Myth: You'll crave pickles and ice cream You might, but you could have totally unexpected yearnings,…

Myth: You'll crave pickles and ice cream

You might, but you could have totally unexpected yearnings, too. Normally a chocoholic, I was certain that pregnancy would make me wolf down everything from super-fudge ice cream to chocolate croissants. But it was fruits and salads in one pregnancy, and starchy foods like bagels and muffins in the next.

Cravings tend to vary with each pregnancy, and sometimes even week to week or day to day. Before Amy Rodriguez became pregnant, she never ate sandwiches or white bread, and considered herself a healthy eater. But the first time she was expecting, says the Cypress, CA, mother of three, "I'd eat tuna melts at every meal for a week, then move on to something else, like ham-on-white sandwiches and chips."

"Most cravings are harmless in terms of your health, although they're not always good for weight gain," says Richard Henderson, M.D., an obstetrician-gynecologist at St. Francis Hospital, in Wilmington, DE. If you're gaining in line with your doctor's recommendation, he says, and you're getting enough calcium and fruits and vegetables, don't worry about indulging—in moderation.