When you’re pregnant, well, you’re bound to receive a lot of unsolicited advice from well-meaning people. While some of them might genuinely work for you, a lot of them will most likely freak you out and cause alarm for no apparent reason!
When I was expecting my first, I was strictly advised to stay away from papaya (in any form!) It was preposterous for me because papaya is one of my favourite fruits and I didn’t know how to not include it in my diet. I gave in and ate the fruit hoping nothing bad would happen. Now here I am with my 12-year-old boy who’s healthy and endearingly happy! And guess what? He loves papayas too!
I realised after a short time that pregnancy myths and misconceptions are quite common and some of them have even been propagated in well-regarded and extremely popular pregnancy books. I decided to bring about a constructive solution and bust these myths right away!
Myth No.1 – Consuming nuts and dairy during pregnancy can result in your baby being allergic to them!
Absolutely not! It’s perfectly fine for you to eat both dairy and nuts when you’re expecting. You should only avoid them if you’re yourself allergic.
Myth No.2 – You cannot board flights or travel in your first and last trimester.
False again. You’re fine to travel anywhere you want to. Certain airlines are sceptical about pregnant women boarding because they don’t want them to go into labour while in the flight. I travelled to Bali with my husband during my first trimester and had so much fun the entire time.
Myth No.3 – Exercising too much may cause miscarriage.
t’s really the opposite that happens! When you are expecting, you need that extra exercise to keep your body functioning normally. It also helps prevent backaches, foot pains, and headaches, that are super common during pregnancy. As long as you have a healthy pregnancy, you’ve got nothing to worry about.
Myth No. 4 – Pregnant women need to eat more since they eat for two.
This pregnancy myth cracked me up! As much as I would have loved for it to be true (for food is my salvation), this misconception needs to be busted. Contrary to popular opinion, you do not need to ‘eat for two’. Pregnant women need an extra 200 calories only, that too in the third trimester. Overeating, on the other hand, could cause complications for you and baby.
Myth No.5 – Expect to get sick only in the morning, because it’s called ‘Morning Sickness’!
This one is a false alarm, and I learnt it the hard way! Vomiting or nausea can happen at any point in time (during the first 3 months of your pregnancy). This is caused primarily due to the immense hormonal changes that women go through. Even though morning sickness can happen in the mornings, you can expect to throw up later in the day also, as was the case during all my pregnancies.
Myth No.6 – You’ll have a pregnancy glow about you.
Honestly, it totally differs from one case to another. Pregnancy hormones are largely to be blamed for sudden highs and lows causing mood swings, and paired with a crippling anxiety about parenthood and childbirth can leave women feeling stressed and ‘not feeling’ the glow. If that happens, trust me, it’s totally normal. I most certainly did not have a pregnancy glow, in fact, I was far from it.
Myth No.7 – Cats are a big No-No when you’re pregnant
There’s absolutely no need to get rid of your furry four-legged friends when you’re expecting. Toxoplasmosis (a disease that can affect the fetus) can easily be avoided by not handling the cat litter (which contains the parasite causing toxoplasmosis). Simply allot litter duty to someone else in the house, and you’ll be fine.
Myth No.8 – Cocoa butter can help expunge stretch marks
I wish this was true, I really do! Unfortunately, a myth is what it is. Cocoa butter, or any butter, or any oil for that matter, do not have magical stretch-marks-healing properties. You can continue using your regular skincare products after childbirth, going the extra mile really won’t do much. Embrace them, ladies!
Myth No-9 – You cannot drink coffee during pregnancy
This is actually true to a certain degree. You should not consume more than 200 g of coffee on a daily basis when you’re expecting.
Myth No.10 – Your heartburn actually indicates that your baby will have a full head of hair
I actually read up on this quite a bit before adding it to my list. While one study might have vaguely hinted at the connection between heartburns and baby hair, most of them have dismissed this myth, branding it to be false. Heartburn is a common symptom during pregnancy, so relax!
While it’s impossible to not fall prey to any pregnancy myth, you are bound to get blindsided by some of them. Ensure that you do not stress too much and trust your mommy gut to do the right thing!
Babies are stronger than you can imagine.
Ever had any ridiculously superstitious pregnancy myth thrown at you? Share them with me in the comments below and let’s have a big laugh!
