Myths About Pregnancy
Myths About Pregnancy
Myth 1: You have to limit drinking during pregnancy.
Dispelling: This is not true. The doctors have conducted a study: on one floor in the hospital, the women were allowed to drink water in unlimited quantities; there was a water dispenser with a counter. On another floor the women were not allowed to do that. And those, who were forbidden to drink, drank more water. At the end of the experiment, in those women who were allowed to drink the edema decreased.
First, here starts the psychological dependence and programming yourself to an unsatisfactory result. Second, the kidneys need the fluid inflow to withdraw salt from the body. Thus, if you want to drink, it is not necessary to limit yourself to drink. You just need to ensure that 2/3 of the volume of the liquid being consumed is pure water.
Myth 2: All of the diseases during pregnancy must be treated.
Dispelling: Not all the diseases can be cured during pregnancy. For example, if a pregnant woman has thrush, which does not give her discomfort, it is not necessary to treat it hard. You may do this just before the childbirth.
The common thrush in pregnant women is linked to the fact that their vaginal flora changes, and if during pregnancy the thrush once occurred, it will remain there during the entire pregnancy. Sometimes the thrush passes off on itself due to the normalization of the immune system.
Myth 3: It is necessary to monitor the weight gain during pregnancy.
Dispelling: It is not necessary to monitor the weight gain. Weight is an absolutely useless indicator of pregnant woman’s well-being and cannot predict the course of the future delivery. Dutch midwives, for example, never measures the weight, they measure the standing height of uterus and the abdomen circumference.
For them, these are the more specific indicators. Meanwhile, this country is characterized by the best situation in the field of child-bearing.
Myth 4: If the doctor in consultation clinic measured the blood pressure and it turned out to be higher than normal, it is necessary to go on bed rest and assume measures.
Dispelling: There is a so-called “white coat effect”, when a woman comes to the consultation clinic, she is nervous, sitting in the queue, and when she enters the doctor’s office and her blood pressure is being measured, of course, it turns out to be higher than normal.
According to the rules, if the first pressure measurement showed too high result, the woman needs to have time to calm down, and only after having spent some time in a relaxed atmosphere she should have her blood pressure measured once again, in lying or sitting position, on both hands. Only the overall analysis of indicators provides a complete picture. And, in order to determine whether there is a tendency to the blood pressure increase, it must be measured at home, at the same time of a day and regularly.
Myth 5: The pregnant woman must keep to a strict diet, so that her child will not be allergic.
Dispelling: In fact, it is not true. The diet should be kept only by the woman that is allergic to certain foods herself. There are certain food types: high-allergic, medium-allergic and low-allergic.
All the women during all their pregnancy can eat all the products of low-allergic type, and they should be careful with medium and high-allergic products beginning from the 22th week of pregnancy, since until that time the child just has nothing to respond to allergens, as its immune system has not even started to form yet. And after 22th week of pregnancy you should start to beware – but only in case if you are allergic. Those women, who have no allergies, have nothing to fear at all.
Myth 6: The pregnant woman should not knit (otherwise, the child may get tangled in the umbilical cord).
For me, this myth is not relevant, because I cannot knit. And for those who can and love to knit – just enjoy your hobby, but not too much, because sitting for a long time can cause pain in your back.
Myth 7: If the belly sticks out forward and is low – you will have a boy, and if otherwise – you will have a girl for sure.
Even the doctor with the help of modern ultrasound may be wrong, what to say about this sign. The belly size and shape depend on the abdominal muscle tone, on the number of pregnancies and on some other factors, rather than on the child’s gender.
Myth 8: The pregnancy is not a disease.
Of course, it is not a disease, but it can cause some of associated ailments – morning sickness, headaches, and so on. And some women during pregnancy feel even better than before pregnancy. By the way, you can ask your mother and grandmother how they felt during their pregnancies, and chances are 70 percent that you will feel the same, though the scientists assert that the condition during pregnancy is not inherited. But the predisposition to certain diseases for sure is.
Myth 9: You should not eat in secret (otherwise your child will become a thief).
With such a way of eating – in secret – it is easy to choke in a hurry. Except that, this myth is nothing to do with reality.
Myth 10: From a series of funny and popular ones of this summer.
If to pour water on pregnant woman, it will start raining. The main thing is not to make a mistake and pour water on woman that is really pregnant!
Myth 11: It is necessary to take off all the gold before the delivery.
I agree, hands of many women become swollen during pregnancy, and a wedding ring can squeeze a finger. And you will need the professional help to take it off. Therefore, I advise you to take off all the rings after you notice the first signs of edema.
Myth 12: Pregnant women should not be photographed (otherwise the child development may stop).
In fact, everything is quite the opposite: it is worth capturing these wonderful moments, so that you can show them to your child in future.
Myth 13: You must not step over a chock (otherwise it will be hard for you to give birth).
A pregnant woman should not take too wide steps, and she needs to be very careful when walking in order not to fall down.
Myth 14: You cannot do sports during pregnancy.
The sport is necessary, but without fanaticism. It strengthens muscles before birth.
Myth 15: You cannot say on what exact day you have the delivery (otherwise it will be difficult).
There is a bit of common sense here, as if you will not give a birth on the appointed day, then everyone will torture you with calls asking why. It is better to say that you will for sure tell about your child's birth after it happens.
Myth 16: And the worst myth – you should not quit smoking!
You should quit smoking, moreover, it is necessary. It is desirable to stop smoking when you are planning a pregnancy, not to say about when being pregnant. Smoking harms the fetus, and it is proved that smokers have more chances of premature birth, premature placenta detachment, abnormal development of the child’s internal organs, and so on. You must stop smoking!