Most Ridiculous don't do's/ haves you've heard.

[effyzm]

So since falling pregnant there's been a few stupid- you can't eat that because of this and you can't do that anymore. Just thought I'd hear some other ones.

[Rowan1204]

I picked up an envelope at work to take to the post room. an A4 sized envelope, which contained a few bits of A4 paper. my colleague said 'oh no you shouldnt pick anything up'.
Errm.... its an envelope! I did wonder! lol.

[octanegirl]

I was told not to eat Blackberries!

[HazleNutt]

Everybody keeps grabbing the bags I happen to be carrying, that oh you shouldn't! I teach Bodypump classes. That's weight-lifting. I think I can manage the bag or groceries.

Otherwise the American websites are the best - of course you should avoid everything that might be risky - but also everything that has not been proven to be absolutely safe. So pretty much everything really. Example:

Herbal teas and pregnancy:
Herbs that may cause problems include anise, ginger, lime blossom, rose hip, catnip, chamomile, comfrey, ephedra (called ma huang in traditional Chinese medicine and banned in the U.S. since 2004), European mistletoe, hibiscus, horehound, Labrador, lemongrass, licorice root, mugwort, pennyroyal, raspberry leaf, rosemary, sage, sassafras, stinging nettle leaf, vetiver, and yarrow.

[MisselthwaiteManor]

I haven't had many but I'm not showing much yet. DH asks 'are you allowed to do that/eat that?' 300 times a day which is getting really annoying.

[Jojobump1986]

When I was pregnant with DS1 the first thing my SIL said when we told her was that I shouldn't eat raspberries. She's now pregnant with her DD1, I'm pregnant with DS2, & the last time I saw her she kept referring to me about numerous things she wasn't quite sure about but guess what the one thing she ate without comment was...

[BonaDea]

My MIL left both me and DH a voicemail, then followed up by text AND email to tell me not, under any circumstances, to eat peanuts. She then proceeded to give a long list of specific things to avoid - curries! They use peanuts in curries!

I simply emailed her back with the current NHS guidance which has been that it is of course safe to eat nuts (and they are good for you!) unless there are indicators that you shouldn't. That shut her up.

[HazleNutt]

And of course the "So you'll be getting rid of the cats and dogs now?"

[sleepyhead]

The old wives ones are the best. Like not raising your arms above your head (can't remember what dire consequence that has). Obviously no pregnant woman ever hung up their own washing in the old days

I remember hot baths being a major issue when pg with ds (2006), but I've not heard a peep about that this time around.

[WaynettaSlobsLover]

From mil , don't squat because its dangerous for the baby. Don't jump because its dangerous for the baby. Etc etc

[PetiteRaleuse]

The raising arms above the head apparently wraps the cord round the baby's neck. Someone said that to me during my first pregnancy and was horrified when I laughed. I thought she was joking but she really believed it, and shrieked at me when I raised my arms above my head and said 'what, I can't do this?'

I was genuinely amazed that someone could think that.

[Jojobump1986]

sleepyhead Don't you know? If you raise your arms above your head then the baby will fall out!

Waynetta I can honestly say I always follow that advice... Often when I'm not even pg! I can't imagine feeling even remotely inclined to jump or squat while pregnant! Or any of the rest of the time for that matter!

[sleepyhead]

Gosh, and if my bellybutton got untied then my bum would fall off!* Better be more careful.

*Dh has got ds actually believing this.

[slad]

Ohh I heard many when I was pregnant and all are untrue:-)
I mean things like:
You shouldn't cut your hair in pregnancy 'cos your baby is going to have a thin hair, or you shouldn't look thru door peephole 'cos if you have a girl she will wear glasses.
Or if you feel well in pregnancy and have good skin etc. you will have a boy.
Or if your belly is up front you will have a boy.

All not true.

Also I was told that if you have a heartburn in pregnancy you will have a baby with lots of hair. Didn't had single one and my little love have plenty of hair.

[effyzm]

Got to say haven't heard the don't raise your arms above your head. I'm always reaching for things. As for carrying the shopping I get enough practice lifting my 3 stone 4 year old yet no one blinks an eye when I pick him up lol x

[scaredbutexcited]

Hi Sleepyhead. Just wanted to come back on the two you raised:

I have been told by 2 midwifes and a consultant not to stretch too high up. This can apparently over stretch the umbilical cord and in some cases strangle the baby. (Just what I've been told, I have no medical knowledge myself so may be rubbish - I think hanging the washing is fine though, ok to USE arms

The hot bath thing is still around. I think it is because the baby can't cool itself down by sweating like we can. They do bang on about hot tubs/saunas and I understand this is the same thing.

Sorry, please don't be just want you to have a safe little baby.

[HazleNutt]

Almost all mothers in Finland take the sauna regularly during pregnancy, but the incidence of central nervous system defects in Finland is among the
lowest in the world.

