The latest advances in medicine have transformed the experience of delivering a baby for a pregnant woman. Yet, the age-old pregnancy myths in India are still popular, though quite baseless, and they can bother a pregnant woman considerably. There are no facts for these common myths of pregnancy, yet they have a psychological effect on pregnant women. They worry unnecessarily, which is like adding fuel to the fire. One can laugh at them and push them aside but in pregnancy, even the most intellectual gets affected!
Fact 1: A pregnant woman has a fulfill all her food cravings.
Every “mother to be” has likes and dislikes of certain foods. Craving for a particular food is common. One should indulge with moderation, as the desire for wrong foods may not benefit either the mother or the baby. On the contrary, she may gain a lot of unadvisable weight.
Fact 2: You must eat for two people.
Daily, the baby requires healthy 300 calories. Hence, all the additional calories consumed will add to the mother’s weight.
Fact 3: A pregnant woman should not consume black or dark-colored foods, otherwise, the baby’s skin color will be dark.
The Color of the baby is already determined by the inherited genes and not by the food ingested by the mother. Many nutritious foods are not consumed because of this false notion.
Fact 4: If your mother had an easy pregnancy and delivery, so will you.
Hereditary factors have no role to play in predicting how easy your pregnancy and delivery will be. On the contrary, the size and position of the baby, your diet, and lifestyle play a big role in determining how things will be.
Fact 5: Having sex during pregnancy will result in miscarriage.
Only in complicated or high-risk pregnancies, abstinence from sex is advised. Otherwise, a pregnant woman can have sexual relations as long as she is comfortable with it.
Fact 6: You should have Ghee and Badam Sheera once your labor begins.
These foods are very heavy and can induce vomiting. Also, they take a much longer time to digest.