The Truth Behind The Top Eight Pregnancy Myths
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Pregnancy makes you extra paranoid and conscious, and everyone from your friends, family, and relatives will have an opinion about your pregnancy. Though they have the best of intentions, it may not necessarily be true, or helpful. Here are 8 top pregnancy myths that need to be busted for every mom-to-be’s sake.
1. Pregnancy Will Give You Glowing Skin
We’ve heard everyone around us say how pregnancy makes the skin glow. While it is true in some cases, not everybody will be so lucky. While some will flaunt their pregnancy glow, others might have to deal with acne and blemishes in their pregnancy (1). No two person’s pregnancy is the same, and each person’s body reacts differently to the hormonal fluctuations in their body.
2. You Cannot Drink Coffee While Pregnant
Pregnant women are advised to stay away from coffee as caffeine intake is known to cause miscarriage and birth defects in the baby. But it is not entirely true. You don’t have to completely stay away from coffee, just limit your intake to 200 mg caffeine per day (2). You can also choose to go for decaf as the caffeine content in it is significantly less.
3. Don’t Exercise When Pregnant
Contrary to popular belief, exercising during pregnancy will help in easy labor and delivery. If you are a physically active person who loves your daily workouts, you don’t have to quit after being pregnant. Just do everything in moderation, and what’s comfortable for you. If you’ve never exercised, don’t worry about starting now either. Consult with your doctor to know what’s best for you, and avoid any strenuous activity (3).
4. “Eating For Two” During Pregnancy
Being pregnant doesn’t mean you have to eat for two, you just need about 300 more calories per day. If you eat for two, you may end up gaining a lot of weight and increase your risk of getting high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, backaches, etc (4).
5. It’s Okay To Have A Glass Of Wine While Pregnant
Will it harm my baby if I have an occasional drink? Well, there are divided opinions on this one. While there are women who say that their baby turned out fine after having an occasional drink of their favorite red wine, there is no proven study on how much amount is considered to be safe. So, it’s best to steer clear of this one for the sake of your little one (5).
6. Eating Papayas Can Cause Miscarriage
You might have heard the old wives tale of how eating papayas can cause miscarriage and are unsafe during pregnancy. However, studies have shown that having small amounts of ripe papaya cannot pose any significant danger (6). Avoid eating unripe or semi-ripe papayas. It’s always better to check in with your OB-GYN to know how much amount of the fruit you can consume.
7. No Intimacy During Pregnancy
All pregnant women and their partners have wondered about this. Is it okay to indulge in lovemaking when you are pregnant? This isn’t going to harm your baby as the fetus is protected by the uterine muscular walls. However, doctors advise against lovemaking during your final pregnancy period as it can induce labor. It is also best to avoid lovemaking if you have any type of high-risk pregnancy (7).
8. Eating Saffron Will Make The Baby Fairer
Though saffron has its own health benefits, drinking saffron to get a fairer baby is not going to work. The color of the baby depends on genetic factors and the melanin content of the skin. There is no proven study that drinking saffron during pregnancy will result in a fairer baby.
Now that you know the most common myths about pregnancy, we hope you have a safe pregnancy and a healthy baby. Before taking in every opinion and advise that you are swarmed with, it’s always better to check in with your doctor to know if there’s any truth in it.
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