Some pregnant women can develop a
strong, even urgent desire for something tasty to eat. This craving is
not at all like normal hunger. It could be for baked goods, sweets like
chocolate, or even something with an acidic taste.
In Kenya, it is not uncommon to see
pregnant women satisfying a craving by eating stones. The stones are known
locally as Odowa. They come from quarries and are
traditionally sold at roadside stands.
Although doctors advise against
eating stones, many pregnant women continue to do so. Odowa are increasingly
finding their way into Kenyan stores and markets.
Joyce Navtutu is a 29-year-old
mother of two children. She says she could not resist a craving for odowa
during both of her pregnancies. All of a sudden, she had a natural desire to
eat the stones.
“While I was pregnant, especially
this last pregnancy, there is a time I just woke up and felt like ‘let me try
this, when you pour some water on soil, or something like that, you feel there
is a smell. So that smell is what I felt was smelling nice, so I felt like
eating. I started eating, eating, eating and then I could not stop.”
The craving and eating of things
other than food is common in Kenya among pregnant women. Some women claimed
they ate clay, dirt or sand while they were pregnant.
Eating of the stones has spread to
many towns. They are sold along the sides of the roads, in small markets and
even some shopping centers in cities.
Leah Adhiambo is a supplier of
odowa. She supplies most of the stones to high-end stores. She says the
custom has become increasingly popular and supermarkets have now agreed to sell
them.
Ms. Adhiambo says the demand is high
among pregnant women of all ages and economic classes. She says she sells them
in packages so they may look interesting to women who cannot go looking
for the stones in a traditional market.
Leah Admiambo is quick to admit that
odowa are selling and it is becoming a profitable business.
“We stock the shelves almost
every week, which means that the stones are selling.”
Experts say the craving to eat odowa
results mainly from a lack of important minerals, like calcium, in the body during
pregnancy. This may be evidence of a serious medical condition.
Jane Mwangi is a doctor at the
Miliki Afya health center in Nairobi. She says pregnant women want odowa
because the stones contain minerals.
“So most of the time they go to look
for those minerals in the stones instead of coming to the hospitals to be given
the supplements they need.”
Ms. Mwangi says the stones may cause
infections or other health problems.
A study also suggests that eating
stones during pregnancy can affect children’s health and their ability to
learn. The African Council for the Gifted and Talented reported the findings.
So while the behavior may become
more popular, doctors say the health risks are probably greater than the benefits.
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