Being pregnant brings on a whole lot of “do this, not that” rules from almost every woman you know. Whether it’s been picked up from personal experience, or just something they’ve read online, some of these ideas are true and some are just darn-right wrong. To settle all the rumours, we have called in Dr. Marjorie Dixon to finally debunk some of the most common myths about being pregnant.
Myth #1: Queasiness and morning sickness will end with the first trimester.
Answer: Total myth. Generally, the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy is directly related to HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin), which is the hormone of pregnancy. This hormone (along with the sickness) will rapidly increase as soon as you become pregnant, increase further at 6-8 weeks, and peak and plateau at 12 weeks. This would typically mark the end of your first trimester, however your body has become familiar with the nausea and vomiting that it appears to not be as severe, yet is still ongoing. It is also important to note that everyone is different and everyone will experiences varying degrees of nausea and vomiting (remember Kate Middleton?). All in all, after twelve weeks, you will feel better; however the hormone will still be present.
Myth #2: You will feel unattractive by the last month of your pregnancy and you will have no interest in sex.
Definitely false. It is actually the partners who are more likely to worry about harming the baby during sex. This is also false as the baby will not be affected whatsoever. So if you are up for it, and you haven’t been told not by your doctor not to have sex — it’s a go!
Myth #3: If you get a lot of heartburn during pregnancy, your baby will have a lot of hair.
Sounds crazy, right? Well, John Hopkins University conducted a study in 2006 that monitored 64 women and assessed whether they experienced none, minimal, or moderate to severe amounts of nausea, vomiting, and heartburn. After they had their baby, an independent coder took photos of the babies to record whether they had little, moderate, or above average hair. As it turns out, the women who experienced the most sickness did in fact have babies with more hair.
Myth #4: A glass of Guinness beer will help your milk come in.
There is something called “polysaccharide” in the barley found in dark beer, like Guinness, that stimulates prolactin which stimulates milk production. However, you could have guessed that there is also alcohol in beer. Alcohol actually inhibits your milk production. There are a number of ways to stimulate milk production, but a beer is not one of them.
For more of Dr. Marjorie’s insights, check out her segment below:
Courtesy of Dr. Marjorie Dixon