When I became pregnant I had all kinds of preconceptions of what you could or couldn’t do. But as I did more and more research, I learned that a lot of those ideas were just myths, or paranoia. I have to admit, it is a scary adventure, you are creating new life! You want to be sure that you are not harming your child. But do some research and make sure that what you are hearing from mom or grandma is not just and old wives tale.
Here are my top 5 pregnancy myths:
Cocoa butter prevents stretch marks – Sorry gals, this just isn’t true. I tried it religiously with my first and I have them going up and down and sideways. In 2010, a study was done on “210 pregnant women who were randomly assigned to apply cocoa butter or an inactive “placebo” to their abdomen, breasts, and thighs once daily starting during the first trimester of pregnancy. 45 percent of cocoa butter-treated women developed stretch marks compared with 49 percent of women given placebo lotion.” Sigh. There is no hope. If you are gonna get them, then you are gonna get them. But it is worth the damage.
You shouldn’t drink caffeine while pregnant – Lord have mercy, I almost croaked when I heard this. How would I ever get through the day?! Well, you don’t need to eliminate caffeine, just cut back. It is advised to drink less than 200 mg per day (that’s about one 12-ounce cup of coffee).
You shouldn’t eat smoked salmon or sushi while pregnant – While you want to avoid mackerel, shark, tilefish and swordfish, and not eat more than 12 oz of tuna a week, the omega 3 fatty acids are actually very good for you and baby during pregnancy!
A bigger baby is a better baby – not sure who came up with this one but it is common sense. A baby averages 6 to 8 pounds lbs. Any bigger and they are at risk for later health issues such as diabetes and obesity. Sure there are exceptions to this rule, due to family history and genetic factors. But if you think about the fact that a newborn is to come out of a hole that is 10 cm wide, you want to go with that average.
And finally my favorite one – Walking makes labor go faster. There’s no activity that’s going to bring on labor, trust me, I have tried. I am due on Tuesday and have tried walking like a maniac daily. I have also tried spicy foods, primrose oil and sex. The baby will come when he is gonna come. Don’t exhaust yourself thinking and trying otherwise.
Sometimes the little bugger will even trick you! I have had labor pains twice where I even called my husband home, only to have it stop after a few hours!
What pregnancy myths do you find crazy?
