As a woman who has been pregnant five times (miscarrying once and carrying twins during another pregnancy), I can say firsthand that the routine weigh-ins during pregnancy exams can often be – no ARE – the most stressful part of the visit. Here you are at the 10 week mark, excited and giddy about carrying a baby, and your health care provider wants to chastise you because according to a chart, or estimate – you have gained 2.6 pounds more than you should have by that point. Or, as you are lumbering in at the 32 week mark, so big that you cannot see your feet, your provider makes a remark that you might need to be super careful during the last few weeks not to gain too much more weight – lest you be overweight after delivery.

Yes, we get it. As pregnant women, we get that monitoring our weight is an ultra important way in monitoring the health of the baby inside us, and ensures that we are taking care of ourselves as well. We also get that according to a host of pregnancy authorities, we should only gain an average of 35ish pounds during pregnancy. And yes, we have also heard all the warnings that losing the baby weight post delivery can be much harder than we think it is. Blah. Blah. Blah.

Unfortunately, weight gain during pregnancy is unavoidable. One of the things you know going into your pregnancy is that you are going to gain weight. And while modern science has debunked the ‘eating for two’ myth that makes many women finally feel it is acceptable to have that second helping of ice cream (or steak), women shouldn’t be so ultra focused on the pounds they are putting on that they feel bad about their blossoming bodies, or stressed about how they are going to lose the weight afterwards.

The focus during pregnancy should be on overall health and wellbeing.

The quality of foods that we put into our body should be nutrient rich in order to feed our baby’s needs and our own needs. Each woman is different, and will gain weight differently. Some will gain weight fast in the beginning and level out during the pregnancy.  Other women will hardly gain a pound until the 4 or 5 month mark. Some women gain 50+ pounds during pregnancy, while others only gain 15. At the end of the day, it is the overall health of your body, and of your baby, that matters. While your health care provider means well by weighing you in like a contestant on The Biggest Loser and you shouldn’t be metaphorically eating for two, each woman has a different metabolic rate and a different inherent definition of normal. Additionally, you will find that your weight gain will vary from one pregnancy to the next.

There is already so much pressure on women when it comes to meeting the expectation of a specific number on a scale, that pregnancy should not be a time for women to stress about the weight gain. Pregnancy should not be mistaken as a time to ‘feel fat’ or to be uncomfortable with your body (especially since it is doing such a beautiful thing), or to play into your insecurities about the size of your clothes. It should be a time of finally realizing just how amazing your body is and how intricately you, as a woman, are designed.

Personally speaking, during my third pregnancy, I refused to look at the scale when I was weighed. I would step on without slipping off my shoes, close my eyes, and tell my nurse that I didn’t want to know how much I weighed. I felt that the stress of ‘that number’ was just not worth my time or worry, as long as my baby and I were progressing healthily.

Written By Stef, Mother of 4 @Mom-Spirational

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2018. All rights reserved.

No matter how big or small your bump is, you will probably receive comments about it on a daily basis. Whether people are exclaiming at the sheer size of you, or questioning whether you’re really pregnant, it’s understandable to feel annoyed by the constant scrutiny of your bump. Aside from being irritating, the comments may leave you feeling anxious. But is it worth worrying about bump size?

Firstly, it’s important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to pregnancy bumps. You are unique, and your baby is unique, you aren’t going to measure up exactly the same as Jane from HR. It’s also important to remember that the people making the comments are not the experts. They’re not midwives or doctors running over to you in the street to criticise your bump, they’re friends, family members or total strangers. Take their opinions with a very large pinch of salt.

Bump size can be affected by:

• the number of pregnancies – if this isn’t your first baby, your stomach muscles won’t be as tight, and so you may find that you show earlier in the pregnancy
• the number of babies – if you’re carrying more than one baby, your bump size is likely to be bigger
• the baby’s position – your bump may appear smaller when your baby is tucked in close to your spine, and bigger when your baby is stretching out against your bump
• amniotic fluid – some women have more amniotic fluid than others. This could make your bump appear much bigger or smaller
• your posture – certain stances and positions will make your bump look bigger
• your clothes – certain clothes may make your bump look bigger than others. Whether you go for a bump-hugging t-shirt, or a floaty maternity blouse could make all the difference

Is it worth worrying about bump size?

