When I went to my fourth doctor’s appointment this morning, I was delighted to see the teeny-tiny baby movin’ and groovin’ around inside my body. Delighted because, well, it’s unbelievably amazing. but also delighted because it’s nice to have concrete evidence that he or she is still in there!
Currently, I’m about 14 weeks pregnant — I know, not very far along — and I still feel pretty much like my pre-pregnant self. well, mostly. There have been a few quirky things here and there. like, from about weeks 6 to 9, I just wasn’t into the food I’m normally into; I looked majorly pale there for a spell; and I’ve been having some really weird, kind of disturbing dreams as of late. Other than that, totally normal.
Well, almost totally normal. I have had one symptom that has actually been pretty damn horrendous. And I never, ever heard about it before getting pregnant.
What is going on with the taste in my mouth?! Blech! It’s kind of gross, and it won’t go away. I don’t understand it, and why didn’t anyone warn me about this atrocity before conception? I can’t eat a meal anymore without chewing a stick of gum or eating a piece of candy afterward. My teeth are probably going to fall out the minute I give birth.
According to my midwife, and, well, fact, the pH in women’s mouths change when they get pregnant. The result? What some would describe as a metallic-y taste 24/7. If you want to get all technical, the medical term for it is dysgeusia, and it’s caused by the increase of estrogen in our bodies, or can even be the result of a prenatal vitamin you’re taking.
Is there a remedy? Eh, I’ve poked around the web a bit and found suggestions like, “drink a lot of water,” “brush your teeth often,” and “eat citrus-y foods.” I call bull, though. I’ve done/I do all of these things, and still, it’s metallic city in my mouth. Supposedly, it goes away at some point. until then, I sit here and I wait.
I know that I could have way worse symptoms, side effects, and problems than this in my pregnancy, so for that, I really am grateful. but, dear God, this is irritating — especially when I take calcium supplements. The taste stays in my mouth for what feels like weeks. I can’t wait to meet my baby, but I also can’t wait to have my old mouth back!
What was your worst pregnancy symptom?
Image via Daquella manera/Flickr