in heaven. While my asthmatic friends coughed and cursed, I just enjoyed the thick, dusty air. My husband kept telling me it was bad for me and to close the door - but the furniture ended up with a thicker coating of dust than it may have otherwise!
Dust to dust... and more dust
I don't think my dust craving has changed since pregnancy - the idea of dust makes me salivate more than an all you can eat take away meal from anywhere you can name.
I will admit it may occasionally sneak into the bedroom too. However I'm lucky to have a husband who's happy... as long as he's happy. Hell, you thought strawberries and cream was enough!
Hopefully any other weird women like me with intense dust cravings out there will find this page and rest in the knowledge that you aren't alone - and if you do find my page please leave a message to say I'm not alone!
Meanwhile I'll be here, sitting back, enjoying watching dust storm videos and eating a muffin finely dusted... and not with icing sugar!
Alternatives for your Dust Cravings and Updates
August 2011:-
I wrote the above article more than a year ago about the dust cravings in my first pregnancy. After having my daughter the cravings abated but never fully went away.Now I'm pregnant with my second daughter and my cravings have returned in full force - and at an earlier stage of my pregnancy than last time.
I figured there had to be an alternative to dust - it's so hard to get good quality stuff and I'm not sure I want something that's been sitting outside for years. And I found an alternative that, although it's not perfect, is generally ok for your body and has almost the same texture without the grit.
Charcoal powder is the answer! Just don't tell them why you're buying it - I did and had two girls and a pharmacist giving me little talks about it and warnings, plus tons of questions about my weird craving. I purchased it in capsules and any day that I feel I can't resist the cravings, I open a capsule, put it in a container and lick it or run my fingers through it.
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I'm not pregnant but I understand the feeling of just wanting to taste dust, not dirt but the dust that flies up from sand, when I go out with some friends and see a spot that has some sand I run over there and kick it just so I can see the dust. this thing I've had since I was a little girl, I used to kick in sandy spots got my shoes all torn up, by kicking all sand haha..
Oh, how I crave dust and chalk dust! I am 29 weeks pregnant and have had the urge for, say, 10 weeks now. Last year I suffered blood loss and emptied my iron reserves. Then the cravings were more intense. I found myself searching for videos on YouTube under "dust clouds" "dust storm" "sand dust". I am sure this will surpass, but meanwhile I drag my shoes through every dust pile I see, and breathe in chalk dust occasionally. It's weird how the human body can react!
I need help I like the smell of vacuum cleaner and the filter foam I put it to the vacuum vent and smells good and dust come out I smell it Evan more and taste it I need help are there any numbers
Definitelly not alone! But Im glad to know IM not alone! I thought I might have something wrong with me. Im not pregnant but I LOVE dust and fine powder dirt and sand. I LOVE the smell of the vaccuum cleaner filter and sniff it when I shake it out. I volunteer to sweep the driveway and sidewalks to to be in as must dust as I can. Sometimes when I havent been near any for awhile I shake the bag of cat litter (non clumping) and sniff the dust.I also love in old buses when the humidifier is on. Just smells so good. I should go get my iron levels checked. . . until then i will keep sniffing dust
you are not alone. I am not pregnant bt still i love eating dust. I have tried hard to get over this but i could not. What should i do? I am ashamed of telling it to anybody.
You are not alone. With my first pregnancy I crave dirt but just could not find the kind that I wanted. And now with this pregnancy I am craving charcoal Its like when a crack head need a hit. My body needs it I was eating a lot of it until my throat started to hurt, the charcoal I was eating was the one called brickett which is the worst kind, there were shiny glass looking particles which I observed I think that's why my throat is hurting. I just order the powder online I can't wait to eat iam currently 37 weeks pregnant it seems the craving got worst.
i kno .. im not alone i just like the vacuum smell its like a drug i the dusty filter foam smell that and i am alwas getting sick i kno i need to stop asap
You are not alone! I love dust, the smell of soil after/during rain, cement;I love building sites and spend ages fantasizing about being completely covered in it.Mine cravings are not to do with pregnancy because I have had them since childhood; I remember looking for cracks in the wall to sniff and stick my tongue in. I have been seriously thinking of getting a jar full but I am of the impression they are all poisonous to a degree and charcoal will not do.