No. Leave the worrying to your healthcare provider. If they’re not worried, you needn’t be either. Your healthcare provider will measure the baby at each prenatal appointment. You will be asked to lie down on the bed, so that your healthcare provider can examine you, check the baby’s position, and measure the baby. The results will be plotted on a chart, to allow your healthcare provider to track your baby’s growth.

If your healthcare provider is concerned about your baby’s size, you will be offered extra ultrasound scans to allow for more accurate measurements.

Speak to your healthcare provider if you are worried about the size of your bump.

Written by Fiona, proud owner of a toddler, @fiona_peacock

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2018. All rights reserved.

It is very rare for women to catch chickenpox during pregnancy. Only around 0.3% of women will become infected with chickenpox while they are pregnant. Most people contract chickenpox in childhood; though, with the advent of the chicken pox vaccine, the number of cases has decreased dramatically. Around 90% of pregnant women are immune to chickenpox.

I’ve had chickenpox before

If you have previously suffered from chickenpox, you may be immune to the disease for the rest of your life. However, the virus does remain in your body and has the potential to reactivate. It is rare to have a second case of chickenpox, though it does happen occasionally.

I haven’t had chickenpox before

If you haven’t previously had chickenpox, then you need to be careful throughout the pregnancy. If you come into contact with chickenpox or shingles, you must contact your healthcare provider immediately.

You are most at risk of contracting chickenpox if:

• You have face-to-face contact with an infected person.
• You are in the same room as an infected person for at least 15 minutes.

If you have been in contact with an infected person, you must contact your healthcare provider immediately. Do not wait to develop symptoms. It can take up to three weeks to develop symptoms of chickenpox, so you should contact your healthcare provider as soon as contact occurs.

You can catch chickenpox from a person infected with shingles. You should avoid coming into contact with the shingles virus if you have not previously had chickenpox.

If you don’t know whether you have had chickenpox before, you should contact your healthcare provider. They may choose to test your blood for immunity to the virus.

Will chickenpox harm my baby?

Chickenpox during pregnancy rarely causes complications for mother or baby. However in some cases, chickenpox can lead to serious consequences. Around 10% of pregnant women infected with chickenpox will go on to develop pneumonia.

The seriousness of contracting chickenpox during pregnancy depends on your stage of pregnancy:

• Before week 28, there is no evidence of increased risk of miscarriage. However, up to 2% of babies may experience side effects because of the infection.
• Between week 28 and 36 your baby is very unlikely to be affected, although he may develop shingles in early childhood.
• After week 36, your baby has a 50% chance of being infected.
• If you develop chickenpox within seven days of giving birth, your baby may develop severe chickenpox.

You should contact your healthcare provider if you experience any of the following:

• a bleeding rash
• a severe rash
• drowsiness
• breathing problems
• vaginal bleeding
• vomiting

Talk to your healthcare provider if you are worried about chickenpox during pregnancy.

Written by Fiona, proud owner of a toddler, @fiona_peacock

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2018. All rights reserved.

Listeriosis is an infection caused by consuming food contaminated with the bacteria listeria. Listeria can sometimes be found in decaying vegetation, soil and animal excrement.

It is estimated that one in 20 people may carry listeria, but show no symptoms of listeriosis. Infected people can produce contaminated stools. Listeria can be spread this way if the carrier doesn’t wash their hand after using the toilet, and then handles food.

In most people, listeriosis is a mild condition with flu-like symptoms. It will usually last around three to five days, and requires no treatment. In rare cases, listeriosis can cause meningitis. Pregnant women should be particularly concerned about listeriosis because it can have serious consequences for the developing baby.

