It's fair to say that there are some things in life that we will never fully understand. Pregnancy is one of those things. While society has come a long way in terms of dealing with pregnancy, there are still a great number of unknowns. With so many unknowns in the realm of pregnancy, it's only natural that society has tried to provide answers to them; however, most of these alleged "answers" end up being nothing more than myth.
Think back to the days when ancient societies created fables about various gods and goddesses to explain things like thunder and lightning. Over time, science debunked the real reasons for thunder and lightning, and any thoughts of Gods and Goddesses became an afterthought.
While there aren't many myths that exist in today's society, there are still a surprising number of myths used to explain the unknowns in pregnancy. Today we're going to take a look at 10 of the most common myths associated with pregnancy, and we'll be using science and testimonies to debunk them!
Put these tall tales to rest and learn the truth about these 10 common pregnancy myths!
1. "Your next childbirth will easier than the first"
This is not entirely true. For some women, the second time around is often more difficult than the first. There's not much reason or rhyme to understanding which one of your births will be easiest. Every pregnancy is different so it's difficult to say that the second birth will be easier just because you've done it before. It may go more smoothly, but it certainly won't be easier.
2. "Morning sickness only happens in the morning"
If only morning sickness had a watch that could tell it to trigger exclusively in the morning time. Unfortunately, that's not at all the case. You're certainly prone to get sick after waking up but morning sickness comes and goes as it pleases. It's safe to assume that, despite the name, morning sickness can pretty much hit you at any point during the day.
Don't buy into these pregnancy myths! Click next to learn more!
3. "If childbirth was easy for your mother, it'll be easy for you"
Not only is this untrue, it also doesn't make much sense. For example, some moms have C-sections and their daughters don't. Easiness of childbirth isn't a hereditary trait, though it would be pretty convenient if it was.
4. "The bigger your breasts, the easier it will be to breastfeed"
Yet another myth that doesn't really have a leg to stand on. Okay, sure, your breasts grow when pregnant and that's a sign of good things to come in terms of breastfeeding. But, the size of your breasts doesn't mean it'll be any easier for your to produce milk. Many women with A-cups are capable of producing enough milk to feed 4 or 5 babies!
5. "If you're having a girl, you'll look uglier during pregnancy"
There are a handful of old mother's tales that claim this myth. The reason being that there are a lot of physical attributes associated with beauty that occur while pregnant, specifically while pregnant with a girl. Things like significant weight gain the face, and adult acne outbreaks have been linked to pregnancy with a girl. The reality of this myth, however, is that everyone's pregnancy is unique. These changes could be happening for a number of reasons (namely hormones) and don;t truly indicate the sex of your baby.
6. "You get to eat for two"
If this were true, many women would jump for joy. Unfortunately for hungry moms out there, this is nothing more than a myth. In actuality, it's suggested that you up your calorie intake by about 300 to 350 a day. That's the caloric equivalent to a single patty cheeseburger...with no mayo, mustard, ketchup, etc.
Don't buy into these myths! Click next to learn more!
7. "There are products that can prevent/get rid of stretch marks"
This is the most disheartening of pregnancy myths because it's very, very wrong. Stretch marks are a natural reaction to your body making room to accommodate a baby in the belly. There's little you can do to prevent them. Don't be fooled by enticing and promising labels on various creams and lotions. Roughly 90% of all women get stretch marks during pregnancy, and there's little they can do to prevent them. Furthermore, there still exists no true way to remove them.
8. "Pregnancy is a beautiful time for a woman"
No mom will deny that pregnancy is in fact a beautiful time for them. Especially since the "beautiful" time culminated in a child. However, no mom will deny the fact that not every step of the way of pregnancy is beautiful. In fact, sometimes it's downright ugly! It can get rough for expecting moms and majority of the time, you won't be saying your pregnancy is "beautiful".
9. "Breastfeeding helps you lose your baby weight"
Technically speaking, breastfeeding does burn calories, but it's far from a miracle weight loss program. Some moms even have to deal with their bodies holding on to the weight for the sake of the baby. It's expected that it'll take time to shed the baby weight, but don;t count on this myth to help you drop all of it.
10. "Look forward to pushing during labor"
This is more of a positive mindset than a myth, however, it's pretty subjective. Enough to make the list at least. There's not really too much logic to support that every mom would look forward to the most painful experience in their life. Obviously, it means that the hard part is over, but, that doesn't make it the best part of labor for a woman. And it certainly doesn't make it something every mom should look forward to.
This post was baed on an article published by Mom.Me
READ: 4 Infertility misconceptions you should be aware of
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