Pregnant Women and Eating Soil

 Written by: Wahida Sabir

Pregnancy is a very sensitive period for mothers. During this time, it is very important to pay attention to the mother's food, cleanliness, and mental state. Some natural changes occur during pregnancy in the body of mothers and these changes sometimes cause problems for pregnant women.

Mothers solve their problems in different ways. One of these ways is the interest of eating soil, mud, brewed tea leaves, etc.

AEPO’s writer/producer has discussed with some mothers and a physician the disadvantages of eating these substances to mothers and babies in their wombs.

A woman from Mirbachacoat district, Kabul province says, “I am the mother of five children and I had been eating mud during my all pregnancies. One of my four years old sons is not grown normally and one might think that he is of 2 years. I also suffer from kidney problems, stomach pain, and gonorrhea.”

A woman from Qarabagh district, Kabul province says, “I have 7 children and during my pregnancy, I was enjoying the smell of soil and mud and I was eating dirt during my pregnancies and it caused me anemia and I lost  my energy.”

Doctor Shafiqa Babak, an obstetrician at Rabia Balkhi Obstetric and Gynecological hospital in Kabul city says, “Eating non-food items such as soil, hair washing mud, brewed tea leaves, etc. naturally has its harms. The first disadvantage of it is that not all of them are clean and healthy. They might have many germs which can enter the digestive system of the pregnant woman and cause different worms.  These worms might cause diarrhea, vomiting, convulsions for the mother and causes health problems for the baby in the mother's womb.”

What do some mothers think about the causes of their interest in eating dirt and clay?

A woman from Shakardara district, Kabul province says, “I was eating soil due to calcium deficiency during my pregnancy and it faced me more health problems.”
A mother, a resident of Ahmad Shahbaba Mena, district 12, Kabul city says, “I had faced anemia and I used to eat soil during my pregnancy.”

Doctor Babak says, “Eating mud, clay, and soil by pregnant mothers is called medical pica, and the reason is very severe anemia that the mother suffers from it because, during pregnancy and lactation, the mother's hemoglobin goes up, which must be supplemented through food but some mothers do not get food on time, for example, a mother does not eat vegetables; they do not cook food properly or do not consider the variety of food, and these cause the mothers to become anemic and like to eat non-nutritive like dirt, chalk, clay, and soil.”

How do some mothers prevent eating dirt?

A mother from Kabul city says, “I was eager to eat soil during my 4th and 5th pregnancy but I was eating cucumber and tomato with salt instead of dirt.”
A woman from Paghman district says, “When I was pregnant for the first time, I was interested to eat dirt but my mother-in-law was cooking vegetable Bolani for me and was suggesting me to eat yogurt and milk too.”

Doctor Babak says, “Pregnant women need a variety of foods, especially foods that are high in iron, such as lentils, beans, vegetables, dairy products, eggs, liver, and meat as much as possible. The important thing is to eat these foods on time and cook them properly and eat them several times a day. Vegetables should not be fried too much, even tomatoes should be eaten raw, and fruit should be eaten one hour after a meal or one hour before a meal.”