Preventing listeriosis

People with weak immune systems, such as pregnant women, are more likely to contract listeriosis. Pregnant women are thought to be 20 times more likely to develop listeriosis compared with the rest of the population. There are a number of steps you can take to decrease your risk of catching this infection:

• Avoid unpasteurised dairy products
• Avoid mould-ripened soft cheese
• Avoid all types of pates – including vegetable pate
• Avoid pre-packed sandwiches
• Avoid cooked sliced meats
• Avoid smoked salmon
• Always wash fruit and vegetables before eating them
• Always cook food thoroughly
• Always wash your hands before and after handling food
• Do not eat out of date foods
• Wash cooking utensils and surfaces thoroughly before each use
• Set your fridge and freezer to the recommended temperature
• Avoid contact with sheep, particularly during lambing season

Symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

If you become infected with listeriosis, you may experience the following symptoms:

• diarrhea
• tiredness
• fever or chills
• nausea
• general flu-like symptoms

It is important that you contact your healthcare provider immediately if you think you may have contracted listeriosis. A blood test will be used to confirm the diagnosis, and then you will be treated with antibiotics.

Will listeriosis harm my baby?

If treated, listeriosis should not affect your baby. You may be offered an ultrasound to check that your baby has not become infected. If left untreated however, listeriosis can be a serious condition for the baby. Untreated listeriosis can lead to miscarriage, preterm birth and stillbirth. Around one in five pregnancy-related listeriosis cases will end in the death of the baby. Listeriosis can also put your baby at risk of developing other illnesses including jaundice and meningitis.

If you are concerned about listeriosis, speak to your healthcare provider.

Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2018. All rights reserved.

Many soon-to-be-parents choose to keep their favourite baby names under wraps to avoid this dilemma. If you’ve chosen to spill the beans early, and had a negative reaction, you are probably upset. Or, even worse, if you’ve introduced your new bundle of joy, and been met with sour faces. What exactly should you do if people don’t like your baby’s name?

1. Don’t take it personally – like all things, names are a matter of taste. You aren’t going to like the same ones as everyone else. Look at the person who has told you they dislike the name, do you like their shoes, musical tastes and choice of boyfriends? Probably not, and that’s fine. We’re all different. You will never find a name that everyone loves, and the most important thing here is that you love it.
2. Ask them to keep their opinions to themselves – politely explain that you do like the name, and that’s why you’ve chosen it. It is a strange custom that people voice their disapproval of names choices. When meeting a new adult for the first time, we don’t exclaim, “John? What a terrible name. I don’t like that. It reminds me of that horrible John off the tele.” So why is it ok to do so with a baby? You are well within your rights to politely ask people to keep their opinions to themselves.
3. Has it changed things? – have their words made you see the name in a new light? It’s possible that the negative opinion of a loved one, could cause you to fall out of love with the name. Perhaps they reminded you of another person of the same name, or another meaning of the name, that you hadn’t previously thought of. It’s ok to change your mind. Don’t feel bullied into it, and don’t change your mind if you still love the name. If you are starting to question it, however, you can always keep looking for new names.
4. Ignore them – if you still love the name, and your partner still loves the name, then ignore everybody else’s opinion. The name is one of your first parenting decisions, don’t be bullied into choosing one you don’t like. You should give your child the name you feel they deserve. Your favourite name, not anybody else’s. Once the baby’s born, you will have unwanted advice flying at you from all directions. Set the scene now by showing everyone you know your own mind.
5. Ask a few other people – if one person has knocked back your name idea, try getting more opinions. If you don’t feel comfortable asking friends and family, you could ask anonymously online. It can be hurtful when someone tells you they don’t like the name you’ve chosen, especially if it’s one you’ve loved for a while. By seeking out new opinions, you could find validation that it is the perfect name after all.

Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2018. All rights reserved.

If you browse a list of the most stressful life events, you’re sure to find moving house listed near the top. Looking for houses, dealing with solicitors, saving for fees – every stage seems to bring yet more things to worry about. If you’ve battled through all of that stress, and have made it to moving day, you may be wondering how you can ensure the day passes as smoothly as possible. After all, if moving house makes it into the top five, pregnant and moving house must be even more difficult.

It’s all in the planning

The best way to reduce stress, is to plan the move thoroughly. Work out what you can pack in advance, and start packing it. Clearly label all of the boxes so that the removal men know where to put them, and you know where to find things in the new house. Try to pack logically, and keep boxes organised by room, so that unpacking is a little easier.

Leave it to the professionals

A man with van is no friend to a pregnant woman. If your budget will stretch to it, hire a removal company to take care of the move. They will take care of everything, and leave you feeling worry-free in the hands of the professionals. If money is no object, you could even pay them extra to do all of the packing and unpacking for you.

