7 Myths About Pregnancy People Should Stop Believing

Pregnancy is not only one of the precious periods of life but also a subject of numerous old wives’ tales that may differ from country to country. Probably every pregnant woman has heard something related to the assumption that the gender of her future baby can be predicted by her food preferences or the day of conception. In reality, most of these assumptions are just myths that many people still believe in.

Our Bright Side team has collected some of the widespread old wives’ tales about pregnant women that you probably have relied on before too.

1. You may predict the gender from hair growth.

Some people believe that the gender of a baby affects the amount of hair growth on the future mom’s body. There is no truth to this theory as the fetus does not produce enough hormones to influence a mother’s hair growth in any way. In reality, pregnancy indeed causes many hormonal shifts in the body, and sometimes this impacts hair loss in expecting mothers. But this may happen irrespective of the sex of the baby.

2. Pregnant women should eat for two.

This phrase was heard by probably all pregnant women. But the fact is that a woman does not need to eat for two during pregnancy. During the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, a woman should eat 300 calories (equivalent to a slice of bread and one tablespoon of peanut butter) more than usual, and this is enough for the full development of the fetus. But the enumeration of calories will lead to the fact that there will be a sharp increase in body weight, which in turn negatively affects pregnancy and childbirth in general.

3. Dyeing your hair may be dangerous.

Some women still believe that dyeing your hair can allow harmful chemicals to enter your body and harm your fetus. But this assumption wasn’t scientifically proven. In fact, using dyes every two-three months is also not associated with any risks. Chemicals from quality hair products are not absorbed by the body through the scalp and do not enter the placenta. So if you are pregnant and want to change your image, it is the right time!

4. Woman’s cravings define the gender of the baby.

Another myth concerning a gender of a baby is about a woman’s food preferences. Some people believe that when a future mom is craving salty food she expects a boy, and when craving for sweet foods the baby is a girl. Of course, it’s an old wives’ tale, a woman’s preferences cannot predict the baby’s gender.

5. Women become air-headed during pregnancy.

There is a myth that is not funny but rather humiliating. The “preg head” or “placenta brain” is a myth assuming that pregnancy turn women into ditzy absent-minded airheads or simply ’stupid.’ Of course, there is a tendency that pregnant women to become more distracted and less able to focus but there is no psychological reason for it. The fact is that the pregnancy is a simultaneously stressful and exciting experience that requires a lot of attention, so women can’t focus on others things that are not that important.

6. You may plan pregnancy with a calendar to predict the gender.

The birth of a boy or a girl, depending on the day of conception, is one of the oldest myths about pregnancy. There are coincidences, but this is not strange, because there are only 2 sexes, and therefore the ability to predict the future gender of the child is exactly 50%.

7. Pregnant women shouldn’t do physical exercises and training.

To this day, there is a myth that pregnant women shouldn’t train physically. Obviously, historically it was important that a pregnant woman not chop wood or work hours in the field, but these days most people spend their time in a sitting position. Moderate physical activity and fun just help both the woman and her unborn child. It’s not just about walking in the park, but also dancing, swimming, or cleaning, if that’s what a woman wants right now. Physical activity is one of the ways to improve your psychological and physical well-being.

What other pregnancy myths have you heard about? Are there any you believed in before?