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Pregnancy myths! What's really true and what isn't?
@beautyqueen26 (16030)
United States
July 30, 2007 5:52pm CST
This morning I was watching a local show and the topic of the day was pregnancy myths. Very interesting! For instance, there's an old wive's tale about not eating spicy food because it could harm the baby. Well, I was pregnant and I did that one. It didn't hurt my baby, but it did give me indigestion, so it's not an activity I'd recommend to other pregnant moms.
One of the other myths was that you couldn't hold your cat while pregnant. That one is not true. Apparently, it's alright to hold a cat or even give her a bath. But, you should not scoop the cat litter because of risk of infection by toxoplasmosis (I think that's how you say it!). It's a very serious condition that can cause birth defects. When I was pregnant, I made my spouse scoop the cat litter daily, so that there was no possibility that I could come into contact with cat litter germs.
Another myth was that you shouldn't take a bath during pregnancy. I think they said that you could, but you should avoid hot-tubs, because of the intense heat.
And, I was wondering, what other pregnancy myths have you heard of or encountered? Is it true that they won't let you on an airplane when you are in your eighth month of pregnancy?
1 person likes this
10 responses
@cynddvs (2948)
• United States
31 Jul 07
One pregnancy myth that ended up being true for me was the one about if you have a lot of heartburn when you are pregnant that means the baby will have a head full of hair. I had horrible heartburn, especially in the last trimester. My girl was born with a head full of dark hair. And I had cats when I was pregnant. I would wear gloves while I scooped the littebox. The doctor said as long as I wore gloves and a mask and washed my hands immediately afterwards that I should be fine.
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@beautyqueen26 (16030)
• United States
31 Jul 07
Oh, my goodness! I was the same way too. Even though I loved spicy food often when I was pregnant (shame on me!) I ate those tums tablets like candy. I swear, it's the only thing that kept me sane, the heart burn pain was so bad. I just couldn't stop myself from eating the wrong foods. And, sure enough, mine was born with a head full of hair. It was dark when I first saw her (from all the amnio fluids) but when her hair was clean and dry it was platinum blonde. I told everyone that I had given birth to Marilyn Monroe! She was so beautiful. Still is.
@cynddvs (2948)
• United States
31 Jul 07
Wow you don't see many babies with a head full of blonde hair! I'm right there with ya on the tums. I had to keep a constant supply with me. And of course the big things I craved were fast food and orange juice. Orange juice is really good for you but dang it gives a pregnant girl some heartburn. There were nights when I had to sleep sitting up the heartburn was so bad.
@mflower2053 (3223)
• United States
31 Jul 07
About taking a bath it is ok until you start diliating because once you start to open up then you could get an infection.
I was just telling my SIL that she shouldn't change the cats liter box and my BIL said as long as the cat doesn't eat mice she is fine??? I don't know about that but maybe their dr told them she could.
I forgot what the others were. Something about reaching your arms over your head. I know they don't let you on a cruise ship when you are past a certain point in your pregnancy. You should get it oked by your doctor to travel near the end anywhere you go or how you travel. I know I wouldn't want to give birth in an airplane lol.
1 person likes this
@beautyqueen26 (16030)
• United States
31 Jul 07
Oh, no, no no! She should definitely stay away from the cat litter. You are right on this one. Pregnant women are absolutely 100% not supposed to scoop cat litter. I think your BIL is being a bit lazy (sorry for the mean talk) but she should not go anywhere near that mess. I got some of my info on toxoplasmosis from a woman who's own daughter was born with the syndrome after the mom was exposed to the toxoplasmosis while she was pregant (scooping cat litter). And, her daughter was severly mentally handicapped and had many physcial challenges. She was almost ten years old and could not talk and had to be cared for around the clock. All because noone would scoop the stupid cat litter for her while she was pregnant. What a shame! Look it's only for a short time, so I don't understand why your BIL wouldn't want to help out with the kitty litter or at least get someone other than her to do that.
@sugarcrystalz (60)
• United States
1 Aug 07
Actually, cat litter is fine if you take precautions. If you have indoor cats, the risk is almost non-existant because cats get it from eating an infected mouse/bird/etc, and they only carry the infection for about a week. To catch taxoplasmosis, the cat would have to have been infected in the past week, and you'd have to touch the litter and then ingest it. If you don't wash your hands after scooping the litter, you might have a very small chance of still getting it, but most people wash their hands after doing litter.