[CailinDana]

The arms over the head and hot bath things are both to do with blood pressure. Raising your arms can cause a sudden drop in pressure, making you faint, whereas a bath that's too hot can raise your pressure causing you to feel puffy and unwell. Seeing as both are temporary neither of them is likely to do much to your baby.

Scared - I am really surprised the midwives and consultants said that to you as it's physically impossible. Raising your arms doesn't affect your uterus in any way. It might raise your abdominal muscles slightly but they're not attached to the placenta or umbilical cord so there's no way on god's green earth raising your arms can pull on the cord.

I heard someone saying once that smoking in pregnancy was bad because the smoke would go into your womb and the baby would breathe it in! Now of course smoking is bad, but her complete lack of knowledge of basic biology was mindboggling.

IMO a lot of the food warnings are bonkers. With safety standards being so high it's very hard to get food that's genuinely dangerous. Banning things like unpasteurised cheese only makes sense if people tend to buy from local places that might not be up to scratch in terms of safety, stuff you buy in supermarkets has to be safe or it will not be stocked. The risk is of course slightly higher but so slightly that I think it's a bit mad to even bother about it. I don't eat much cheese anyway but I certainly wouldn't say no if I was offered some. I also eat runny eggs, and pretty much anything I would normally eat if not pregnant.

[purrpurr]

• Don't eat ANYTHING. It's too risky.
  
• Are you sure you're allowed to eat that / drink that / watch that / go there?
  
• Don't do ANYTHING that increases your pulse rate.
  
• You must exercise.
  
• 'Don't buy ANY nice outfits for your baby, god what a WASTE of time putting your baby in them. Of course I made the effort with my PFB, but by the time I had my second child I just couldn't be arsed.' Read on MN. How nice for the second child.
  
• Don't get a moses basket, your baby will not sleep in it / your baby will only sleep in it for a month.
  
• Your baby can't sleep in a room that does not include you. You might want a moses basket as they are nice and portable, so when a nap is needed, your little one can nap wherever you are.
  
• Don't have any baby stuff in your house until you give birth. Store it at a friend or relative's house. If you have the stuff in your house, your baby will die.
  
• Don't buy anything before the baby is born. You can get everything you need from Tesco.
  
• Don't buy anything for the baby. All you need is a boob, some wool and some knitting needles.
  
• Don't get anxious about the baby's movements. DO NOT COUNT KICKS.
  
• Count the kicks from the third trimester onwards.

[HazleNutt]

not most ridiculous, but you hear it all the time : "Sure, you can exercise, but you must not get hot or raise your heart rate above 140!"

I cannot call anything where I'm not getting at least somewhat hot or sweaty "exercising". That leaves what, slow walking and some types of yoga?

Studies have shown that pregnant women exercising to moderate to high intensity were only raising their core temperature by 0,5 degrees. most sources consider core temperature raise dangerous from 39 degrees only.

Heart rate - the 140 is coming from 1985 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines, suggested by Dr Artal. Artal said that, in 1985, he and another doctor used intuition and calculation to determine the 140 beats rule. Six months later, when actual testing of women in a lab proved them wrong, Artal said he asked for the 140 beats notation to be stricken from the guidelines. "For some reason, people caught onto that and they never let go," he said. "Each time I get asked about it, I said forget about it. I think it should be ignored."

[purrpurr]

Thanks for posting that info Hazle - this is turning into a really good educational thread. I'm rather surprised at how many of these ridiculous rules my midwives have come out with. There's no hope.

[5madthings]

When I was pregnant with ds1 I was at uni and young with a lovely tan and no stretch marks, it was summer so I had my bump out, I was told by one lady that I MUST cover my bump up as the sun would make my belly too hot and he would BOIL in the amniotiuc fluid!!!

Brought a whole new meaning to 'boil in the bag'. Oh how I laughed!

[Purplemonster]

Someone yelled at me for eating a couple of pieces of dried pineapple and told me I MUST NOT EAT IT as it would bring on labour. I was about 10 weeks at the time

[Jojobump1986]

CailinDana "With safety standards being so high it's very hard to get food that's genuinely dangerous."

You make it sound like you're disappointed by this... Do you regularly go out to find the most dangerous food you can?

[RoomForALittleOne]

I get fed up with hearing total rubbish from my MIL who is a midwife. Apparently the cure for my hyperemesis is just to keep eating all the time. I've had normal morning sickness with one out of my six pregnancies and that 'trick' did help then. But with HG all it does is make you throw up more often. The only cure for HG is to not be pregnant and she should bloody well know that. She also claims that a hot bath raises your blood pressure. How? Being warm dilates your blood vessels which, in turn lowers your blood pressure hence why people sometimes faint when they are very hot. Makes no sense to me!

[csmm]

Yesterday a friend told me of a dietician's advice not to eat any fresh fruit or vegetables