Natalie Cruz was diagnosed with pica when she was pregnant with her son (Picture: SWNS)
A mum craved the smell, taste and feel of bleach during her pregnancy.
Natalie Cruz, 21, was six months pregnant, in her second trimester, when she noticed she was becoming addicted to cleaning videos on TikTok – particuarly ones with bleach being used.
Soon she said she craved the smell and taste of the cleaning chemic – and even heard the sound of products being shaken in her dreams.
She found the videos so comforting, she even watched them during her labour to relax.
Natalie from Atlanta, Georgia, said: ‘Six months into my pregnancy, I got lost on the cleaning side of TikTok.
‘I kept finding the sound of powdered bleach so satisfying. It was a sound that wouldn’t leave me alone – I could even hear it in my dreams.
‘So I went to Target, bought three cans of powdered bleach, and instantly just wanted to feel it, and smell it.
‘I consulted my doctor beforehand, who said as long as I’m not ingesting the bleach – and only smelling it once-or-twice – it wouldn’t affect my health or my baby’s.’
Natalie insists she did not ingest any bleach whilst she was pregnant (Picture: Natalie Cruz / SWNS)
Despite the desire to touch, sniff and taste bleach, Natalie wasn’t alarmed by her unconventional cravings.
The insurance specialist was diagnosed with pica – an eating disorder where a person eats things that aren’t food, even though she didn’t eat the bleach.
‘It sounds bad, but I first discovered pica on TikTok,’ she said.
‘I was watching pregnant women experiencing weird food cravings, and my doctor said it was probably what I was going through.’
Natalie wasn’t alarmed by her unconventional cravings (Picture: Natalie Cruz / SWNS)
Pica is traditionally understood as an eating disorder, typically involves ‘eating non-nutritive, non-food substances over a period of at least one month’.
But Natalie wants people to understand that just because she didn’t actually eat any bleach, doesn’t mean she isn’t suffering from pica.
‘My doctor explained to me that I do have pica, despite not actually eating any inedible objects.
‘Obviously I’m not going to eat bleach, but I still craved it.’
‘While I only smelt and touched the bleach a couple of times, I loved the videos so much, I even watched them during labour to relax me.’
The cravings disappeared when Ayaan was born in June.
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‘I kept finding the sound of powdered bleach so satisfying. It was a sound that wouldn’t leave me alone – I could even hear it in my dreams.’
