Just got the good news and already people are driving you crazy with unwanted advice? Well, welcome to the club! The most dreaded thing in pregnancy is the constant suggestions given by friends & family regarding everything from lifestyle, diet to daily activities. Most of these pieces of advice are actually based on myths and don’t have any medical relevance. Come let’s debunk some of these common myths that might be plaguing your mind!
- Time to eat for two!
Yes, you have to follow a nutritious diet to ensure that your baby gets all the nutrients required for its proper development but that doesn’t mean you will start eating double all of a sudden. This will do more harm than good as you will develop multiple complications. According to the experts, to reduce the risk of cardiac problems, diabetes, and obesity it is best to gain around 5 pounds during the first half and 1pound every week thereafter.
- No more spicy foods!
Don’t worry, you can still enjoy your favorite curries. There have been so many studies, but none of them claimed to find evidence proving spicy food to be the reason behind birth defects or slow development of the baby. Even though consuming alcohol or hemp might be a problem as they do reach the baby, your favorite dishes are entirely safe!
- Fetal sex can be determined through heartbeat
This one is nothing but one of the myths that originated from stories and rumors spread by midwives at a time when there were no such developments in the field of medicine. There have been many studies to debunk this myth and it has been found that the average heartbeat of female fetuses is 152beats/minute while for males it is 155bpm so there isn’t any significant difference to know the sex for sure.
- Raising your arms for long stretches can get the umbilical cord wrapped around your baby
This one is probably the worst myth and can put a lot of pressure on mothers who faced complications regarding the umbilical cord getting wrapped around the baby. Somehow it puts the blame on the mother unnecessarily when there is no scientific or medical evidence to prove it.
- Sleeping on your back will cause birth defects
A big NO. There are multiple studies that have proved sleeping on the left side aids in blood circulation and various other aspects during pregnancy and also helps in the development of the baby. But that doesn’t mean that sleeping on your back is harmful. What people fail to notice is the fact that all these studies say that SOS is beneficial for the baby but none of them claimed, sleeping on your back to be harmful. So go ahead and relax!
So you see how you had been stressing yourself unnecessarily till now? Stop listening to people and start paying attention to your doctor and start consulting a reputed stem cell bank for a better future of your baby.
