Pregnancy: Are You Experiencing a Heightened Sense of Smell?

You're in the kitchen brewing up a cup of chamomile, when a sudden aroma has you dropping the mug and plunging into the bathroom. After you've finished bowing down to the porcelain gods, you reemerge only to find your partner finishing off the offending item: a blueberry bagel. Your mother told you about the heightened sense of smell, yet you didn't take it to heart until now. Your super nose has evolved into the fountain of all misery. Ah, the joys of pregnancy.

Before proclaiming this ability as a curse, and stomping off, we have to take one important aspect into consideration. Mother nature gave us accelerated sniffing abilities for one good reason: to keep unsuitable food or situations away from the growing fetus. There's the reason why a whiff of Febreeze makes you gag.

Instead of considering your new super power as a nuisance, put it to good use. Think of it as a strong maternal instinct at work-if it smells yucky, it may be bad for the baby. Use this as you would any other tool. If the food smells strange, change your diet. If the room is musty, open a window to let some fresh air in. Trust your instincts.

A close friend complained how everything she ate seemed to be bothering her. "It just smells so WEIRD!" became the usual mantra. Having had enough, her partner decided to try a little experiment. He came across an article which stated that the pesticides and sprays used on our food could cause a reaction in some women. So he rolled up his sleeves and went to work. After visiting the local health food store, he restocked the entire kitchen with nothing but organic foods. It worked, and her nose stopped going into overdrive. If you feel something is 'out of whack', trust your instincts, tweak the situation, and see if the problem doesn't resolve itself.