i like the smell of my vacuum cleaner is that weried i just love the smell of it and the carpet filter i alwas stick to the heater and smells dusty but good omg i love the smell and to lick it too
Oh yes.... I have the same thing going on. It all started while pregnant with my first daughter and now that I am pregnant with my second little girl it has definitely returned full force. It never fully went away after my first baby was born. Just glad to know there are so many more people that have the same dust addiction. It's embarrassing to talk about to someone who doesn't understand. Thanks for sharing!!!
hey guys i read this and was surprised i am so happy im not alone, when i first got pregnant i would use the dirt devil vacuum with the container and bang out the filter and breathe in the smell of dust i got to the point i was vacuuming my mother in laws house lol, well i couldnt figure out why i had dust cravings and major ice cravings i knew i was low on iron took iron pills didnt work nothing then i found out i have thalassemia I was told that dust cravings and ice cravings are two big symptoms of it it causes major iron deficency. pple are born with it my iron levels were at a 7.0 and they wouldnt give me a transfusion well the pills were giving me toxic poisoning because thalassemia was preventing it from absorbing in my body correctly so needless to say i still have trouble with it i have to monitor it with my food but i still love ice and dust probably a good thing i ride dirtbikes haha well guys u are def not alone. :)
I know u have herd this b4 but I thought I was the only 1 I have looked it up & yhe only thing I could find was the lack of iron called pica. Needless 2 say my cravings never whent away after my 1st child in 1998 over 13 years ago & I am still looking for a better result to sibside the cravings
I thought I was the only one too! I love the older style vacuum cleaners that leave that "just vacuumed" smell when they've been used. I love the smell of the vacuum exhaust and the dust. In fact, I still use one of those older style upright vacuums with the inflatable bag on it just so I can smell the wonderful dusty smell as I'm vacuuming:) I've even put my nose right on the vacuum bag just to smell that awesmoe dusty smell. Crazy I know! I don't have the desire to eat it or anything, I just LOVE the smell:)
I thought I was the only one!! I can't stop smelling dust it just has a unique addicting smell
Hey all me again the dust lover! I did some research and found out that dust particles have minerals in them and if you are iron low like me and preggers it affects you big time. It also said people who eat dust and chalk etc should visit their GP and get it checked out esp if your preggers and eating the stuff....not very good for u and baby. Thank god i am not eating it, my fingers are still sore and searchng for more dust, my daughter is still laughing at me. My house is dust free and I am getting a bit anxious now where to go next. Apparently iron tablets help the situation, but they give u runny poo's. I'd rather keep on dusting. When the baby is born I intend to sweep the whole close where I live and sweep all the grit away. I do find myself running my shoe on grit and listening to lovely sound it makes, kind of when a car skids on dirt and u wish you were surrounded by the dust flying around.
This is crazy isn't it. Nearly 40 and obsessed with dirt and dust etc. My sister in law says it's not right.
Oh yes before I go, PICA is the term used for eating dust, chalk etc, please visit your GP as I am going to mention it to the midwife soon.
Bye all dust lovers!!
Sorry i had to write more. This is the 3rd time around I am beahving like this. I am sweeping any bit of dirt and smiling at the sight. My fingers are so sore from running them around on surfaces, but I like the feel of the grit on my fingers. I cannot stop myself at looking for dusty areas of my house and then I get cross because I have dusted those areas before. My8 year old daughter thinks it's funny. But I love it. I look at dirty wheel trims and run my finger on them and they are black. If my hubby knew he'd think I was nuts. Each time around I have a boy and this is the same thing and feeling I have....it's a boy!
It stops after the kids are born, but I do love the sight, smell and feel of dust. Dusty shelves etc, roads cars. Anywhere there is dust. The other week I ran my fingers along the handrails in the hospital after a visit and he amount of dust was amazing!.
I am anemic this time around and diabetic, but i cannot stop this thing I am doing. I have not tasted it yet....don't think I will either. But also the feel of dirt from the garden is calming, I used to feel sand and then taste it...bit gritty but nice. Now the kids have started me on loo roll,just chewing it. I am insane! I better stop now. Bye for now.
OMG this is great. Loved reading all the comments. I am the same situation too. Nearly 30 weeks pregnant and the obession with dust is making my fingers sore!
Hi guys... I'm from Singapore and I'm an indian girl... Am nt pregnant... But my bestie is and she was craving for dust too!!! And this was what her mum bought for her!! =))
I am so glad to find this! I have been going insane with loving dust! I can barely think of much else the last few days. I most love to drive down our dirt road and open the window to breath it in. I also love the smell of wet mud, and a cement floor garage. When I was little i used to scoop around in our pail of powdered dishwasher soap and it was so enthralling. It's such an intense feeling. Glad I'm not alone!
