Common Myths And Other Wives-Tales Surrounding Pregnancy

We are all for receiving advice during the time we are pregnant, after all there is not a woman in this world who knows all there is to know about this very common condition.  But we all have a line when it comes to what we consider to be unwelcome advice.  We have all been told by at least one other person how they believe we should be living our lives, and this only happens that much more often when we are pregnant. 

It is as if everybody in the world suddenly has an opinion concerning what is best for us and, especially, best for the unborn baby.  And what is worse, they are bound to share this opinion with you with very little concern for what you may think of their advice.  Never mind that many of these “gifts of wisdom” will actually be contradictory to other “gifts of wisdom” you recently were given, or even to the most research-documented medical knowledge. 

This common, if very unwelcome practice, will only occur more and more frequently the closer which you get to the expected date of delivery.  Concerning everything from what the proper way to bend is if you happen to be reaching down for something, to what foods you should and should not be eating, when and how you should be reading or singing to your baby, how much physically extrenous activity you should, or should not, be engaging in.  There is not a single topic out there about which these givers of unwelcome advice will not have something to say.

The problem is that hidden amongst all this rubbish of unsolicited advice are hidden one or two truly worthwile suggestions which we could really benefit from.  But how do you decide which is which?  Which piece of advice is worth listening to and which one is more apt to be thrown out along with the bath water?   Well, for starters, try to consider the source:  Is this person someone who normally has something meaningful to say, or do they just give advice at random because they like the sound of their own voice.  If the source happens to be somebody whom you trust, then it may be worth your time to listen to what they have to say, and then do your own follow-up research before coming to a final conclusion.  Just be certain to not forget the importance of consulting with your physician before implementing any changes in your lifestyle or in your diet which may have an impact on your health or that of your unborn baby, regardless of how much research you do yourself into the matter.

Also keep in mind that most of these pieces of advice or wives-tales are completely harmless, just like the one that tells you to pay special attention to the number and the severity of the episodes of heartburn which you experience, as this will be somehow predictive of the amount of hair with which your child will be born.  Some of them are even downright humorous and you can end up having quite a bit of fun with them, and at the expense of the person who gave you the advice.  Maybe this will make them think twice before they decide to enlighten some one else with their priceless advice, in which case you would actually be doing society a favour.

Just be aware that as much fun as these old wives` tales can be, one thing which they are not, is factual.  Make sure that you do not end up painting your entire nursery in blue simply because your mother-in-law told you that you were certain to have a boy because you happen to be carrying the baby fairly low.  If you do end up following such wise advice as this,  then the chances are that you will end up having a girl at the end of the nine months, because as we all know, unlike these silly old wives` tales, Murphy`s Law is always true.  Is it not?