The truth behind those pregnancy myths

Heard the one about hairy babies and heartburn? Or weeing into a policeman’s helmet? We set the record straight on all those pregnancy myths
Heartburn means your baby has a lot of hair

‘Rubbish!’ laughs M&B midwife Helen O’Dell. ‘Your baby is inside your uterus, so how can his hair possibly have an effect on your digestive system?’ Heartburn is caused by hormonal changes and what you eat, rather than your baby’s hairiness. Try eating little and often, and not too late at night, avoiding spicy foods, and sitting properly instead of slouching.

Second babies are always bigger

There are a number of reasons why your second baby might be bigger than your firstborn. ‘Firstly, you’re less likely to develop pre-eclampsia, which can cause your baby to be small, in subsequent pregnancies,’ explains obstetrician and M&B expert Anne Deans.

‘You’re more prone to developing gestational diabetes, which can make your baby bigger. And you may have gained weight since your first pregnancy, and heavier women tend to have heavier babies.’ However, plenty of second babies are the same size or smaller, so don’t stress too much about having a 10lber.

Raising your arms above your head will strangle your baby

It sounds like nonsense… and it is. A third of babies are born with the umbilical cord wrapped around their necks or even knotted, but it’s simply caused by your little one’s in-utero acrobatics. And there’s no real danger to your baby – your midwife will just cut it quickly once he’s delivered.

Once a caesarean, always a caesarean

Far from it. ‘We encourage women to attempt a vaginal birth after a caesarean (VBAC), especially if your section was for a non-recurrent reason such as your baby being breech or getting stuck in labour,’ says Anne. Seventy per cent of women who attempt a VBAC succeed – so if your consultant is happy for you to try, go for it.

If your waters break in the supermarket you’ll get free shopping for life

Sadly, not one supermarket that we know of offers this deal – and neither do Harrods or Selfridges. ‘My waters broke while I was shopping, and all I got was a bunch of flowers and a taxi ride to hospital!’ says Mel Greene, mum to Liam, 18 months. Probably not worth spending your last weeks of pregnancy hanging round the freezer aisle, then.

A Guinness a day keeps anaemia away

Wishful thinking, we’re afraid! ‘Stout does contain iron, but you’d have to drink an awful lot to make any difference,’ says Helen, ‘and the Government now advises avoiding alcohol completely in pregnancy.’ The best way to boost your iron levels is to eat plenty of dark green veg, red meat, beans and pulses, alongside taking your antenatal vitamins.

Second babies are always earlier

You’ve heard it a thousand times, but there’s simply no evidence to back this up. ‘Often, first pregnancies are meticulously planned, whereas subsequent ones are a little more spontaneous, so you may not be as sure of your dates,’ says Anne. ‘This might mean your baby appears to come early.’ In other words, don’t bank on everything being done and dusted by your due date.

It’s dangerous to eat cheese in pregnancy

Not true. Only blue cheeses and those with a mould-ripened crust, such as brie, camembert and chèvre, are off-limits, because of the risk of listeria (a rare but dangerous bacteria that can harm your baby). All others are absolutely fine – and a great source of calcium.

If you’re carrying up front, you’re having a boy; all round means it’s a girl

We bet you’ve lost count of the number of people who’ve predicted your baby’s sex according to the shape of your bump. Guess what? It’s nonsense. ‘It’s fun to speculate, but the shape of your bump is based on your stature, muscle tone, your baby’s position and the way your uterus stretches,’ says Helen.

If your boobs don’t grow, you won’t be able to breastfeed

If your bosom is still more Keira Knightley than Jordan, rest assured that pregnancy boob growth is simply due to extra fat, and not a sign of improvements in your milk-making equipment. ‘I stayed an A-cup, but was still able to breastfeed,’ says Jo Hargreaves, mum to Emilie, nine months. ‘My only problem was finding a small enough nursing bra!’

Morning sickness stops at 12 weeks

We wish! Although nausea often tails off around the end of the first trimester, many women suffer till the bitter end. ‘No one really knows why some women are more affected than others, but one theory is that they’re more sensitive to pregnancy hormones,’ says Helen. Your best defences are to snack rather than eating big meals, keep drinking fluids and rest whenever you can – and keep those fingers crossed that the end is in sight.

If you have small feet you’ll have a difficult birth

If you’d been pregnant 30 years ago, your midwife would have asked your shoe size as an indicator of the size of your pelvis. ‘But studies have shown no correlation between shoe size and ease of delivery,’ says Anne. ‘The shape of your pelvis is only one factor – it also depends on things such as the strength of your contractions and the position of your baby.’ So fear not if you’re a size three – it doesn’t mean you’re en route to a c-section.

You lose a tooth for every baby

This may have been true in olden times, but nowadays, it’s easy to get enough calcium to fulfil both your requirements and your baby’s, so there should be no knock-on effects on your gnashers. It pays to have a dental check-up, though, as gum disease is linked to premature labour – and NHS dentistry is free in pregnancy.

Severe morning sickness means you’re having twins

This one, for many women, is true. ‘Morning sickness is thought to be caused by the hormone beta-HCG, and if you’re having twins, your levels of this tend to be higher,’ explains Anne. But plenty of mums-to-be are horribly sick despite carrying just one baby, so don’t assume that round-the-clock vomiting means there’s a double surprise in store.

Having a bath could harm your baby

Exposure to very high temperatures has been linked to birth defects, but it’s highly unlikely that your bathwater is hot enough to do any harm. ‘The biggest risk is that a hot bath could make you feel sick or faint,’ says Helen. To be safe, keep your water at around 37˚C, and avoid spas and saunas. And ignore that old wives’ tale about unborn babies catching infections from dirty bathwater – your uterus is sealed, so there’s no way any bugs can get in.

Sex can bring on labour

Semen contains prostaglandins, the hormone your body secretes to initiate labour, but you’d need a heck of a lot of it to do much good. And rumour has it that it’s more effective when taken orally! ‘I did go into labour the morning after doing the deed, but I was already 41 weeks, so it might have just been coincidence,’ says Tina Bryant, mum to Marc, three months. Don’t worry about sex setting things off prematurely – nothing will happen until your body is ready.

Eating for two means eating double

Er, no! ‘If you double your food intake, you’ll end up looking like the side of a house!’ warns Helen. ‘You will feel hungrier because your body is working harder, but if you eat sensibly, and little and often, you shouldn’t need to stuff yourself.’ You need around 250 extra calories a day in the third trimester – equivalent to a couple of pieces of fruit, or two slices of bread – but, really, eating for two means improving the quality of your diet, not the quantity.

If you need a wee, you can relieve yourself in a policeman’s helmet

You heard us right! Apparently if you’re caught short, a police officer is obliged to hand over his helmet for you to wee into. It’s an ancient English law that has never been changed, but a quick poll of policemen suggests that none of them have heard of it before. Try it if you like – but don’t blame us if you get arrested!