Taxoplasmosis is often found in soil (from animal feces) so you're actually at a much greater risk of contracting taxoplasmosis from raw vegetables and from meats than you are from just scooping cat litter.
@mgmagana (3618)
• United States
31 Jul 07
well i've heard if u're traveling far it may not be in ur best interest b/c u will need to be able to get up and walk around but that's with any form of traveling i guess, also, just airliners in general may not let u on in fear u will go into labor but i think as long as u bring a dr.'s note then u should be okay!
@beyonce03 (2331)
• Canada
31 Jul 07
All the thing that you are saying are the first thing I red on the internet. I'm one month pregnant and I made a lot of research.
One thing that someone told me that is only a myth i think, it,s that we can,t cross our leg during pregnancy. I've look at several on the think we should do, and I never find that
@Calais (10893)
• Australia
31 Jul 07
LOL..I would not believe in a lot of things...Spicy food...I had a craving for spicy food especially chilli...I had it nearly everday..The cat one is a myth too..If you own cats then there is no affect at all because you are already immune to it so its in your system anyway, The hot baths are more for your own , so your body core temperature dosnt rise too much because its already elevated..I dont know of any more because I dont really listen to them...LOL..I just get on way and do what I have to do..I was out chopping wood a week before I had my bub...
@BethTN81 (564)
• United States
31 Jul 07
One thing about pregnancy that some people dont know is your immune system seems to be srtonger in those months..the whole 9 months i was preggy, i never once was sick with a cold, flu, virus..NOTHING...not even allergies...of course i did have morning sickness 24/& and that was bad enough.
@sugarcrystalz (60)
• United States
1 Aug 07
Your immune system is weaker when you are pregnant. It has to be- otherwise your body would regect the pregnancy as a foreign substance.
@smyers52000 (37)
• United States
31 Jul 07
One myth that I encountered during my pregancy is they say that if you have a lot of heartburn then your baby is going to have a lot of hair. We'll I did not have any heartburn with my son and he had a full head of hair. With my daughter I had heartburn everyday and she was completely bald. As far as the plane thing I think there is a certain point when they will no longer let u fly because they do not want a mother giving birth in mid air but that is just what i think I do not know for sure.
@mkirby624 (1598)
• United States
31 Jul 07
Well the cat one is partially true. If the cat has cat litter in its feet, it could be harmful to you. They also say not to get a new cat during pregnancy.
The bath one is just because your body temperature shouldn't be so high, and it gets high when you get in a hot bath or a hottub.
I agree with you on the spicy food thing, I think it's only harmful side effect is heartburn!
@carlaabt (3504)
• United States
31 Jul 07
I heard all of those while i was pregnant, too. We ended up getting a cat while I was pregnant. We got her because her old owners were abusive. They were going to just dump her somewhere, so we said we would take her. I talked to my doctor about it, and he did a blood test and said I could take her because I was already immune to the germs that can harm your baby. He still told me I shouldn't clean her litterbox, though, or clean up the dog's waste out of the yard.
My doctor didn't want me to travel after 32 weeks. He wouldn't even let me go to Bismarck (125 miles away) at the end of my pregnancy.
@maddysmommy (16230)
• United States
30 Jul 07
The one you mentioned about the 8th month almost happened to me. I had to get a medical certificate and letter from my doctor before I was allowed to buy a ticket and board an airplane from Samoa to New Zealand. I was almost 8 months when I went back to New Zealand to have my son. I'm not sure if this happens anywhere else.
I really don't know of any pregnancy myths.
@gr8life (6251)
• Malaysia
31 Jul 07
Hello beautyqueen26,
When I was pregnant, my mom told me not to let me or my husband kills any kind of animals; not even an insect. It is said that when you killed animal/insect, it will affect your baby. If you break the leg of the animal, your baby's leg will look exactly like that crippled animal.
You are not allow to be outside the house late at night as they do believe all kind of supernaturals out there. If you feel like eating something that is not allowed for pregnant woman, you are advised to say some kind of words to avoid the curse or something like that. I don't really believe all this but I followed the advice as not to worry my mom too much *smile*
