For every mom in existence, there is a gullible, first pregnancy. Gullible because you just don’t know what to expect – after all, you haven’t been this way before. Older, more experienced moms pass on information in hushed tones and even strangers at the grocery store seem to feel the need to impart their wisdom while waiting in the checkout line, or perusing the ice cream selection.
The thing that more experienced moms know is that not all of that wisdom is worth hanging on to. People say some crazy things to pregnant women.
Morning Sickness Ends by the Second Trimester
Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on your body, your hormones, and your pregnancy. You may have no morning sickness at all, have it all the way through, or have it in any trimester. You could have it in one pregnancy and not another. Real ginger ale (you can find it at the health food store) or ginger tea can help some people.
Holding Your Arms Over Your Head Will Cause the Cord to Wrap Around Baby
This is a great one. When I was pregnant with my first, an older, neighbor lady saw me hanging clothes out on the clothesline. She rushed over to tell me that I was never to hang clothes when pregnant because holding my arms over my head would cause the umbilical cord to be wrapped around the baby’s neck.
Don’t Dye Your Hair During Pregnancy
Absolutely not true. If you are dealing with mousy hair and weird looking roots you should absolutely go dye your hair before you break your bathroom mirror from frustration. Hair dye does have a lot of chemicals in it but they won’t hurt your baby. If you use hair dye regularly, you should try to find a more natural, less chemical laden dye for your own sake – but dying your hair is perfectly o.k.
Don’t Sleep on Your Back
I have been a back sleeper my whole life but during pregnancy I was told never to sleep on my back because the weight of the baby would compress important blood vessels and restrict blood flow. Not true – sleep on your back as long as you are comfortable doing it.
Pushing Is the Quickest Part of Labor
Ha! Define quick. Pushing can last for just a few minutes to three hours or more. There is no way to tell how it is going to go – and don’t think that it will be fast because this is a second (or third, or more) pregnancy.
Labor and delivery does tend to get easier after the first one but not always. There are a lot of variables and most of them can’t be predicted or controlled.
Your Baby Is a Boy If…
The only thing that can predict your baby’s sex accurately is a sonogram – and sometimes not even that. It doesn’t matter what shape your face is, whether you are carrying high or low, or anything else.
My mom told me because my butt got big I was going to have a girl. I found out my butt got big because I craved chocolate donuts.
Do you have any more myths to add?
photo credit: o5com