I just recently started to notice my dust craving, actually I never liked the smell or feel of dust.
But now for some funny reason I love the smell of my vacuum dust, I find myself salivating and I feel like I want to taste it...Its very weird I have no idea where it comes from...but thanks I am not alone..
I can't believe it! I can't believe it! I thought I was so weird. I'm a 50 year old man. I am on dialysis and LOVE, LOVE to smell dust. When I am anemic the craving are so so strong! I used to empty the vacume bag for the dust. Some days I couldn't wait to get home,just dreaming about all the dust waiting for me. I drove my wife crazy. Sneak and staching bags of dust everywhere in my office,next to the bed, oh man! As a kid I would smell and eat chalk. Banging the erasers from the chalk board was my chore. Sometimes just the sight of dust excites me. I inoww all the dustiest places, top of tall shelves, bookcases, back of TV, behind dressers, desks and appliances. I'M NOT ALONE!! We're not all crazy. Thanks guys. SVP
yay ! im not alone im pregnant with my first im currently 32 weeks. and throughour most of my pregnancy i have had the wierdest/stupidest cravings ever. such as dust lol ill be walking in the side of the road where all the sanish dusty type stuff piles up and kick my feet through it so i can smell it and breathe it it. and dryer lint. this one is recent.. sponges. magic clean erasers. tiny cement chips... honestly my cravings are sooo intense i can barley stand them ! when ever i start to crave something i will start chewing on my tongue ring too try to take my mind off of it. !
Oh my God! I thought I was so weird- I love the feeling and smell of dust, I am pregnant with my 1st but have always loved dust. I actually empty the filter of my vacuum cleaner out onto the table just so I can run my fingers through it! I feel I could eat it though know I shouldn't' so I don't. Seriously-empty that vacuum!
I love dust!With my first two boys, I used to put a small dab of tide in the cap and fill it up with water and spit it out. I also licked bricks. My mother lives in a building that used to be an old factory, so whenever I would go through the back hallway, I would lick the bricks. With this pregnancy, I have licked dust everywhere:behind my tv,shoe rack in my closet, off my dvd player. I feel dumb, but I crave it. I sist there and then drink a bottle of water. Will my child be born with dust all over it?I mean I really like indoor dust in my house.No matter what part of my house, it all taste the same. this is so strange, but hey...
Wow i thought i was the only one did any one find out if the is something possibly wrong? i had this earge when i was pregnant wit my fourth but it seem to go away or if i think about it it was not as bad now im 44 and the past couple of years its getting worse now the urge is so strong i thinking about eating or smelling any thing that is even close to smelling like dust or dusty ive takin to hiding in my bathroom and smelling comet but it has helped my craving some but now im to the point i smell it and all i wantto do is eat it need help cause i know its not safe to do so and soon i dont think i can fight the craving
I had the craving for dust smells when I was a child - when I did my chores vacuuming the house I would sit on the stairs with my nose to the carpet, then into the vacuum hose just inhaling the stuff. I would also bang chalkboard dusters together and just inhale the air. I am pregnant now and though I always liked it it's soo strong especially this last month of my pregnancy. It's mainly the thought and smell of dust in carpet, foam, vacuums that I crave the smell of and the idea of it being sucked somewhere. I wish I had a sponge full of dusty carpet smell that I could squeeze and hit so I could see the dust puff into the air. I am so glad I am not alone!!
I CRAVE THE SMELL TOO!!! Finally someone like me! lol i want to eat it all up. . .that and dryer lint. .and im not even pregnant. .
I to am glad I found this site. I love dust I know its not healthy but I have been eating it for about two to three years now, now that I'm pregnant its worse so I look for dust everywhere ceiling fans stairs in tables I don't like roadside dust just house, recently I bang the lint case on the table and eat the gravel dirt that comes from it, Yum. Wish it was a cure tho.
