Ice, Ice baby . . .

Oh, that's a bad title. Sorry. But it does have to do with what I'm writing about today.

I've officially entered the ice-craving stage of my pregnancy. I've never really had strange cravings, or middle of the night attacks. No ridiculous food combinations. When I needed red meat with Noah my body needed iron. With the girls, it was grapefruit - I needed vitamin C and folic acid I suppose. The evenings when only ice cream would do? I needed calcium of course.

But ice?! There is not much nutritional value there. Maybe you could say I needed water, but a glass of water did not satisfy the need to chew. Minerals maybe? Maybe. We do drink filtered water so as not to ingest the chlorine and fluoride infused water the city so graciously provides us with.

I was hoping to avoid it this time around because it is so bad for my teeth. And that is not good for someone whose worst nightmares are of her teeth crumbling, cracking and falling in sharp shards from her mouth.

But I really cannot help it. It's just beginning now, but in full swing I sometimes can't think of anything else except how to get more ice.

And, this form of Pica lasts for awhile after the birth of my baby, though I don't know what I could be deficient in that I crave ice. I mean, it's just frozen water. And, lest you think, "Aha! an iron deficiency - her body needs minerals."  That may be true but my anemia tests are normal this time around. So that must leave another biochemical deficiency.

I have discovered that the ice machines at Memorial hospital have The Best Ice ever. It's soft enough to not be bad on my teeth and yet fulfills the craving, the fixation, the must- have- ice- or- I'll- go- insane,  the need to chew on ice. 

After Bronwen was born, and we were released from hospital, my beloved made two trips back for ice for me. Now that's love.

Just something to chew on. I've gotta go get some ice, these pictures are making my mouth water!