Pregnancy is surrounded by a large number of myths and legends, stories that over the years have been passed from mothers to daughters, women with experience who become walking encyclopedias. A few decades ago, when this great globalized community formed by new technologies, the only way to get answers to questions about pregnancy and motherhood was through experienced women.
In this way beliefs were emerging, in some cases with a certain basis, although in most cases, they are false myths. Receiving information from other mothers, from experienced women who count on their experiences to give advice, is not bad. However, it is essential that you take this information with the caution that the question deserves.
Fortunately, today there are means of controlling pregnancy from the first moment. Therefore, before putting your own health and that of your baby at risk, go to your doctor and solve any questions you may have with him. As for the myths that circulate about pregnancy, these are some of them.
Myths and truths about pregnancy
Myth: You can tell the sex of the baby by the shape of the pregnant belly.
Surely on more than one occasion you have heard about this question, since many women of past decades believe it to be true. According to legend, when the belly of the future mother has a rounded shape, the baby is a boy. On the other hand, if the belly has a more pointed shape, the baby that grows inside it is a girl. The truth is that there is no scientific basis to support this claim.
The shape of the pregnant belly grows based on the mother's muscle tone, if she is a first time or not and many other physical factors that have nothing to do with the sex of the baby. Therefore, if you want to know the sex of your baby, the only way is through an ultrasound and even so, many times when the baby is born it gives the surprise.
Myth: If you have burning during pregnancy, it is because your baby will be born with a lot of hair.
This is another of the best known myths and that in the same way, it is completely false. The estomacal acidez in pregnancy, it is produced due to the physical changes produced by pregnancy. On the one hand, progesterone, which is a pregnancy hormone, produces changes in the muscles of the digestive system. This causes reflux, gastric juices from the stomach return to the esophagus and this causes heartburn.
On the other hand, as the pregnancy progresses the organs move inside the woman. The growth of the uterus causes the stomach and diaphragm to move up. This causes digestion to slow down and it is more difficult to carry out the natural process of the digestive system.
Myth: A pregnant woman has to eat for two
Besides being a false claim, it is completely harmful to both the mother and the future baby. Being overweight in pregnancy can lead to very negative consequences for both, so it is essential that the mother adopts healthy eating habits.
In terms of nutrition, what is advised in pregnancy is to increase the consumption of certain essential nutrients for the development of the baby. Even as the pregnancy progresses, the consumption of calories can be increased in part. But always under medical supervision and being aware of what you eat. Increasing the consumption of milk, which is also necessary in pregnancy, is not the same as increasing the consumption of sugars and processed products, which should be completely eliminated.
Ultimately, experience can help you as a guide for certain situations, but in no case should you firmly follow through without having the opinion of professionals. Your midwife or the doctor who follows your pregnancy will give you recommendations on diet and on the care you should take, so that your pregnancy develops normally.