Call in favors

Pregnancy is no time to be moving home single-handedly. Call in reinforcements in the form of your long-suffering friends and family. Whether you need help packing, filling boxes, or choosing new furniture for your house, your friends and family will be more than happy to help. After all, they’ll be able to remind you of their assistance when that adorable baby is born and they fancy a cuddle.

Avoid heavy lifting

Pregnancy hormones cause all of your ligaments and tendons to relax, leaving you at risk of muscle strains. You should avoid lifting heavy weights during pregnancy because of the risk of aches, pains and muscle strains. If you are shifting boxes, be sure to practice good body mechanics – bend at the knees not the waist, carry packages close to your body, and lift with your thighs not your back.

Listen to your body

Moving day will probably be long – an early start, a late finish, and lots of hard work and stress between. You need more rest during pregnancy, and may find yourself exhausted on moving day. Listen to your body, and rest when you feel you need to. Make sure you have somewhere comfy to rest, and that you can rest undisturbed in a quiet room if necessary.

Keep your hospital bag close

If you are nearing the end of your pregnancy, keep your packed hospital bag somewhere handy at all times. You never know when you might go into labor, but if it does happens, the last thing you need is a mad scramble to try and find your bag.

Avoid fumes

You may want to take extra caution around chemical and paint fumes during pregnancy. If the new house will need a mammoth clean before you move in, you may be best hiring the professionals for this job. Alternatively you could ask friends and family to help out. Keep windows open until the cleaning fumes have cleared up. If you’re planning to paint, you could opt for eco paints that don’t contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). VOCs are released into the air during and after painting, and can cause headaches and dizziness.

Moving to a new area

If you are moving to a new area, you will need to sign up to a new healthcare provider. Do this as soon as possible to ensure you receive continuous care throughout your pregnancy.

You may also want to make some new friends. Prenatal classes, bumps and babies groups, and local community groups are great ways to get in touch with other moms-to-be in your local area.

Good luck for moving day. Remember, listen to your body and rest as often as you need to. Sit back, relax, and consider yourself more of a project manager than a mover. Enjoy your new family home.

Written by Fiona, proud owner of a toddler, @fiona_peacock

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2018. All rights reserved.

The holidays are undoubtedly a stressful time. Of course, it’s great to spend time with loved ones, share presents and eat good food while watching nostalgic movies. But along with all of that, comes spending time with people you’d rather avoid, eating too much, and – perhaps –  family rows. So how do you go about surviving the holidays during pregnancy?

1. Be realistic – you need to know your limitations. If you usually travel across the country to spend Christmas with your folks, but your baby is due on New Years, you’ll probably prefer to stay closer to home this year. If you’re suffering with backache or general discomfort, you should try to avoid unnecessary, long-distance travel over the festive period. If you’re feeling tired, you may want to leave your social calendar a little emptier this year, and give yourself time to recover after big events.
2. Take it easy – whether you’re in the throes of the first trimester nausea, or exhaustedly lugging around a full term bump, you should try to take it easy this holiday season. Make sure you get enough rest, drink plenty of water, eat healthily and try to get some exercise each day.
3. Staying sober – if you usually enjoy Christmas over the limit, you may feel left out sitting soberly on the sidelines this year. Just because you can’t drink alcohol, doesn’t mean you just have to drink tap water, though. Why not whip up some exotic mocktails for the occasion, and indulge yourself in a variety of fruit juices, flavoured waters and soft drinks? If you’re worried about feeling left out while everyone indulges, ask your partner to join you on your temporary wagon, and enjoy your last holiday together before the new baby arrives.
4. Emotional turmoil – with the nostalgic Christmas films, emotion-fuelled television adverts, and countless family memories, Christmas has the potential to become a sob fest. Add to that the hormones, sleepless nights and anxiety of pregnancy, and you may just have a recipe for disaster. You may end up sobbing into your sprouts or even screaming across the spuds. Try to remember that the holidays are a time for heightened emotions, and so it’s easy for things to get out of hand. Stay calm, and try to enjoy your festive period.
5. Eat healthily – don’t worry, you can have the odd treat, but do try to stick to a healthy diet over Christmas. Gobble up the occasional mince pie, but be sure to also eat your fair share of fresh fruit, nuts and vegetables. Eating little and often can help to reduce dizziness during pregnancy, so try to keep healthy snacks in the house for this.

