Hypersensitivity to Smells Due Pregnancy

When I was prego w/my son I would ride the metro and there are "horrible" smells on there so I carried a handkerchief w/me that I spritzed w/ a body spray I liked. No suggestions on the hubby smell :( I experienced that too and just sometimes went in the other room.

In time hopefully this passes for you; like after the first trimester.

My husband called me super sniffer.

The 2 smells I liked were lemon and euctalyptus. But, only the real kind, not candles. I remember chicken was the pukiest. If there is something you like the odor of i'd smell that as often as possible, and have dad cook.

No advice, just my sympathy. I had this with my first pregnancy. The smell of bacon would send me running for the toilet. I couldn't even step into Denny's which was a bugger because before kids we ate breakfast there every weekend. At least it didn't repeat with my second pregnancy.
((hugs))
~N.

I had to avoid all the foods that made me want to gag due to their terrible odor. However, I used to work in a burn unit and when the smells were horrible, we would put either a little Vicks or Carmax (sp?) under our nostrils...this worked pretty well to mask odors. Good luck!

Oh yes, the bionic senses of pregnancy :) I believe mint or lemon work best. Sometimes just the taste in your mouth will alter the smell of things. Have you tried simply popping an altoid or strong minty gum in your mouth?

M.,

I dealt with this with all my pregnancies. Fresh air was the only thing that helped me. I had to stop cooking alot of things.

I wanted to share some info. I read years ago about nausea and vomiting in many pregnant women. They believe it to be a safeguard that your body produces to keep the baby safe from any food item that could cause problems. I know that this is a small blessing but you have a better chance of a healthy pregnancy and baby because of "morning sickness" you will stay away from different spices, sauces and foods.

Hang in there,

Evelyn

Peppermint helps with the nausea.
My friend had to go as far as putting a nose plug on when she cooked.
Hopefully this will only last for the first trimester for you.
good luck and take care

M.-
Peppermint if you can tolerate it. I believe you can find peppermint oil at mothers market. you can put it on a hankie, dab it on your wrist, my sister even put it directly under her nose. I suck on the candy when I have nausea. Peppermint tea also helps with nausea. Good luck & congratulations!!!

I was lucky. I didn't experience this too much. But then I had been nautious for years due to a migraine and was used to nausia. If you keep the air around you cool the smell won't spread as much. I used the air conditioner a lot. If keeping the air cool and airing out the house aren't enough try mint and ginger. These helped me a lot. I ate them in my foods. I ate candied ginger and mints. I had mint and ginger teas. I didn't try this but you could try mint and ginger scents.

Good luck finding what works for you!

Dear M.,

I feel your pain! During the pregnancy of my oldest, I could smell smells that nobody else could... and these smelled cased nausea and vomiting. Yuck!

The thing that has worked best for me (I am now pregnant with my third and am still just as sensitive to smells) is aromatherapy. Don't knock it! Certain scents can help to relieve nausea and block the nasty smells. Simply apply some essential oils (purchased at a health food store or online) to a cotton cosmetic pad. Sometimes just waving it in the air is enough. Other times I am huffing away to relieve my sickness. Now when it comes to aromatherapy, it's best to have a few choices available for use - especially when you're pregnant (some days one scent will work and other days another will work). So here's some of the scents that should help relieve nausea:

- peppermint
- lavender
- jasmine
- cinnamon
- grapefruit or citrus
- anise (licorice)

It's worth a try.... it works for me!! Best of luck, M.!

C. <><

HI there, I suffered from morning sickness for all nine months of both pregnancies. Here are a couple of random things that actually worked for me - cut and smell fresh lemons; eat a couple of saltines or dry cheerios before you move a muscle in the morning (have them on your bedside), and also sea sick bracelets (might also be motion sickness bracelets). And I basically just had to stay out of grocery stores / places with strong food smells.

Hang in there, it will pass in a couple of weeks and you'll be in the honeymoon phase!

~A. Star
Owner, Baby Fabulous
http://babyfabulous.com

The smells, the smells, the smells! I don't miss that. It was horrible for me too. I couldn't even open a bag of bread or cook pasta. It took months for me to be able to sit at a restaurant without being sick. At my mom's, I literally had to cover my nose with a handkerchief. Really don't have any tricks, except for plugging your nose. Hopefully it will get a little better for you as you get further a long.
For nausea though, try preggie pops. They sell them at Babies R Us.

Congratulations on your new pregnancy!!
I went through your symptoms on my first preganancy 40 years ago..I could not even look at food pictures in a magazine, for having to find a bathroom fast!! Odors of course were the worst, especially around the trash can. Saltines and gingerale were my cures for weeks. Have a pile of saltines next to your bed, indulge before getting up in the morning. AS the day goes on..be sure to nibble on some and also dry toast. The gingerale or seltzer water helps with the digestion too.
It soon will all pass, just the inconvience of MOTHERHOOD..lol You will look back on it down the years and laugh! Hope this can help you out, again Congratulations

Hi M.!!

