Common Myths About Pregnancy

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Every culture has myths and folklore about what it takes to become pregnant. It does not matter whether she wonders what to eat when pregnant or even the supposedly simple act of becoming pregnant. It is guaranteed that if a woman has a question about any aspect of pregnancy, there is a myth for it.

Some of the very old myths include things like touching before being married or drinking from the same cup as a man you are not married to causes pregnancy. Their innocence may be cute but today there are just as many unfounded myths about conception.

Young girls hear that sitting on toilet seats or using towels that have been used by a man to clean his body can lead to pregnancy. In reality, any sperm that leaves a man’s body only lives for a little while and then it still must find its way into the birth canal. If it survives that trip, then it has to find an egg to fertilize. Good luck with that method. Pregnancy may come easy to some people but it is harder to achieve than that.

What to Eat When Pregnant

One popular myth is what to eat when pregnant. Hungry pregnant women hear that they need to eat for two, so they literally eat twice as many calories as they need in a day. That is why they end up with seventy extra pounds after the baby is born. In reality, the second person she is eating for only needs about 300 calories every day. Ironically, breastfeeding that child after he is born will cost 600 calories per day.

Another related myth is that if a mom-t0-be starts craving a certain food, they better eat it because the baby needs it for proper growth. They think that these cravings are one of the early physical signs of pregnancy. If she is craving salads and high quality protein, that is a craving to give in to. But if she is only craving things like large fast-food burgers or cupcakes, this myth can be ignored.