Oh, how glad I am to find this page. I've never been pregnant but I discovered that 3 years ago, I develoved this love for dust. I love to see, smell and feel it. Even the thought of it makes me salivate, so I tasted it once. Glad to know I'm not alone. Will look up this Pica stuff and research it. Thanks
Thank god I have found other people who have this same craving for dust. It first happened with me when I was pregnant with my first child and I just could not stop my self from seeking out dusty surfaces. When i had gone through my own home and there was none left I was left with the embarrasing situation of running my hands through dust in the homes of my friends. Fortunately they all thought it was amusing. It happened again when I was pregnant with my second child. But most disoncertingly 20 years after the birth of my second and last child it started happening again and I definitely was not pregnant this time. My husband thinks I am mad - and i began to wonder myself if I had finally cracked up. Then I suddenly realised. I had started taking HRT and perhaps that sudden increase in hormones ( just like in pregnancy) had something to do with it. It is the only explanation I can come up with and perhaps we have stumbled on a little known but extremely intensive side effect of pregnancy or hormone inbalance. I know that it is something I just can't help and at 46 I find myself down on my hands and knees running my fingers along the skirting boards looking for dust. Not very dignified but extremely satisfying. Does anyone else think it is about time this condition was recognised to stop our partners, families and friends just thinking we are odd?
I watched a special about a girl who eats and has been eating sidewalk chalk since she was in kindergarten/pre-school. Until watching that, I had little knowledge of Pica. My boyfriend and I agreed that I have Pica. I've been eating dust since I can remember, especially dust that collects on vents, fans, venetian blinds and bookshelves. I like the grit that i get from scraping a brick, I like to chew sand and dry dirt (but not as much) and I adore the smell of rain on cement. I have noticed that my cravings have intensified recently, perhaps due to lack of nutrition or perhaps stress. Most people seem to think Pica is caused by an iron deficiency, so I will see what my doctor says. *thoughtfully grinds teeth to feel dust particles*
This is known as pica cravings... it is normally a result of iron deficiency anemia. Go to your doctor, get a simple blood test, if you are anemic it is easy to cure.
You can be anemic and experience pica cravings even if you are not pregnant, or if you are a man.
i googled this subject in desperate need to seek out other people with this odd "fetish". i'm not pregnant, nor have i been, and though i don't eat dust, i get this amazing desire to touch it and rub it in my hands. i do this with dust, dirt and even flour. it's weird, it's almost sort of an arousal! so happy to hear others have similar stories.
Sooo happy to find this page! I am 34 weeks pregnant and LOVING dust. I have not have the craving to eat it but i love the feeling of the dust on my hands. Anytime i see dust on my furniture i HAVE to touch it and clean it with my hand...sooo strange!!! I thought i was alone with this one!
So far my craving of fine road dust can only be satisfied by stone ground wheat floor I get from Walmart.Try it and see.If you find other healthy substitutes,post it so I can try.
Yup, I also crave dust...well, dusty dirt. I am 34 weeks pregnant now and I want to eat the stuff up! I had the same craving with my first pregnancy. I don't crave indoor dust, probably because a lot of it is made up of skin that sheds off of peoople. BUT-when I'm driving and there's dusty dirt in the road, I drive very slow and turn my AC on high. I LOVE the smell and I want to stop and eat it. I also love the smell of rain, because rain is just water and dirt. Plus, it kicks up powdery dirt! I also crave soft ice like nobody's business. And, get this, my iron levels are fine.
I'm a 57 year old man and I crave the sight of sand blowing across the roads and i drive and sand blowing from mounds of sand and earth. I want to jump inside of it and open my mouth at the same time. I can't take my eyes off it when I see it when I'm driving. I don't what the hell this is all about. Am I crazy????
You are actually not alone...
I found this page when I was looking for others like me who develop urge to eat dust during pregnancy...
Its great to know that I'm also not alone :)
Thanks for posting!
I'm currently 35 weeks pregnant and LOVE dust. I seek it out everywhere and am constantly dusting off things with my bare hands. Furniture, cars, etc. Parking garages are my absolute favorite. The cement and dusty floors . I loved dust during my first pregnancy too and neither times have I had low iron!
so I've never been pregnant, but i love the feel of dust. I dont know why tonight of all nights I'd want to look this subject up, but if there is dust around I AM IN HEAVEN. Now I dont eat it, but the feel of it is crazy. I will wipe down desk at wk, go visit elderly people from church and I am in heaven. I dont need a rag...well maybe for the polish, but that's after I have touched everything.
Stranger things have happened. You are so willing to share your feelings, and I really admire that. I also hear that if you crave sugar, you are lacking in red meat.I think that a lot of people crave sugar, especially chocolate. I hope your iron deficiency has cleared up. Have a good day LarasMama.
Adrian33 8 days ago
I'm 33, not pregnant but have had two kids. My obsession, since childhood, has been smelling AC units.(either from the car or window units) the smell makes my mouth water. And makes me wish I could taste it. Also, creek water!!!! I've always been tempted to drink it but never mustered up the nerve!