The moment you get pregnant, you start getting a lot of suggestions/advices from here and there i.e. to do this or do that. But sometimes, that actually gets confusing that what should be believed or what should not. In this article, we’ll talk about some of the most common pregnancy myths and the facts behind them, which are as follows:
MYTH 1 : A PREGNANT WOMAN SHOULD EAT FOR TWO
FACT : Yes, this is true that during pregnancy you need extra calories for the development of your body. But eating for two i.e. over-eating is actually harmful for you and your developing baby. Consuming those empty calories may also cause obesity or other complications during pregnancy. So around 350 to 450 extra calories per day is normally suggested during pregnancy. Else, what and how much you should eat depends upon your weight, height, in which stage of pregnancy you are in and how active you are. Instead of increasing your calories, just have more nutritious and well-balanced diet during pregnancy.
MYTH 2: MORNING SICKNESS ONLY HAPPENS IN THE MORNING
FACT : No it’s not true. Actually the fact behind this myth is, as soon as you conceive, the increase in hormones may cause morning sickness in most of the women, most commonly during the first trimester. But some women experience it throughout their pregnancy. Actually, morning sickness i.e. the feeling of nausea and vomiting can occur at any time of the day, during pregnancy. And every woman has different pregnancy experience.
MYTH 3: HAVING GHEE DURING LAST TRIMESTER HELPS IN NORMAL DELIVERY
FACT : Most of the women especially elders believe that having ghee in the last month of pregnancy helps to soften the cervix and makes delivery normal and easier. But the truth is that in general ghee has many benefits, but it doesn’t have any link with normal delivery. Normal delivery depends upon various factors like the shape of your pelvis, the position of the baby, the size of the baby and presentation of your baby.
MYTH 4: AVOID EXERCISING DURING PREGNANCY
FACT : During pregnancy, you’ll get many suggestions about exercise as well, i.e exercise can cause miscarriage or premature labor, so you should avoid it. This is a completely wrong notion. Actually light/moderate exercise is always suggested by the doctors to have a healthy pregnancy. It helps you maintain a healthy weight during pregnancy and prevents you from various pregnancy complications. It’s just, consult your doctor about which and how much exercise is good for you and be little careful before starting new exercises. Don’t overdo it, moderate exercise for around 20-25 minutes for 4-5 days in a week is sufficient and take plenty of rest as well.
MYTH 5: DIFFERENT WAYS THAT CAN PREDICT THE GENDER OF YOUR BABY
FACT : There are so many wrong old wives’ tales to predict whether it’s a baby boy or it’s a baby girl. Like, if your belly is low, then it’s a baby boy. If your belly is high, then it’s a baby girl. Higher or lower belly may depend upon if it’s your first pregnancy or not, and how strong your abdomen muscles are. Another false old wives tale is if you have a craving for sweet foods, then it indicates that it’s a baby girl, and if you have a craving for salty foods, that means it’s a baby boy. In short, these all are false myths, you can only predict the gender of your baby through ultrasound or delivery.
MYTH 6: PREGNANT WOMEN SHOULD AVOID TEA AND COFFEE
FACT : It doesn’t mean that you should not have caffeine throughout your pregnancy. Actually the main fact behind this is too much intake of caffeine on a regular basis during pregnancy can cause placental problems, birth defects in your developing baby, low birth weight, and many other complications. So it is suggested to limit your intake of caffeine i.e. one or two cups of tea/coffee/or any other form of caffeine in a day which is not harmful and completely safe.
MYTH 7: PREGNANT WOMEN SHOULDN’T HAVE SEX
FACT : It is also one of the most common myths, that having sex during pregnancy can cause miscarriage or induce labor. The fact is, it’s completely safe to have sex when you have a healthy pregnancy. Just make sure to choose the sex position that doesn’t put pressure on your belly. You can enjoy your sex till the last month of your pregnancy, it doesn’t harm your baby. But if you have some complications in your pregnancy like placental problem, vaginal bleeding, dilated cervix, water broke, at the risk of premature labor, etc., then you should not have sex as suggested by the doctors. So it’s better to consult your doctor.
MYTH 8: REGULAR HEARTBURN INDICATES YOUR BABY HAS A LOT OF SCALP HAIR
FACT : It’s not fully confirmed, but maybe there is some truth behind this. Some study found that most of the women who experience mild to severe heartburn during pregnancy give birth to babies with more than normal scalp hair as compared to the babies of other expecting women. May be this is due to the pregnancy hormone that separates the esophagus from the stomach, may also affect the hair growth of your baby.
But the reason or the evidence is not fully confirmed, as it needs more research.
MYTH 9: LOOKING AT THE PICS OF CUTE BABIES CAN MAKE YOUR BABY CUTE AND ADORABLE
FACT : This is also another common myth, but it’s not true. Your baby’s looks, complexions, and features are highly depending upon genetics and the development and growth of your baby. Maybe we can consider one point behind this i.e. looking at the pics of cute babies makes you feel happy and positive, which is very essential for the good development and growth of your baby. Just do anything that makes you feel good and happy during pregnancy for better growth of your developing baby.
Apart from these, there are lots of other myths as well, like spicy food can induce labor, stay away from cats during pregnancy, having oranges during pregnancy can make your baby fairer, your skin will glow all the time during pregnancy and many more. Some of these false advices may prove harmful for you, so always consult your doctor if you have any query or questions regarding pregnancy. And don’t believe in anyone’s advice without any proper logic behind that.