The stench of Vicks

Early on in this pregnancy I developed a super nose. I literally could smell the breath on any passersby, the smell of foot while riding in the car with other people, and so many other smells that wafted my way pretty much did me in. Everything was horrid. Nothing smelled good. I could barely even stand to be around myself. The stench of the world was appalling. Standing in line at the grocery store became pure torture.

My mom suggested I put Vicks on my nose. Yes, the smell might be strong, but it would be only one strong smell, A single smell that I could adjust to, she enticed me with this idea. At first I thought she might be crazy. But I gave it whirl anyhow. What did I have to lose? My lunch?...again? What do you know, it worked. The smell was in fact incredibly strong, but it was one stable smell. A single smell I could focus on and not worry about losing my lunch, Er, well that cracker that I nibbled. I was able to take that one smell and engage my mind into keeping me upright and without gagging for at least an hour at a time. MIRACLE!!!

I swear during the first trimester I went through so much Vicks. Wearing it proudly slathered on my nose to help me walk through the house, the grocery store, and the Big Kid pick up line. It was truly a lifesaver, as odd as it may seem. The gooey glow that graced the tip of my face became a welcomed cosmetic feature, and family and friends soon forgot how odd I looked and smelled.

Fast forward to last weekend. I now have a yucky cold that I caught from none other than, BABY DIVA. My nose is a mess. I feel like a giant ball of poo, but as we all know, moms must continue on. So I brought out the Vicks to help my stuffy nose. To help sick mom function and keep the household rolling.

OH MY GOODNESS. Reverse effects. All I could think and feel were the all to familiar moments, only weeks ago, where every smell made me want to hurl. I revisited that feeling of utter and total exhaustion and it was terrible. The stench of the Vicks put me right back into morning sickness mode. The crisp menthol harshly battled my senses, not only clearing the snot but clearly reminding me of those horrible first few weeks of pure disgusting gross early baby making days. Needless to say I let the stench wear off and just allowed my nose to be stuffy. Its a small price to pay!

Do you have any smells that invoke horrible memories from past pregnancies for you?