15 Ridiculous Myths About Pregnancy That Are Still Circulating
JayDee VykoukalThis post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
The experience of pregnancy dwells in a world of wonder and mystery, where inherent magic and inscrutability are intricately intertwined. Despite significant strides in scientific advancements, including the use of 3D ultrasound technology to reveal the intricacies of what unfolds within a woman’s body during pregnancy, persistent myths continue to surround this phenomenon.
An online forum asked pregnant women and women who have been pregnant the worst/craziest advice someone has given them about their pregnancy. The answers range from old wives’ tales to clueless new moms’ tales and everything in between.
1. A C-section is not a ‘normal birth’
The circus around vaginal birth’s superiority to the cesarean section found its way to one user. Her sister had an emergency C-section, and her mother-in-law told her she wouldn’t be a ‘real woman’ until she had a vaginal birth.
Another user asks, “Better to have a C-section and live or vaginal and die or have a very ill baby? Sheesh.”
Yeah, sheesh, indeed!
A different contributor asks, “What in the ever-loving f*** is behind this? I see these stories on here all the time. Like…how little do you have going on in your life that your big “thing” is having had a vaginal birth?”
2. Hot beverages will boil the baby
An online user was told not to drink hot tea because it’d boil the baby.
This calls for a lesson on anatomy. Believe it or not, the baby does not grow in the stomach.
3. Thou shall not hydrate
Nausea is one of the undesirable experiences that almost every pregnant has to go through. Hydration is one of the most important things for a pregnant woman. An online user recalls being told to avoid drinking water because it causes nausea.
Admittedly, water tastes like unresolved grief when pregnant. Avoiding it is not the solution. Flavoring the water with a piece of fruit or vegetable helps.
4. Raising your hand tangles the cord on the baby’s neck
The umbilical cord’s position is influenced by a baby’s movement in the womb, the length of the cord, or too much amniotic fluid. But for one online user, she was told raising your hands above your head can wrap the cord around the baby’s head.
Two things couldn’t be less related as a nuchal cord and raised hands.
5. Not to sit on the stairs
One user shared how she was told not to sit on the stairs because “It will cause you to have a miscarriage.”
Her only thought about this was, “People are crazy.” She’s not wrong.
6. Beer for a chubby baby
A user narrated, “While pregnant with me, my mom was told that drinking beer would help her baby develop and be nice and chubby.”
Well, isn’t that contradictory? Alcohol in pregnancy can cause low birth weight, among other more serious effects.
7. Smell sensitivity isn’t real
Your previously beloved perfume now smells like trash. How do you explain that? A mom was told that her smell sensitivity was all fake as she was heading to the bathroom to throw up.
Women don’t make this stuff up; fried onions do smell like misery.
8. Puff, puff, pass
Smoking while pregnant is bad for the baby; it may contribute to low birth weight. One online user was asked to use this information to her advantage. The reason? “The baby would be smaller and easier to deliver.”
9. Milk gives a baby paler skin
An online platform user was asked to drink tons of milk, “… so my baby will come out with paler/whiter skin.”
Again, what you eat has nothing to do with your baby’s appearance. Genes do that.
10. Cats don’t like babies
An online contributor was warned about not offending their cat before they delivered. Apparently, the cat would suffocate the baby since the baby would be smelling like milk.
Another user added, “Cats will crawl up on baby and suck the breath out of them!”
Cats are known to be a little self-absorbed, but isn’t this stretching it a little far?
11. Cold drinks harm the baby
Several women on an online platform confessed to having been told to keep away from cold drinks, some up to a year after delivery.
One user shares being told, “It is unhealthy to ingest cold food or drinks or any fruits that would have a “cooling” effect on the body.”
12. It’s all in the head
A pregnant mom remembered being told, “That my morning sickness was all in my head; if I didn’t think about it, it’d all go away.” She puked all the way to the delivery room.
That sounds like a legitimate reason to hit someone on the head.
13. Take a shower? Maybe not
A disturbing number of pregnant women were warned against taking a shower. One user recalls being told, “You can’t take a bath.” She didn’t know why.
Others mentioned that the reason was that they’d drown the baby. FYI: An unborn baby is technically a human submarine. Not a chance of drowning.
14. Stay away from the moon
Pregnancy myths seem to have a thing against the moon. Several online commenters confessed to being told to not go outside on a whole moon night–or any moon night.
One says, “My mom once told me to not point at the moon when I was pregnant because it’ll make my baby have big eyes.”
15. Terrible heartburn? Baby has lots of hair
Almost every woman with bad heartburn has been told to prepare to get a baby with a lion’s mane.
One online user says, “I was told that heartburn during the pregnancy meant the child had a lot of head hair. (I) had a sh**l**d of heart burn. (The kid barely had hair).”
Another user replies, “Haha, I never had heartburn, and my son was like a werewolf at birth. Seriously.”
This myth is so common you’d be forgiven for believing it!
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