Bursting Pregnancy Myths

Pregnancy is the most thrilling and exciting journey of entire lifetime. It is very different from the rest of the phases of life and is actually an amalgamation of all the beautiful emotions a person can experience in a lifetime. 

Tough this phase is extremely researched upon, there are still many misperceptions and confusions that pregnant woman have regarding their pregnancies. Some of these are mentioned below:

You can’t fly during your initial and last trimester. This is not true at all. You can fly if you need to travel; flight is smoother than bumpy road trips. However, some airlines won’t let you take the flight in your last trimester, but that is with regard to vertigo’s and nausea or with the fears that you’ll go into labor and force the plane to land or spoil the interiors.

You cannot pet your cat: This is another myth. However, you shouldn’t change or clean your cat’s litter box during pregnancy because of the risk of toxoplasmosis from the feces.  

You shouldn’t eat smoked salmon while pregnant. This has not been proved. Salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids like DHA, studies show that these are good for pregnant women and the fetuses, and salmon is a fresh water fish, so the probability of mercury poisoning is less. If your pregnancy diet chart contains salmon, enjoy eating it.

Pregnant women should keep away from polished furniture. Not true at all. It is believed that while painting or polishing walls or furniture, certain harmful gasses are emitted which harm the nervous system or cause vertigos or nausea during pregnancy. However, using polished furniture may not cause any damage to health.

Dying your hair is harmful for Baby. Wrong again. It is believed that exposure to pesticides can damage the health of the baby to be born. The actual fact is unless the mother-to-be is inhaling or consuming the pesticides, they cannot reach the baby.

 You shouldn’t take daily baths while pregnant: This cannot be true. Hygiene is of utmost importance. The only idea behind this, myth can be the risk of slipping on wet floor, but you can always be careful, as daily baths are part of the essential hygiene.

 You shouldn’t drink coffee while pregnant: One cup of coffee a day may not harm you or your baby.  Excess of everything is bad, however, you can have caffeine within limits as it is said that it contains flavonoids which is good for health.         

Pregnant women should eat for two: Not exactly true. During pregnancy, one only requires 300 extra calories per day. So ideally you should be eating for about one and a fifth.

And, finally, going outside when you’re pregnant during an eclipse will not give your baby a cleft palate. But you probably already knew that.

Create simple rules for your pregnancy like – walk carefully; avoid accidents or tripping over and falling, follow diet plan for a pregnant women, don’t stress yourself etc. Living simple and verifying facts can help you stay relaxed and healthy.