Lets face it we have all heard something about how to get pregnant or how to determine the sex of a baby, or things that you do during pregnancy that can harm the baby and in our hearts we know its rubbish, here are ten such myths some have a grain of truth in them but most are just old wifes tales.
- Getting the a boy, by the mother and or father eating lots of red met before the baby is concieved.
The gender of your baby is determined by the father; more specifically, if sperm carrying an X-chromosome fertilizes the egg, the baby will be a girl and if the sperm carrying a Y-chromosome fertilizes the egg, a boy will result. The baby’s size and position determine how one “carries” their baby e.g. a mother-to-be may be “carrying high” simply because the baby is large, not because of its gender.
- Bad morning sickness means you’re having a girl.
Most experts believe this is truly a myth. However no one knows exactly why morning sickness (also known as hyperemesis gravidarum) occurs, though it has long been thought to relate to elevated hormone levels (including progesterone, estrogen and/or human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG). Which hormone, if any of these, is most important, remains a matter of speculation, and several other theories have been proposed such as zinc deficiency, genetic factors and psychological factors. At least one study found that women carrying a female foetus had higher HCG levels than with a male foetus. If true, that could explain the connection.
- If you raise your arms above your head the baby will get the cord wrapped around its neck.
Up to 25 percent of foetuses have the umbilical cord wrapped around the neck; it is the baby’s activity in the womb and, perhaps, bad luck, not the mother’s activities during pregnancy that determine whether the cord is wrapped around the baby’s neck. - You should avoid exercise during pregnancy.
Within the bounds of common sense, there is no recommendation to avoid exercise during pregnancy. Moderate exercise is not prohibited during pregnancy, and is often recommended. Always check with your health care professional before undertaking exercise as it is not recommended in a small number of cases. - Cats can kill while pregnant.
This myth is close to the truth but still untrue. The recommendation regarding cats during pregnancy is due to toxoplasmosis, a parasite that can cause serious infections in humans and deformities in the developing foetus. Infection can follow handling of cat litter because it can be found in the stool of cats, so pregnant women are advised not to handle cat litter, great a nasty job that some one else has to do!. - X-rays, microwaves and computer terminals can seriously harm unborn children.
While unnecessary radiation exposure should generally be avoided while pregnant, if there is a good reason for an X-ray, the amount of radiation exposure to the foetus is minimal there is no evidence that modern microwave ovens or computer terminals expose women or their foetuses to harmful radiation. - No bathing when pregnant.
There is no well-established risk known to be associated with bathing during pregnancy. The water should not be too hot and you must be careful what products you use. But there may be times to avoid bathing altogether, for example, if your water has broken or there is bleeding. Other than that there is no reason not to relax in a bath if you can still get into one! - Curry can trigger labour.
Scientific evidence suggests that labour is triggered by biological signals, some of which are well understood and others that remain uncertain. For a routine pregnancy, as long as you eat a well-balanced diet, there is no evidence that what you eat has any effect on your delivery date.
- Having sex during pregnancy can hurt the baby.
While there are some valid medical reasons to avoid sexual activity during pregnancy, in most cases sex is not harmful to the baby and can be very enjoyable for the woman, who may now be noticing enhanced ability to orgasm due to an increase in blood flow to the pelvic floor. If you are unsure or you feel that you have a condition that may prohibit sex during pregnancy talk it over with a health care professional.
- You lose a tooth for every baby.
Today, with the availability of supplements and fortified foods, no woman should lose a tooth for every baby! Calcium supplement is recommended before conceiving a baby and deficiency and malnutrition can cause loss of teeth. So its not likely that we will see many toothless woman
