10 Most Common Pregnancy Myths You Should Be Aware Of
Pregnancy is a happy time for the couple. During pregnancy, your body will undergo a lot of changes, and as a new mother, it is important for you to understand what’s ‘normal’ during your pregnancy period, and what’s worth a doctor’s visit. Ignorance during pregnancy may lead to several complications.
Pregnant mothers should educate themselves about pregnancy and its threats. During pregnancy, there would be a series of physical and emotional changes in a woman which may sometimes be difficult for her to adjust to. Nutrition is one of the most important factors that need to be noted since it plays a vital role in maintaining health of both the mother and the baby.
Optimum nutrition ensures that you have a healthy pregnancy with minimal risks to your baby, and lesser fatigue, mood swings and other undesirable symptoms. With proper medical care and nutrition, you can enjoy the pregnancy and have a healthy and wonderful baby.
A pregnancy calendar could help you keep note of how your child grows and develops, and may help you understand the entire process better. The pregnancy calendar also allows you to understand how to take care of yourself throughout the pregnancy period at different stages. But how do you know what’s ‘right’ and what’s ‘wrong’ in this period? You may also come across some strange ideologies and beliefs associated with pregnancy, which may leave you wondering about their reliability. To sort things out, here we’ve put down a list of 10 most common myths about pregnancy.
10 Most Common Myths About Pregnancy
1. Sex During Pregnancy Is Dangerous:
This is one of the most common pregnancy myths we hear. During pregnancy, many women experience an increase in sexual desire due to an increase in the hormone levels. Having sex doesn’t affect your baby! Generally, a woman can have sex during pregnancy unless the doctor suggests that it might be risky. It is better to consult a gynaecologist and clear out all your doubts associated with sex during pregnancy.
2. Determining The Sex Of The Baby, According To The Sexual Position:
Many women may have heard of the ‘idea’ that the sex of the baby can be determined by the sexual position adopted. Well, the truth is, you can‘t determine the baby’s gender by sexual positions, as they have no impact on determining the sex of your baby.
3. Carrying Low Or High May Imply The Sex Of The Baby:
This is one of the most common myths associated with pregnancy-during this period, the woman’s body undergoes a lot of changes depending on the position of the foetus, muscle size and the fat deposited around her abdomen that shows the size and shape of a pregnant woman. There is no possibility of carrying high is a girl and carrying low is a boy, which is a common myth found circulating among many women.
4. Morning Sickness Can Determine The Sex Of Your Baby:
Morning sickness doesn’t determine the baby’s sex. Basically, morning sickness occurs due to a condition known as hyperemesis gravidarum. This condition is associated with a feeling of ‘sickness’ usually on an empty stomach or after intake of certain medications without the consumption of food. Morning sickness is in no way related to the sex of the baby.
5. Your Skin Becomes Dull During The Time Of Growth Of Your Baby:
It is a myth that is taking rounds for several ages now that when a women’s skin becomes dull during pregnancy it is because of the baby’s growth. This is not true. Your body does experience changes as the blood flow increase in all the cells. Many women experience glowing skin, popularly known as ‘baby-glow’ and some might not due to the nature of their body and hormonal imbalances. But there is no scientific fact supporting why some of the women do not get the ‘baby-glow’. Instead of concentrating on dullness and glow , women should be attentive in maintaining a healthy diet with proper exercises, to enhance their body strength.
6. Don’t Sleep On Your Back:
During pregnancy, sleeping on your back may slow down blood circulation in the body of your baby. But, till date there is no scientific evidence to support the fact that sleeping on the back could actually be harmful. The comfort and discomfort factors differ from woman to woman. Sleeping on your left side is advisable as it increases the blood flow to your lower body and back to the heart.
7. Avoidraising Arms Above The Head While Pregnant:
This is yet another myth – it is believed that the umbilical cord may get wrapped around baby’s neck if you raise your arms above your head during your pregnancy period. However, there is no evidence to support the fact that raising your arms could actually cause the cord to get wrapped around your baby. So feel free to stretch, perform the sun salutation and hang on wet laundry too.
8. Pregnant Women Shouldn’t Bathe:
This may sound exceptionally funny, but yes, there are myths like these making rounds since quite some time. During pregnancy, given the hormonal changes taking place, bathing is even more important than other times. Taking a bath does not harm the baby or the mother in any way. However, care should be taken to cut down any possible risks- make sure that your bath water is not too hot since the raise in temperature may cause certain problems.
9. Heartburns Could Signify A ‘Hairy’ Baby:
Another silly myth- it is believed that women carrying hairy babies experience heartburn more often than others. During pregnancy, heartburn is common in almost all women, and it has nothing to do with a baby being ‘hairy.’ There are women who may have suffered a lot of heartburn during pregnancy, but may have delivered a baby with a bald head.
10. Going Out During A Lunar Eclipse May Cause Complications:
A good number of people believe that harelips, cleft lips and other complications may occur due to staying out of the house during a lunar eclipse which is absolutely untrue-these conditions occur due to the genetic and environmental factors and not because of the moon.
Most first time moms tend to fall prey to these silly myths, and might make attempts to tackle them, which may actually be dangerous for the baby.
Now that you are aware of interesting facts about pregnancy myths, you can better be careful to take off the unnecessary fear. If something concerns you, it is best to visit your doctor and sort out any queries you may have. Avoid self-diagnosis and ‘home remedies’ during pregnancy, especially without the advice of a healthcare professional.
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