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9 Hilarious Pregnancy Myths You Should Totally Disregard
Pregnancy myths can be scary when you first hear them, but later on, you will look back and have a good laugh with friends when you remember them or how scared they made you.
Pregnancy can be a fun time in a woman’s life; you get to see and hear things that will thrill, amaze, or downright crack you up. One of such interesting things is the pregnancy myths that get passed around by family, aunts or well-meaning friends, and acquaintances.
Some of these myths are told with good intentions; the mindset of protecting you, however, because they aren’t grounded in facts, they turn out to be just that; myths.
When I was pregnant, I had my fill of these pregnancy myths and some turned out to be so hilarious (although I never made the mistake of laughing when I was told; I was too scared to) they still ring in my head.
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Here are nine of such myths I just have to share with you guys:
9 Pregnancy Myths You Should Totally Disregard
Pregnancy Myth #1: Walking at night Exposes Your Baby to Evil Spirits
I remember having a fallout with my mom a few times over this myth. I stayed at her place a few weekends and she would have a fit if I went into town and got back at night.
As the myth goes, vile spirits are lurking around just waiting to possess a child if the mother walked at night.
My mom strongly believed this and while there is no fact to back it up, most people like myself who don’t quite believe it have to give in for peace to reign.
Pregnancy Myth #2: Attaching a Safety Pin to Your Dress at the Abdominal Region Drives Away These Evil Spirits
It’s a very common sight to see pregnant women attach a safety pin to their dress at the stomach region when stepping outside the house, especially at noon. (Apparently, the safety pin was completely ineffective at night).
This act is more a safety measure than an attack directed at the spirits. The way the myth goes, it is believed the spirits view this gesture as a sort of appeasement and mark the lady to not be touched.
This doesn’t exactly make any sense, but then again, it’s a myth.
Pregnancy Myth #3: You Shouldn’t Drink Cold Water or Double Over or Your Baby will End Up Cross-eyed
I also got this a lot while pregnant. I had hyperemesis in pregnancy and had a strong aversion to food and water at room temperature. Cold water and ice were the only liquids I could take without vomiting my lungs out my first trimester.
However, my mom was having none of this and insisted taking very cold things while pregnant would make my baby cross-eyed.
Now, while I appreciated her care and obvious concern, this was one myth I wasn’t going to give into as cold water was a lifeline I wasn’t ready to give up for any reason.
Pregnancy Myth #4: If You Lose Your Beauty While Pregnant, You’re Definitely Having a Girl
Some people regard the last trimester of pregnancy as the most challenging. It is also a time when most pregnant women lose some or all of their pregnancy glow, becoming quite large sometimes with swollen feet and a complexion that’s not as glowy as it used to be.
While this is usually a sign that it’s almost time for your precious bun to make his/her grand entrance into the world, most people interpret this as a sign you’re having a girl.
The way this myth goes your girl-child – being a girl and all – has taken all your beauty to make herself beautiful just before she steps out.
Luckily though, as the myth goes, you will get your beauty back when your daughter gets born, and then you both will end up being beautiful.
Pregnancy Myth #5: You Should Eat Much More as You’re Eating for Two
There’s also the myth that you have to eat a double portion of every meal you take in, especially in your third trimester as you’d be eating for two.
However, health experts have debunked this and state you only need an extra 200 calories in addition to the 2,000 you need daily as a woman, and no more.
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Pregnancy Myth #6: Relaxing Your Hair While Pregnant is Bad for Baby
Yet another pregnancy myth that you should disregard is that your baby will come to some harm when you relax your hair.
I remember going to the salon to have my hair relaxed and textured in my last trimester and having the stylist looked at me in shock, before proceeding to inform me doing so would be bad for the baby as the relaxer could find its way into my bloodstream and harm my baby (I’m still in shock remembering this).
In a calm, but firm voice, I told her that was just a myth and definitely couldn’t happen. You can imagine my shock further when a few other women corroborated her story and insisted I give up relaxing my hair.
Needless to say, I left the salon to another where they are a lot more practical in their approach to things.
7) Pregnancy Myth #7: Touching a Cat Would Harm Your Baby
Some cultures see cats as the harbinger of evil so this pregnancy myth didn’t surprise me one bit.
While it’s possible to contact Toxoplasmosis (a disease that’s harmful to a growing fetus) when you come in contact with a cat’s contaminated feces, merely touching or stroking a cat is not in any way believed to be harmful to you or your growing baby.
Pregnancy Myth #8: Pregnant Women Shouldn’t Take Coffee
Some people will advise you to avoid coffee while pregnant and while excess coffee intake, especially in the first trimester has been linked to an increased risk of miscarriage, studies have found you can take coffee in moderate quantity.
It is recommended you don’t go above 200 milligrams of coffee daily, which is about one and a half 7-ounce cups daily.
Pregnancy Myth #9: Not Having Morning Sickness Means Your Baby Isn’t Doing Fine
Although 70 to 80% of pregnant women experience morning sickness from the sixth to the 12th/13th week of pregnancy, not experiencing any doesn’t mean your baby isn’t thriving.
Tags: pregnancy myths and facts, hilarious pregnancy myths
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