For All Moms-To-Be, We Are Busting These 13 Pregnancy Myths To Help You

Oct 05, 2018

The internet is littered with the "do's and don't's" of pregnancy. What's not littered on the internet is a guide on how to sift through fact versus fiction. Here is a list of popular pregnancy myths, and why they should be debunked.

It's widely believed that if a woman has wide hips, they'll have an easier delivery once the baby comes.

This is simply not true. People are confusing the ilium (the topmost part of the hip) with the pelvis inlet (the birth canal).

As a matter of fact, women with large hips can have a small birth canal, and vice versa. Either way, hip size does not affect delivery.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could just look at a woman's stomach and instantly know the baby's gender? It's too good to be true, and yet people believe it. The shape of a woman's stomach during pregnancy is due to how large or small the fetus is, and what position it's in, NOT the actual gender.

Ultrasounds use radiation, right? WRONG!! So many people think that ultrasounds use radiation, which is why multiple ultrasounds can become harmful.

In fact, ultrasounds use sound vibrations at a low intensity in order to create an image of what the fetus looks like. It's an easy, quick, completely harmless operation that any fetus can endure.

Many people don't realize that a fetus is actually protected by the muscular uterus. This makes it possible for a woman to lay down on her stomach during pregnancy without any harm being brought to the fetus.

A woman can even sleep on her stomach, too! It's more important for the woman to listen to her instincts on what "feels" right or wrong.

Most pregnancies are complication free--no blood pressure issues, no major health concerns. A doctor will inform you if any pregnancy complications are expected. If there aren't any complications, it's completely normal, and actually healthy, for a mother to go on runs while they're pregnant.

Lots of people think running around is harmful, when in reality it doesn't really have any negative side effects.

Morning sickness is perhaps the most iconic way a woman knows when they're pregnant. For whatever reason, it's called the morning sickness, even though the pains and symptoms can virtually happen at any point during the day.

So while almost every woman will experience "the morning sickness," only a small percentage of them will actually happen in the morning hours.

So many women are worried that any movement will result in the umbilical cord strangling and choking their baby. Most commonly, it's believed that lifting your arms in the air will result in this type of strangulation. It's simply not true.

Almost all of a woman's movements are completely safe, and won't harm the baby.

It's unfortunate--cat's can, potentially, carry the disease toxoplasmosis with them, which is detrimental to a newborn baby.

But don't give your cat up because of this extremely rare possibility!!

Instead, there are some sanitary practices you can start just to be on the safe side, such as: have someone else clean the litter box; get some latex gloves; wash your hands after encounters.

Women have every reason to be happy during a pregnancy, right? Unfortunately, this is a myth so many believe. Pregnancies are, on the contrary, quite stressful, and it's not uncommon for a woman to experience symptoms of depression. Their bodies are going through quite the change, and it can have a negative emotional effect many thought to be pleasant for so many years.

A lot of people think a couple drinks during pregnancy won't have any effect on the baby. The reality is, though, that the umbilical cord acts as a funnel directly to the fetus. So when a woman drinks alcohol during a pregnancy, the baby will also absorb some of that alcoholic intake.

This can result in birth defects.

It's so common to think that once you give birth, you instantly lose all that weight you put on during pregnancy. However, there's lots of excess fluid and fat that gets stored all throughout the body that doesn't magically disappear once the delivery is over. It can take weeks, sometimes months, for a woman to regain her previous physical state.

Women will often times opt for a C-section because they don't want to deal with the pains associated with giving a live birth. However, C-sections can be just as painful.

The pain from a C-section, though, comes AFTER the baby has been removed.

So even though a live birth is painful in the moment, it pretty much ceases to exist once the baby has been delivered.

It's one of the first pregnancy myths: babies are born without any preconceptions of the world around them. The truth is, though, that a fetus can be stimulated by the outside world while they're still in the womb.

That's why some parents will play music and read to their fetus, to help familiarize them with their future surroundings.

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Have you heard of some other myths that you believe are ridiculous? Write them in the comments below and help spread the right information.

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!