Pregnancy Myths - Do add your own list to them!!

This is one of my favorite topics of discussion -- the numerous Myths surrounding Pregnancy!! I had posted some of these last year, but have collected some more and so here they are - some more Myths to understand and let go!!

It's amazing to keep finding new ones cropping up in every Prenatal class and some old favorites coming around. I am keeping a record of all the myths I have heard and am hearing, to better understand these beliefs and figure out any logical reasoning behind them or dismiss some of them as pure heresy.

It usually makes for a very animated and fun discussion among my students to listen to new myths, analyse the ones which they have accepted as the truth without thinking and finally arrive at a middle path which makes sense on a logical and emotional level.

I sometimes feel that mom-to-be have to hear a lot of opinions from family, friends, co-workers, and sometimes total strangers -- everyone has free advice and opinions to share, about what the mom has to do, eat, read, hear, exercise, whether she can do Yoga etc. 
I hope this blog post can help all moms-to-be to decide which Myths and Facts they are ready to question, change and hopefully influence their sphere of thinking.

I know that some of my readers might have some more interesting, juicy ones to share with me, so please feel free to write them back. 
I enjoy reading these little snippets, like little pieces of raw mango, dipped in salt and spice -- some of them are so tart, and some are so spicy --- its a great combination!!

So, without further ado, lets dig in into our juiciest Myths :)

Myth: A classic myth is that if a woman is carrying high, she's going to have a baby girl and if she's carrying low, she's going to have a baby boy. This is NOT TRUE.

Fact: There are so many factors such as her muscle size, structure, the position of the fetus, her posture and amount of fat deposited around the abdomen play a big role in the size and shape of a pregnant belly.

Myth: This myth is that if a pregnant woman craves salty foods, she's going to have a boy and if she craves sweet dishes, she's going to have a girl. This is NOT TRUE.

Fact:  Any particular cravings do not depend on the sex of the new baby.

Myth: This one suggests that if a pregnant woman sits in an A/C room, the baby in the womb will get a cold. Again, so NOT TRUE..

Fact: The baby is completely protected by the womb. The mom-to-be will catch a cold, if she comes in contact with someone who's already having a cold, but not by being in an A/C room.

Myth: This myth is that a pregnant woman should stop exercising based on the fear that it will harm the growing baby. NOT TRUE, ladies!!

Fact: Do exercise, but in moderation. If the mom is already walking, doing yoga, doing swimming, she should continue with the movements. It would be prudent if she could  slow down her speed of walking, enroll in Prenatal Yoga classes and swim slower laps at the pool. Consistent moderate exercising helps the mom to be in better physical shape, helps to not gain more weight than required, keeps muscles supple and flexible, provides better oxygenation to the mom and the baby and also helps in releasing stress.

Myth: This one is a favorite among people who want fair-skinned babies. I guess the thinking is on the terms of  "Lets make a concentrated effort to increase fairness factor for the next generation -- so, lets start in the womb!!".

The pregnant woman is advised to eat saffron, so that the baby's skin color will change to be born as 'fair'! 

Now, Saffron, according to Ayurveda, is good to keep the 'Doshas' of the body in balance, i.e Pitta, Vaata and Kapha are brought into balance, but only when taken is minute quantities with warm milk, once a day.

But, instead of following this ancient ritual, people have taken a whole different approach --- the poor mom-to-be is made to drink saffron three or four times in a day, to speed up the fairness process in the womb!! This usually results in diarrhea and dehydration.

Fact: Do limit the intake of Saffron to once a day, to help in balancing Doshas -- no more emphasis on fairness factor!! Lets change our limited perception of what we want our daughters and sons to be, this is one of the issues where we can start!! We accept our skin color, no matter what color it is, fair, wheatish, dark, white or blue !!

Myth: This one works on the theory that if the mom-to-be eats lots of ghee or butter, the baby will slip out easily at delivery!! Again, so NOT TRUE!

Fact: Again, according to Ayurveda, small quantities of ghee (1 tsp. with meals) help in keeping the joints flexible, help in smoothing the stretch marks on the abdomen and also aids the digestive process. But, having large amounts of ghee or butter can be quite harmful to the mom-to-be, since she might put on additional weight and her metabolism can actually slow down. Also,it will definitely not help in sliding the baby out at delivery.

Myth: This myth advises mom-to-be to not go out when a Lunar Eclipse is taking place, based on the fear that it might result in the baby being born with cleft-lip or unsightly birth-marks. NOT TRUE!!

Fact: There is no scientific evidence to support this above theory. The only precaution during an Eclipse might be to avoid looking directly at the sun, since this can cause retinal damage.

Myth: This one is a new entry on the myth list and I give it 'the Worst Myth I have Heard' Award!

This one suggests that the mom has to eat 'Cow Dung' --- Yep, literally, cow dung with ghee! --- to get a fair baby!! Poor mom!! And, sooooo NOT TRUE!

My heart saddens a lot to hear that mothers have to hear these opinions and sometimes are forced to follow them, for lack of support and knowledge.

Isn't that list Amazing and Mind-boggling? It might be funny, but sadly,I have known moms-to-be who are coerced into following these bizarre practices, struggling between their sense of intuition and the demands of the external world.

I strongly feel that moms-to-be have to learn to understand, analyse all the Myths and Facts they hear with their particular families and friends. They have to be more vocal about practices which cannot be followed blindly.

I hope this Post is a step in allowing moms-to-be to bring about a change in their little worlds.

After all, as Mahatma Gandhiji has said "Be the change you wish to see in the world"

In Peace,

Asha