Pregnancy advice that you must not follow — Part 1
Pregnancy is the beginning of a new journey in a woman’s life. But let’s face it, not everything is nice and wonderful during pregnancy. While the growing tummy, constant fatigue, change in routine, and other health problems may make you anxious, all this seems nothing to the unending flow of pregnancy advice and suggestions from practically everybody you know. Your pregnancy becomes a national crisis and everyone feels bound to do their duty to the nation by pouring on advice about everything they know, irrelevant of its accuracy or your interest.
Well, the first time mommas may be anxious and would love to gather information as much as they can. But when what you get is not information but folklores prevailing for ages and having no scientific background, it can be really unnerving, misleading and confusing.
So, ladies here I am busting the advice I found, in some cases plain stupid or irritating and in some cases just meaningless.
Pregnancy is a blessing to a woman
No doubt pregnancy is a unique and a life-changing experience. You will be amazed at the intensity of the emotions that you feel towards the tiny little bundle growing inside. However, there won’t be a lack of people who consider you so lucky now that you are pregnant. But that’s just the one side. There are ups and downs in pregnancy too. Sometimes you may want to pull your hair and scream. There may be times when you pray, “Oh God! just let this be over.” And no, you are not a bad mother or an evil person for thinking so.
Pregnancy brings a lot of changes in one’s life. Change in your body shape, fatigue, health issues, and an added responsibility; all this can make any person apprehensive and you have all the right to complain. But in the end, when you hold your baby, you’ll find it worth everything.
You should not declare pregnancy before three months.
Many ladies believe that if you tell everyone about the pregnancy before three months, your baby will catch an evil eye and there can be a miscarriage. While this myth has no basis, it’s well-meaning to the pregnant woman. The chance of a miscarriage is highest during the first trimester. So, the lesser people know, the better. You will be saved the awkwardness and pain of explaining your condition to a distant aunt who you may not have talked to you in ages but would definitely start feeling very sympathetic towards you.
The number of people knowing about the pregnancy has nothing to do with the health of your baby. No one should be able to stop you from delivering happy words to those who really love you and care for you.
Pregnant women should eat for two.
No, do not go on stuffing yourself under the excuse that now that a new life is growing inside you, you need to eat for two. It’s just a baby and that too, not fully grown. You need around 300–400 extra calories per day and not food enough for two people. Moreover, during pregnancy what you eat is more important than how much you eat. Your food should be healthy and not just carbs.
Eating foods darker in color will make the baby darker.
This is the most irritating and infuriating advice that was given to me. How can you wish something for a baby’s complexion? I mean, it’s a baby. It’s beautiful. There are no other words to describe it. And the more important thing, a baby’s physical appearance is determined when it is conceived and is entirely dependant on your and your partner’s genes. So, looking at a beautiful baby or eating everything white is not going to affect your baby’s appearance in any way.
I ate a lot of black grapes during my pregnancy due to its rich iron content and my baby is nowhere near the color black. What you eat will affect the overall health and development of your baby and not its complexion or physical features.
Do not lie on your sides after the fifth month of pregnancy.
Lying on sides will cause the baby to move to the side and you will have problems during delivery. This is plain stupid. The baby is in your womb and is floating in amniotic fluid. It’s not going to move anywhere. It’s your body, not a hollow space. And within this myth lies the reason for backaches found in most women during pregnancy in earlier times. After five months, the baby is grown and has some weight. Lying on your back simply puts pressure on your nerves and hence you suffer from backache.
The best position to lie during pregnancy or anytime is on your left side. It aids in digestion and also keeps the right nostril working. According to Ayurved, this increases hunger and heats up the body. And when you feel stiff on your left side, sleep on your right side. You can also lie on back for some time but you, yourself will start feeling uncomfortable.
Oh! that eternal glow and happiness
Women tend to get glowing skin, what with all the healthy food and vitamin and other supplements. Also, all the care and the fact of your baby growing inside you are sure to make you feel happy. But, that is not the sacrosanct truth. Mood swings and grumpiness are utterly common during pregnancy and that glow is no guarantee. While most of the women glow, there are many, me too, whose skin shows exact opposite effects. Not only did my skin get darker during pregnancy, but I also suffered from a bout of severe acne after the sixth month of my pregnancy that continued even after my son was born. My skin got normal somewhere around the eighth month after my delivery. I didn’t get this many acne even during my teenage years.
So, just chill if you don’t feel like a goddess of happiness and positivity. Or if your skin is not behaving how it ought to be.
Ghee, no more words, please
As soon as the third trimester starts, there is an increasing demand for the consumption of ghee on the pregnant lady. You know it provides lubrication to alleviate the chances of normal delivery or vaginal birth. Now, what on Earth is this supposed to mean? What you eat does not directly go to your baby. The nutrients from what you eat reach your baby through the umbilical cord. Ghee may give you energy that may come handy during labor but it also adds lots of calories to your food and inches to your waist.
So, do eat ghee but normally. No matter how many cans of ghee you empty, your baby is not going to be covered in it nor is it going to slip out through your vagina.
There is no harm in trying natural remedies.
While I do believe in natural remedies as a way of treatment, it is strictly not recommended during pregnancy. Be sure to read everything about the ingredients that you are taking during your pregnancy. A very simple example of this is green tea. Consumption of green tea is very beneficial to the body and is healthy. But the same green tea can prove fatal to your pregnancy if taken in the first trimester. Also, the same food can have different effects on you at different times of pregnancy. The green tea which can cause miscarriage in the first trimester is helpful in inducing labor in the later months of pregnancy.
The bottom line is that there is nothing wrong in trying natural remedies but do read everything before you try it. The same goes for allopathic medicines too. The medicine that you may be taking for years may be inadvisable during pregnancy. Just keep in mind to be careful and informed about what you put in your mouth during pregnancy.
Whoa! the list got really long. There are many more points that I would like to add. So, I conclude this article here and will continue on the same topic in the next article. The myths or advice listed above can cause utter distress if you are living in a joint family or are continuously surrounded by people who have a habit of nagging continuously and you are not the kind of person who simply ignores or shouts at others.
But just remember pregnancy is an important part of your life. Do not let others tarnish this experience. Do listen to the experience and wisdom of others. Just be well read and stay informed. Be the only one who gets to decide what’s good for you and your baby.
