Pregnancy Myths

hi ladies..

Came across the following pregnancy myths when i was browsing.

1. The old heartburn myth
If a pregnant woman frequently experiences heartburn, her baby will have a full head of hair. Simply not true. Some babies have hair, some don't. Most lose it all within a few weeks, anyway.

2. The umbilical cord strangulation myth
If a pregnant woman lifts her hands above her head, she will choke the baby. Give us a break. People used to think (and, alas, some still believe) that the mother's movement could cause the baby to become tangled in the umbilical cord, but that's just not true.

3. The curse myth
Anyone who denies a pregnant woman the food that she craves will get a sty in his eye. Nope. This myth doesn't mean that someone who stands between a pregnant woman and her cravings is in the clear, though: he will most certainly be subjected to threats, name-calling, or icy glares. ---

4. The heart rate myth
If the foetal heart rate is fast, the baby is a girl. If the heart rate is slow, it's a boy. Medical researchers actually looked into this myth. They did find a very slight different between the average heart rate of boys and that of girls, but it wasn't significant enough to make heart rate an accurate predictor of sex.

5. The ugly stick myth
If a pregnant woman sees something ugly or horrible, she will have an ugly baby. How could this possibly be true? There's no such thing as an ugly baby!

6. The coffee myth
If a baby is born with cafe au lait spots (light-brown birthmarks), the mother drank too much coffee or had unfulfilled cravings during pregnancy. Nope.

7. The great sex myth
Interestingly, this may be one of the few myths with a grain of truth in it. Love-making can stimulate your body to produce the hormone oxytocin, which can help your cervix ripen in readiness for labour. Your partner's semen also contains hormones called prostaglandins, which can cause contractions.

Source: http://www.ivillage.co.uk/pregnancyandbaby/pregnancy/concernpreg/qas/0,,16_667469,00.html

Has anyone else heard any other funny pregnancy myths that are unique to their race/ethnic? In my case, i was and still am 'prohibited' from eating pineapples and papayas. They say that it can cause miscarriage. I dont know how true this is. From what i've read, the latex in unripe papaya and some properties of the pineapple can cause uterine contractions in some women, thus may cause miscarriage in early pregnancy. But of course, i can't find much scientific writings about this.

I think number 3 is my favorite! My hubby has learned that he doesn't come between me and my food...

#5 is so funny my DH actually will make sure I don't see anything terrible not b.c he thinks our babies will be ugly he's affriad it will leave some sort of birth mark....LOL...

Dh helps a wrecker service out in the winter and I go with when I can.....so we came up on this really bad wreck.....a bus and a small pick up....well he wouldn't let me get out affraid of what I might see.... awee how sweet.

I have never ever heard number 5 before....that was sweet that he wouldn't let you see something terrible! awww