Harmful tips: 10 misconceptions about pregnancy and childbirth
Text: Alexandra Bazhenova-Sorokina
FUTURE PARENTS ARE SURROUNDED BY RELATIVES, FRIENDS, DOCTORS AND OWNERS, and all these people are often convinced that they know more about pregnancy and childbirth than you do. On the one hand, it is not entirely correct to advise anything, not knowing the medical history of a person, and especially not having a specialized education. On the other hand, chemistry, biology, and medicine are constantly evolving sciences, and the scientific consensus about many dubious facts about pregnancy and childbirth has changed a long time ago. The Soviets remained and gave rise to myths that can and must be fought. We collected ten medical misconceptions, which to this day can be heard as advice to pregnant women.
Homeopathy is effective and harmless
The best answer to the question of how a remedy works, in which the active ingredient is diluted so many times that it does not remain, can be found here. Repeated studies have shown that the effect of homeopathy does not exceed the placebo effect, but perhaps this is the secret of this treatment. And also that not all herbal remedies, called homeopathy, contain homeopathic doses. At the same time, such funds do not pass the certification of medicinal substances, so when you are offered to drink a course of homeopathy or "weed" during pregnancy, you get a cat in a bag. We cannot say with certainty what exactly is in the package of a homeopathic remedy and how certain components will affect the health of the woman and the fetus, since the necessary research has not been carried out.
Ultrasound is harmful to the baby
The movement for natural parenthood begins with pregnancy. Along with the important and useful installations that it gives, there are also extremely dubious advice that future parents hear with enviable frequency. Of course, stories about the dangers of ultrasound and how DNA "screams in pain" when "irradiated" sound very funny. However, a person who is worried about the safety of his unborn child can be intimidated by anything. In order not to be afraid, first you need to understand why such an examination is needed at all. Ultrasound is not radiation, but a non-invasive method of examination using high-frequency sound waves. Ultrasound examination makes it possible to exclude an ectopic pregnancy at first, to learn about the possible pathologies of the fetus or fetuses (their number will also reliably be reported only) and many other things. Ultrasound provides an opportunity to help both the woman and the fetus in time.
Give birth as early as possible
In the antenatal clinic, you can often hear unpleasant comments that a pregnant woman is too young. This may mean not so much age as other things - for example, that she simply does not have a husband, although the status of the patient’s relationship does not concern the employees of the medical institution. However, now "aging-old" women are discussed much more often - and this term is also surprisingly streamlined. Every doctor, orderly, or just your friend sees his limit, beyond which it is either dangerous or harmful for a child. In fact, there are risks of the development of genetic diseases in a child born to a mother after 35 years and older - but they exist before. The key factors in predicting a child’s health are still the woman’s physical and mental well-being, as well as heredity.
In the third trimester you need to drink less water.
Until now, in medical institutions and at home, a woman can hear that she drinks too much - not alcohol, but water. Previously, in the third trimester, it was decided to limit fluid intake so that the pregnant woman did not have high water content and no edema. Today there is a medical consensus that both high water and edema are not related to the amount of fluid intake - on the contrary, a sufficient amount of water per day helps to cope with edema. The authors of "The Best to Sell When You Are Expecting" - a bestseller who has become a portal for pregnant women - offer a simple test to see if you drink enough water: if you feel thirsty, then you do not drink enough.
Exercise is harmful
To this day, the myth that the most important thing for a pregnant woman is physical peace. Obviously, historically it was important that a pregnant woman did not chop wood and did not work for hours in the field, but today, most people spend their time in a sitting position. Moderate physical activity and fun help both the woman and her unborn child. It's not just about walking in the park, but also about dancing, swimming or cleaning, if this is exactly what a woman wants right now. Physical activity is one of the ways to prevent pre-eclampsia, helps to improve the condition of the fetus, and also helps a woman to feel great.
Obstetric turn will prevent cesarean section
In the later stages of pregnancy, one of the main issues worrying future parents is the position of the fetus and, accordingly, the risks of cesarean section. Often, when the fetus is in the pelvic position, that is, it sits inside the mother, like a kenguryonok, an obstetric turn is recommended for pregnant women. On the one hand, the effectiveness of the successfully performed obstetric turn in the hospital under the supervision of doctors has been proven by some studies. On the other hand, oddly enough, the risk of cesarean section is doubled due to such factors as dystocia - discoordination of labor activity - and a difficult heart rate in the fetus. Although an obstetric turn can increase the chance of a natural birth, it does not give any guarantees. The most important thing is to understand that the turn can only be done by a certified doctor in inpatient conditions: no one else is responsible either for you or for the well-being of your unborn child.
Pregnant women should not be vaccinated.
Fear of vaccinations, unfortunately, is especially strong in the case of vaccination of pregnant women. Today, in the average female consultation, no one will offer you to be vaccinated against hepatitis B, tetanus or diphtheria, much less from the flu. However, the risks to the health of the mother and the unborn child are multiplied if the pregnant woman has the flu. Women are recommended to be vaccinated in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, although, logically, only vaccines with an inactive, "dead" virus can be used. All vaccines are approved by the International Pharmacological Association, which means that many tests have been conducted that prove their safety for the woman and the fetus.
The main thing is not to gain too much or too little weight.
How many people, so many opinions about how a pregnant woman should eat and how much weight she should gain. Doubtful “experts” offer low-calorie diets, and relatives are ready to check hourly whether the “too thin” pregnant woman has eaten enough. Today, doctors are confident that the weight that a woman gains during pregnancy is not related to how quickly the child develops, nor to how many kilograms he is gaining. More importantly, there is no single measure, it all depends on the constitution of each individual. WHO recommends that pregnant women stick to a balanced diet, minimize caffeine and alcohol intake, and that’s all. While the doctor does not know at least your body mass index, he can not say how much you should dial for pregnancy.
Sex during pregnancy can harm the baby.
The amazing myth that during pregnancy you should have sex "with caution" or even forget about it, appeared for several reasons. Religious practices, medical problems that had not previously been diagnosed, and the ability to deny sex to a husband during times when domestic violence was the norm, contributed to its spread. Tips to limit sexual activity can be heard even from a doctor, and sometimes this advice is justified. Sex may indeed be unsafe if a woman has a history of miscarriages or there are other contraindications, but for a healthy pregnant woman and her fetus he does not represent any harm.
Psychological mood plays a key role in childbirth
The wording "how to tune and give birth to" can be heard on the courses for preparation for childbirth and from people who have passed a successful birth or, conversely, blame themselves for difficult. This idea has no evidence. Childbirth - the most complex process, the course of which depends on a huge number of factors. It is impossible to take into account everything and predict in advance exactly how your child will be born.
Whatever your attitude is, you have no guarantee against complications, and, by the way, this is precisely the reason for the enormous risk of home birth. A positive attitude is certainly useful for any event in life, and negative emotions and excess stress are more likely to harm health. However, in no case can you blame yourself for successful or difficult, fast or many hours of labor, for their happy or unhappy outcome.
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