Desi Pregnancy Myths which we follow religiously

When my wife was expecting a child, it was a time of great joy and anticipation, but unfortunately, this was also a time when everyone around could not wait to give away their free and most valuable advice.

If it is your first pregnancy, you are more likely be listening to all kinds of guidance from your family, friends, colleagues and even strangers. By all means, gather as much valuable information as you can, but beware of potentially unsafe advice.

See Also: Boy or Girl? Desi myths on guessing the gender of baby in your stomach

Here are some of the common pregnancy myths which are religiously followed by Indians (My family was also one of them) and I can’t really believe people follow them!
I have tried to help you with my personal advice which probably and hopefully would sound more sensible and logical.

Desi Pregnancy Myths which we follow religiously

1. ‘Eat as much as you like beta, your food is supporting two people now’
   This is the most common advice that you will hear from your surroundings. Everyone around will try to feed the pregnant lady with something or the other!

   In reality, it is not true.

   You should eat as much as you feel like and whatever you feel like. Eating for two will only make you gain weight, make you sick and do nothing for the well being of the baby.

   It is more important to eat the right food at the right time than over-eating.

   The pregnancy is a natural phenomenon and your body will automatically adjust to it. The important thing is to keep yourself away from stress and eat till your stomach allows you to eat.

2. ‘Don’t exercise, it will adversely affect your baby’
   One more very common myth. But by not exercising, you make your body inactive, which in turn results in unnecessary weight gain, stiffness, swelling, aches and pains and to top it all off, a more difficult delivery.

   Saying this, we do not mean that you can do any exercise.

   You should pick a light exercise like walking, easy resistance training exercises, stretching or yoga.

   And obviously, you should strictly stay away from heavy physical activity like boxing, weight training etc.

3. ‘Eating ghee will help the baby slip out easily during delivery!’
   I could not stop laughing when I heard this from my wife’s sister’s mother-in-law.

   Baby sliding down the stomach with the help of Ghee….sounds crazy as well as weird.

   I don’t think there is any connection between the digestion canal and the delivery canal.

   On the contrary, Ghee is only going to make you gain weight and increase your cholesterol levels.

   The birth canal has natural lubricants to make the baby slip out. Ghee will ONLY add fat and no lubricant!

4. ‘Stretchmarks can be prevented by using creams and Oils’
   I know that all would-be-mothers want to avoid stretchmarks on stomach, but it is also true that there is nothing much you can do about it.

   It simply depends on the elasticity of your skin and there’s nothing you can do.

   They are caused because of the sudden increase in weight and bulging of the skin of your lower stomach.

   Using creams and Oils to massage your skin is a good idea and will definitely help your skin moisturize well. But there are no proofs that can say that creams and oils can get rid of them!

5. ‘Don’t take any medicine’
   That is true to an extent — don’t take any medicine without your doctor’s permission and prescription.

   Some medicines are harmful if you’re pregnant, but there are some mild ones that are absolutely safe to take as long as you check with your gynecologist first.

6. ‘Eating white colored food items early morning will make your baby fair’
   This one is really funny and is followed very religiously for our obsession towards white skin!!
   But the fact is that doing all this does not make any difference to the skin color of your baby.

   The complexion of the baby is primarily based on the parent’s genes. If the myth was true, every dark complexion parent (not to offend anyone, just citing an example) would try to do it and have the fair baby.

   Just eat what you like as it will keep your mood, mind and tongue happy leading to a stress free pregnancy time!!

Sarthak Saini – My Nephew

Maanya Sharma – My Niece

Related: Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness during Pregnancy

I hope, after reading this, you will definitely give a thought and try to come out of these superstitions. I wish you have a healthy baby.
Also, let us know your thoughts on the above misconceptions. Which one have you believed?

Comments are most welcome.