Are you dreading the holidays with a bump, or looking forward to them?

Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.

Pregnancy is a time of happiness and joy. But it can also be a time of great worry and stress. Once you become pregnant, you automatically become a mother and develop the sense of worry and anxiety that is typical with motherhood.

Worrying during pregnancy is perfectly normal. In fact, your worries are just a side effect of the love that you already feel for your baby. If you find that your worries are excessive, cause immense anxiety, or that you are unable to stay focused on anything else or feel depressed, you should check with your practitioner for help.

The following are 5 common pregnancy worries that are fairly routine for ALL pregnant women at some point or another.

1. Will my baby be healthy? Of course, you want a healthy baby. And unfortunately, when you become pregnant and start reading so much material about ‘what could go wrong’ it is only natural to worry that your baby may not be healthy. Sometimes too much information is a bad thing. Just relax, follow your doctor’s orders, and try not to worry about your baby’s health unless your physician gives you a reason to.

2.  Will I be a good mother? The closer you get to delivery, the more you will worry about whether you will be a good mother or not. The most important ingredient in being a good mother is LOVE. Sure, you will make mistakes. You will find yourself not knowing what to do at times. The best advice is to follow your heart and your instincts and trust yourself to do what is best for your baby. Also, remember that no mom is perfect.

3. Will labor hurt? Fear and worries about labor and delivery are natural. Women have been giving birth since the beginning of time. It’s completely natural and your body knows what to do. Avoid listening to horror stories from ‘well-meaning’ others and repeat the mantra, “I can do this!” Once it’s over, you will wonder why you were so worried.

4. Will my water break in public? Truth is, according to statistics, most women have to have their bag of waters broken during labor. Sure, there are certainly some women who are walking through the grocery store and feel a sudden gush of amniotic fluid. The thing is if it happens to you, chances are you won’t be worried about what other people are thinking. You will be worried about getting to the hospital and it will make a fond memory to look back on.

5. Will I lose my baby weight? Too many women stress about weight gain, and their post-partum body. We say, enjoy this time. Eat healthily, and take care of yourself. Your body may never be exactly as it was before you had your baby – but chances are you will love and appreciate your body more than ever.

Written By Stef, Mom of 4 @Momspirational

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.

Being pregnant definitely adds to the excitement (and the stress) of the holiday. For one thing, you will surely be the belle of the ball at all family events and holiday parties as everyone will be eager to share in your joy. They will ask questions, rub your belly, share their pregnancy stories, ask about baby names and your future plans and, of course, will be willing and happy to pamper you. You may even find  people try to force feed you extra treats under the adage of ‘you are eating for two,” which can make maintaining your baby weight gain even more difficult. Or your friends and family may hire you as the designated driver for cocktail parties and events.

There are some tips and tricks for surviving the holidays with your sanity in check. And, remember that you are pregnant, so it’s very important that you take time to relax and get plenty of rest. Just think, next year at this time, you will have a baby to share with friends and loved ones.

1. Don’t overschedule yourself. A lunch party, an after work holiday get together with co-workers, and then trying to fit in some last minute shopping is too much in one day. If you need to say no because you are tired, people should understand. Listen to your body, and try to keep avoidable stress – both emotionally and physically – at a minimum.

2. If you aren’t finding out the gender and don’t want to share your selected baby names, then be prepared with a polite, yet concise way to tell people exactly that. Those questions will be the two most common questions you will receive, and some folks may be offended that you don’t want to share this information with them. Just tell them you are waiting to be surprised with the rest of the world, and leave it at there.

3. The holidays are notorious for overeating, and pregnant woman are no exception. Go ahead and indulge in some of your holiday favorites (sans the alcohol of course), but remember to put nutrition at the forefront of your food choices. If you do overindulge in some cake, cookies or candy, don’t fret about it. Enjoy the season.

