Human beings have their own set of beliefs many of which often have no base. They are mere beliefs been followed or trusted without any factual authentication. These thoughts exist in every sphere of life.
And when we talk of pregnancy then these beliefs are just endless. Here let us discuss some of the common pregnancy beliefs and also understand the real fact behind. Have a look:
1. The pain is intolerable
False: Positive attitude and right contractions make it easy to bear pain. During labor, woman loses her conscious owing to medications. It’s a natural process and nature plays its role where in women lose their consciousness.
2.To grease your nerves, have ghee daily
False: You might have heard your grandma say this….. But the fact is ghee will only add extra kilos to your weight. In order to be flexible throughout your pregnancy period you need to exercise. Be active throughout your 9 months, your muscles and joints will not rust out. In your grandma’s times women worked in and around their homes, so their ghee intake was digested.
3. The umbilical cord is attached to the mother’s navelFalse: The umbilical cord is affixed to the baby’s navel. The food through placenta passes the nutrition through the umbilical cord. Placenta is an organ inside the womb and umbilical cord is affixed to it.
4. When you are in labor you need to pushFalse: Push only when you are asked to by your doctor or nurse. Your baby might be at a risk of hurting its head against the unopened cervix. If the mouth of the womb isn’t wider when your push may hit the baby's head, leading it to swell.
5. You need to eat double when you are carrying a baby
False: This is a very common myth. During your 9 months it is very essential to have a healthy diet and eat well, but that doesn’t mean you eat for two. As the fetus develops, it needs proper food for its development and the baby consumes major part of the food. Thus if you haven’t eaten well you may feel weak and tired.
6. Baby’s head flattens if you sit with cross legs on the floor
False: Sitting cross legged will ease the joints and proves to be a great form of exercise that opens up the joints during delivery. Joints become supple and open easily at the time of birth. The baby’s head is neither harmed nor flattened.
7. When you pull your stomach in, baby is suffocated inside
False: Whenever you draw in your stomach, your muscles are relieved. The oxygen is supplied all the way through the umbilical cord to the baby, and therefore the baby doesn’t feel the suffocation. The pelvic bones bear the baby’s weight whenever you draw in.
8. Before you go to the hospital have ghee, plain milk or badam milk
False: When you have anything as filling as milk or ghee you may feel like a vomiting sensation when your labor starts. If you feel hungry when your labor begins, eat light.
9. Bind abdomen after delivery
False: It’s essential to do light exercises in the initial days. If you hold back your muscles with a belt, they will sag again. Continue doing mild exercise and slowly move on to a strict fitness regime to get your body and muscles back in shape.
10. It’s always a Caesarean when the cord is round the neck
False: The delivery need not always be a caesarean; it can be a normal one as well if the cord is loosely wrapped around the neck of the baby during birth.
11. It’s a Caesarean when the baby’s feet are first i.e. if it is in breech appearance
False: If the baby’s head is not turned downwards it will be a caesarean only. If the baby is in breech position in the initial stages of pregnancy then in the coming weeks it will turn its position bringing the head down.
12. On the expected due date the baby is expected to come
False: In only about 4%-5% cases, labor starts on the anticipated due date. In about 80% of cases it is two weeks prior or one week later on. 10% of cases are in 42 weeks whereas only about 4%-5% deliver at 43 plus weeks.