Smell

There is a lot going on when one first becomes pregnant, but one thing that will bother everyone is the heightened sense of smell that the mom to be now has.  It's rough on the pregnant lady, obviously, it's her nose going nuts and sending back way too much information.  It's also hard on anyone who is in close proximity to the pregnant lady who is now mad at them for bringing unwanted smells near by.  The not-pregnant people may feel inconvenienced or put upon while the pregnant feel overwhelmed by powerful scents.

The worst smell that ever attacked my nose when I was pregnant was that of a skunk.  We had left the window to the bedroom open all day (seemed like a good idea at the time) and I was headed over to close it, just as I entered the hallway that lead to my bedroom the smell hit me.  My eyes streamed, my nose ran, and so did I.  I could not close the door to the hallway fast enough.  It felt like a chemical attack on my face, and the skunk was definitely outside.  Coughing and gasping for air I made my way to the couch in our living room.

I was shaken.  And my friends and family were confused.  My husband left to close the windows later reporting that he couldn't smell the skunk until he was a few feet from the window.  I was presented with scented candles in an effort to cancel out the smell that had clawed it's way up my nose and then died.   But still as I used up the tissue box I was surrounded by looks of bewildered concern.

"It was just  skunk..."

Just a skunk?  Some far away smelly animal?  It might as well have been mace for how well my body was able to tolerate it. (Not well at all.)

So what I am trying to express is this: if a pregnant lady asks you to remove an offending odor from her presence, just do it.  This isn't meant to be a manipulative game.  It's just smells and pregnancy go together like baking soda and vinegar.  Just keep the vinegar away and no one gets hurt.