4. If you are close to your due date, or aren’t up for traveling, then host get togethers at your house and enlist the help of others to organize the event. Explain to ‘Dear Aunt Sally’ that you aren’t quite up for making the annual trek for the holidays. Plus, this is the last holiday that you and your partner will have together alone. Enjoy this time. Pretty soon you will be starting new holiday traditions with your own little family. Family and friends may be a little tiffed at first, but they will certainly get over it.

5. Don’t feel pressured to spend money on extravagant gifts. Remember, you will have lots of things to buy for your baby, and most people will understand. Diapers, doctors visits, medications and medical bills can really add up and you need to be as fiscally responsible as possible – holidays or not! Consider making handmade gifts.

While you may be feeling a little tired, and not quite up to all the holiday hustle and bustle, try to enjoy yourself the best you can. Take time out for yourself, and pay attention to how you feel. Above all, don’t worry – you’ll make it through.

Written By Stef, Mom of 4 @Momspirational

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.

I was having coffee with a pregnant friend who had just been running errands. She said the teller at the bank told her, “You’re having a boy. You always lose your looks with a boy.” Rude, you say? And insulting, I might add. But such stories are part of the advice people feel free to give pregnant women – solicited or not. We’ve all heard stories like these, but we scoff and carry on. Still, a part of our mind wonders if there’s any truth to these old wives’ tales. Here a look at some of the most popular:

• If you’re carrying your baby low, it’s a boy. Gender prediction is the most prolific area of pregnancy advice. Carrying high or low, craving certain foods, a high fetal heart rate, and more – all of these tales can be a fun way to guess at whether the baby will be a boy or a girl, but none have a basis in fact. Gender is determined at conception; and, whether male or female, there are no tell-tale signs to clue you in apart from an ultrasound or genetic testing. By the way, carrying low may just mean your abdominal muscles aren’t as strong or toned as other women. Or it could just mean that you are genetically prone to a certain body shape.

• Don’t hang the wash or reach to a high shelf, or your baby will be entangled in the umbilical cord. In Jamaica, women are told not to step over a donkey’s tether or the baby will end up with the cord tightly around his neck. In Sicily, wearing a scarf can cause the same mishap. Or, if you’re Navajo, it could be the sitting with your legs crossed that does it. Take a deep breath, and stop worrying about this one. At birth, the umbilical cord is about twenty inches (50cm) long, and this gives plenty of length for baby to move, twist and turn throughout pregnancy and birth without becoming knotted or entangled. In fact, true knots occur in very few pregnancies.

• If you have heartburn, your baby will be born with lots of hair. Strangely, this one may have some fact to it. One study showed over 80% of babies born to moms who had moderate to severe heartburn had lots of hair! This is probably related to hormones that not only control growth, but that initiate changes in a mom’s body to keep pregnancy healthy.

• Never take a bath when you’re pregnant. The tale goes that if you submerge your belly in water, your baby will drown. While you don’t want to sit in water that’s too hot (and raise your body temperature too much), a warm bath can safely soothe the aches and pains of pregnancy. Also, you may be told not to take a bath in labor after your water breaks because it increases your risk of infection. Studies have shown this is not true, and that even a water birth is safe.

• If you crave a certain food, you’re baby must want it. Hungry for salsa? Your little one must be ordering it up. Well, not really. But there is a chance he might like spicy foods if you eat them often. Amniotic fluid takes on the flavors from mom’s diet, especially strong ones, like garlic or hot pepper. Another thought about cravings is that your body must need certain nutrients when you crave particular foods, though it hasn’t been proven.

• Sex will start labor. Sex is typically safe throughout pregnancy, and, even though it may cause some mild uterine contractions, it won’t start labor necessarily. If your body is ready for birth, however, sex may get things moving. The oxytocin release with orgasm, along with the prostaglandins in semen, may help to soften the cervix and induce regular contractions.

Before the advent of modern medicine, old wives’ tales served as a way of understanding and explaining the unknown. Today, we have ultrasound to track fetal development and all sorts of medical tests to help us understand the intricacies of pregnancy and birth. But these tales persist. Perhaps we still seek to rationalize and exert some control over bodily processes. Or perhaps the tales just serve as a way to connect with the past and with each other.

What are some of the more outrageous old wives’ tales you have heard?

Written by Michelle, writer, editor, Lamaze instructor, lactation consultant, and mother to 4 busy kids.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice.  All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.