Congratulations on your new addition!! I am 11.5 weeks myself and too and highly sensitive to smells. Unfortunately I don't have much to offer as a suggestion. I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone!!! I've had to change everything in my house from air fresheners to laundry detergent. Luckily my husband is understanding, and all I have to do is tell him that some smell is getting to me, and he removes it. I also think it is funny that you mentioned that it is hard to be around your husband. I am going through the same thing. Sometimes him just walking into the room makes me ill. It's easing up the closer to my second trimester I'm getting, but for about 5 weeks, it was horrible. I was even sleeping on the couch so I wouldn't feel nauseous being around him.

I guess my only advise is to try to remove anything that triggers the nausea. Good luck!!!!

L.

I see you got a lot of responses, and just wanted to add a quick one that saved my a few times: hard candy, especially sour altoids (lemon or other citrus flavors). I was working full time while pregnant, and traveling a lot - this was the only thing that got me through the plane rides (especially for early morning schedules!). Good luck!

Hi M.,

The only thing that helped me was to buy lavendar or lemon essential oils (the only two smells that really didn't make my stomach turn, but you should pick your own fav scent)and to rub a little bit on my nostrils. The oil scent lasted a long time and was strong enough to cover up the other smells.

Good luck!
J. N
Riverside, CA

M.,
I am a mother of five. Especially during my pregnancies with my daughters,I was sensitive to smells. My trick was to put a perfume that I could handle on my wrist or handkerchief. Whenever other smells would start to overwhelm me I would smell the perfume instead. Most people didn't even realize what I was doing and it allowed me my freedom. Hope this helps and congrads.

I don't remember this with my 1st pregnancy, but this second one is killing me! I haven't fed my son dinner for three weeks because even the thought of his food (or any food related item... including ziplock baggies), makes me gag! I go far away upstairs and light a baby-powder scented candle while my husband prepares and feeds him dinner. Nothing helps! At work (where smells are minimal), I keep a ripe grapefruit at my desk and take a big wiff anytime someone is heating up lunch in the breakroom. Hopefully it will be over soon for the both of us!

No advice, just pure sympathy. With my second pregnancy, the smell of chicken made me vomit. And a host of other smells. the only thing that worked for me was being in a really cold house, or going outside for fresh air. But up until six months, even those could make me vomit. EVERYTHING made me vomit. Hopefully this won't last as long with you. By the third trimester, it all seemed to go away. Good luck!

Drink No to morning sickness tea that's natural and effective for nausea/sickness.

Stash-brand Peppermint Tea. It both helped with the nausea and helped overpower other scents. I kept teabags in my purse, and opened a few when there wasn't any water anywhere. Good luck hon. I know a million people have told you already, but it does pass.

no advice, but good luck!! Hopefully once you finish your first trimester you will start to tolerate things better.
I remember those days..no fun. It was the same for me.

I feel for you! When I was pregnant with each of my boys, I had a really heightened sense of smell. Every smell around me was so intensified. I could smell mildew or mold from a mile away. I could smell everyone's B.O. around me. It drove me nuts! Everyone's breath was like dog breath to me!
What I did was smell or eat something really fresh or light. I would chew a piece of fresh mint or just smell it, bite on a lemon wedge or just squeeze the skin to bring the lemon smell, or eat a really crisp apple or other fruit. Something like that!
I guess it's just one of the joys of being pregnant! Congrats on the new baby and good luck to you and your nose!

I changed my husband's deodorant three times, and stopped cooking. Restaurants were much easier. but don't worry, I think my senses toned down around the 2nd trimester... good luck!

Hi M.,

I had the same problem. My husband and I ate pretty bland foods for awhile.

Any citrus smell helped me clear the air and also hand sanitizer that has that alcohol smell in it can help. Put it on your hands and smell it when you feel super sick....

I hope you feel better soon! Hang in there.

sometimes, the smells that disgust you are disgusting for a reason, get rid of them as best you can! dont cook the food that makes you barf. try some new recipes with food that doesnt disgust you. your body is telling you that you shouldnt be around those smells while you are pregnant. when i was pregnant with my third, the whole house made me wanna throw up. so i got a bunch of wick air fresheners and glade plug-ins and spray and even carpet powder. and my whole house smelled (strong however) good! my hubbies sweat made me want to throw up too, he hates showering at night and i hate it when he doesnt, cause its stinks and it makes the bed smell! i dont want to wash the sheets every day!!! so make your hubby take a shower and maybe even wear cologne that you pick out (if it really makes you that sick, if not then trying your hardest to deal with it will probably be best for him!)

good luck!

I have tried three things which helped alot. I put vicks vapor rub at the tip of my nose so that it would drown out the smell, I also sucked on a cough drop while cooking but for some people it might give them a stomach ache, or what really worked was sucking on an ice cube.

I've been pregnant 4 times, and it was always my first indication that I was pregnant. I never needed a pregnancy test. If I could smell someone cooking onions 3 towns away, I knew I was pregnant. :0) I never found anything that helped. My third and fourth pregnancies were the worst in terms of smells. Good luck! I feel for you!

Hi M., pretzles and Gingerale worked fo me. The smell of the ocean used to make me sick, and any kind of pasta smell. J. L.

Try carrying a little bottle of ginger essential oil with you...sniff it when you need to cover up a scent you don't like. The ginger will also help with nausea.