Added: 01/26/2006 |
Pregnancy: A Time of Preconception, Myth and Old Wives? TalePregnancy and preconception seem to go hand in hand. The moment others find out that you are pregnant is also the moment in time when the floodgates seemingly open up and everyone, from the milkman to the mail carrier, appears to not only have a preconception or two, but is also quite vociferous about this myth. Of course, this experience is not limited to strangers and onlookers, but instead seems to run within families as well! While some myths may sound rational and logical on the surface, others are just simply out of this world. Yet whether preconception, pregnancy truth, or outlandish tale, some of these ideas are too wild.
Take for example the preconception that a woman who appears to carry her unborn child "high" will be delivering a girl, whereas the woman who carries the child "low" will give birth to a boy. This is quite possibly the most popular old wives' tale and preconception in existence today, yet it does not replace the reliable method of the ultrasound examination to take a peek at the child's gender. Whether a woman carries her child high or low has nothing to do with gender, but instead everything with the woman's muscle tone, muscle strength, the position of the child within the uterus, as well as the stage of the pregnancy. Arm in arm with this preconception is the myth that the shape and color of the expectant mother's face is an indication of the child's sex. Again, this is merely a somewhat hopeful preconception, pregnancy reality indicates that the fullness a woman's experiences has everything to do with the way she gains weight, and nothing with the baby's gender.
Of course, gender is not the only aspect of the pregnancy that gives rise to the preconception game. Did you know that some folks believe that heartburn, when experienced during pregnancy, is a sure way to indicate if your child is born with a lot of hair? There is absolutely no scientific fact to back up this idea, and furthermore, heartburn is such as frequent occurrence during pregnancy that there should be legions of extremely hairy children playing in your neighborhood! On a more serious note, the idea that a mom-to-be is eating for two is not only an old wives' tale, but may actually cause her to eat more than she should.
While these little tales are fun to listen to, and quite possibly enough to chuckle here and there, these are not the only stories told to expecting parents. A preconception turns dangerous when it persuades the mom-to-be to either disregard her physician's advice, or in the alternative causes her to worry incessantly about real or imagined problems. One such myth that can do a lot of damage to a woman's peace of mind is the tale that if she raises her arms above her head, she will choke her unborn child. This is not backed up by scientific evidence, and there are plenty of ballerinas with perfectly healthy babies, who danced well into their advanced pregnancies, yet this little story may cause some mom to worry and that, according to doctors everywhere, is indeed harmful to a mother and her child.
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