13 Myths About Pregnancy You Shouldn’t Believe

According to statistics, of all couples who try to have children, only 30% get pregnant in the first cycle, 85% in 12 months, and the rest will need many years or medical intervention to achieve. Almost all pregnant women, no matter how long it takes to conceive, read all pregnancy-related questions to make sure they know everything about their baby’s well-being. But unfortunately, on the Internet, there are many things that are false related to this topic or the information we find is wrong and sometimes even harmful.

Incredible.club collected various “scientific” data and popular recommendations that pregnant women find on the Internet and explains why you should not follow them.

“Broad hips” usually refers to a wider hip bone at the longest and highest part of the waist, but actually the distance between the iliac crests has nothing to do with the size of the birth canal. It’s the shape and size of the round hole in the middle of the pelvis that really counts. It’s called the entrance of the pelvis and it can be the same in a woman with small or very large hips.

You may have heard that if a pregnant woman’s belly is ‘pointy’, there is a greater chance of having a boy, and if it is round, the greater chance is of having a girl. Forget it. It would be very convenient to be able to identify the sex of a baby this way, but unfortunately it is not that simple. There are two things that can affect the size and shape of a pregnant woman’s belly, which are the size of the fetus and its position in the uterus.

There is no scientific proof that a correctly performed prenatal ultrasound can harm the mother or fetus. An ultrasound does not use radiation, it uses high-frequency sound waves (hence ‘sonography’) that resonate with the baby to produce an image. But the intensity of these waves is very low and the procedure is quite fast. So, the risks that a pregnant woman takes are either from an unnecessarily prolonged procedure or when untrained people use the device.

The baby is hidden inside the muscle of the uterus, which protects it. A pregnant woman can lie down and sleep on her stomach whenever it is convenient. If it feels good, it won’t harm your baby.

Being pregnant doesn’t mean you should stop running. If a woman has an uncomplicated pregnancy, it is safe and healthy for her to run for the first three months. Of course, exercise should be avoided if you have complications such as high blood pressure, a multiple pregnancy, or if she wasn’t in the habit before pregnancy. If in doubt, consult your doctor.

Morning sickness is the most common symptom of pregnant women. Up to 80% of pregnant women experience this problem to some extent, but only 2% get sick only in the morning. Despite the name, this discomfort can occur at any time of day. Some experts even proposed calling it “all-day sickness.” In most cases, this ends after three months, but 20% of pregnant women continued to have the symptom until delivery.

Raising your hands does not cause the umbilical cord to wrap around the baby’s neck, this is certainly a myth. The truth is, your movements may have no effect on the umbilical cord. Also, many babies are born with the umbilical cord wrapped around their neck and the doctor usually removes it with one or two maneuvers.

Cats can transmit a rare disease called toxoplasmosis, which can cause birth defects in children, but that doesn’t mean you should give up your pet once you know you’re pregnant. However, it’s best to avoid cleaning the litter box or if you don’t have someone to do it for you; Don’t forget to wear disposable gloves and wash your hands immediately. As for toxoplasmosis, the most common way to contract it is by eating raw or undercooked meat.

Everyone thinks that pregnancy is the happiest time in a woman’s life, but many pregnant women experience stress, confusion, fear and other sad feelings. In fact, 14% to 23% of women even struggle with some symptoms of depression during pregnancy. This is because hormonal changes can affect the brain and its chemistry. Depression must be treated otherwise it can lead to potential risks for both mother and baby.

When a pregnant woman drinks a glass of wine or a beer, so does the baby. Alcohol can pass freely through the placenta, and its use during pregnancy increases the risk of the baby being born with some birth defects, whether mental, physical or neurobehavioral. This has a scientific name: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

As no doctor can tell you the exact amount of alcohol that causes FASD, there is no safe amount and so it is best to avoid it during pregnancy.

Pregnancy weight is a combination of the weight of the baby, placenta, uterus, enlarged breasts, and an increasing volume of blood in the woman’s body, plus additional fat. Right after delivery, you will immediately lose the weight of the baby, the placenta and the amniotic fluid; over the next few weeks, you should lose the fluid weight. What remains is the extra fat gained during pregnancy. The time you will need to lose weight depends on how much you gained during your pregnancy.

Many pregnant women prefer a cesarean to a vaginal delivery, even if there is no medical reason to do so. This is because many people believe it is safer and less painful. C-section is actually painful, but unlike natural childbirth, the pain starts after the baby is born, as with any surgery. Doctors recommend it only when it is necessary to save the life of the mother or baby.

For years, babies were considered to be born without any knowledge of the outside world. Doctors now realize that a baby can hear sounds, especially the mother’s voice, which calms the fetus. They can see the light outside their mother’s womb, and turn away if it is too bright; they can taste the food that the mother eats by smelling and licking the placenta and uterine wall; moreover, they can dream and react to the world around them. So yes, they are affected by everything that happens outside of their environment, around the mother. Talk to your child before he is born. That goes for Mom and Dad.

So don’t believe everything that is said on the internet or what your grandmother might say or advise…unless, of course, she is a gynecologist.

Do you know other myths that people believe but think are ridiculous? Share with us in the comments.