by Rebecca K.

Created on: May 06, 2009

All the old wives's tales and myths about pregnancy out there can make a woman wish she had a plastic bubble to keep herself in. The do's and don't's list seems incredibly long and confusing. Truth is, you can get through pregnancy with some good old common sense and by following the advice of your doctor. As for the myths... well they're probably meant more as scare tactics or just for entertainment.

There are countless myths starting with the gender or your baby. Depending on which direction your pillow faces- north or south can effect gender. Supposedly if you have an orgasm when you conceive your likely to have a boy. If you are carrying high and round or egg-shaped you are having a girl. Then, if you are carrying low and all out in front, it's a boy- I will say this one held true with my first baby.

Then there are all these other fun ways of detecting gender like looking at the heartbeat. Supposedly a heartbeat of over 140 BPM is a girl and under 140 is a boy. According to this my second will be a girl, but oh no... it looks like I'll be carrying like a boy! What do I do? Relax is what. My husband and I have decided not to find out the gender this pregnancy either and we will find out for certain on baby's birthday.

Another way to find gender besides ultrasound is the ring test. Take your wedding band, tie a string to it and hold it over your belly. If it circles, it's a girl. Swings back and forth, it's a boy. Besides the ring test, there is something called the Chinese Birth Chart. By knowing the date you conceived, and your age at the time of conception, it tells you the gender and is supposed to be up to 90% accurate. According to this chart, I'm having a boy with a 58% chance.

Here are some more myths I've heard:

Sleeping on your back can hurt the baby- This is false. The thought was that sleeping on your back could reduce blood flow. Truth is- it is only harmful if a woman is forced to lie flat on her back during labor for a long period of time. This is why women are propped up and encouraged to walk during labor.

Raising your arms above your head can tangle the umbilical cord around the baby's neck- Untrue. This is caused by an unusually long cord, one over 100 cm.

Having sex can hurt the baby- False. It is ok to have sex unless your doctor says not to. The only thing to worry about is oral sex. If your partner blows air up there, it can form a bubble that can be deadly to mom and baby according to the book, What to Expect.

You loose a tooth for every baby born: I guess in the old days when dental care wasn't at it's finest, a woman could loose a tooth due to gum disease caused by pregnancy. Today with a good diet and proper dental care, no woman should loose a tooth.

These are some of the many silly myths out there. They are mostly for entertainment. The only one you should really listen to is your doctor and your body- perhaps not your mother-in-law.

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