Pregnant people get a lot of unsolicited advice that’s often well-meaning, but misguided. Most of it is harmless, but not all of it. These are a few pregnancy myths that we all need to stop believing.
- Myth #1: You can tell the sex of your baby by how you’re carrying. The truth? Baby bump size, shape and position don’t have anything to do with the sex of the baby, no matter what your Aunt Margaret says. Maternal fetal medicine specialist Dr. Kecia Gaither explains that the way you carry is based on factors such as your height, weight, and abdominal muscle tone as well as the baby’s size and position.
- Myth #2: You’re more likely to have a C-section if you get an epidural. Dr. Gaither explains that several studies have proven that the risk of C-section doesn’t go up after having an epidural.
- Myth #3: If you eat certain foods while pregnant, that can cause the baby to develop food allergies or asthma. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases reports that there’s no evidence that eating high-allergen foods, like tree nuts, dairy or eggs while pregnant or breastfeeding causes food allergies in kids.
- Myth #4: You can’t eat lunch meat or hot dogs when you’re pregnant. According to the CDC, you just have to heat them to 165-degrees to cut the risk of listeria, which can be found in lunch meats. Pregnant people are 10 times more likely to get listeriosis than a healthy adult because of changes in their immune system, so heat those deli cuts if you want to stay safe.
- Myth #5: If you’ve had a C-section with your first baby, you have to have C-sections with future deliveries. The thinking on this one has changed over time and it’s no longer an automatic thing.
Source: Prevention
Scott's Thoughts:
- I’m all for safety, but is hot deli meat actually appealing to anyone?
- A lot of misinformation comes from women who have already had a child.
- Us men tend to believe everything we hear.