Because pregnant women are bombarded with advice from so many sources and old wives tales are prevalent, pregnancy can be a confusing time. Discover the facts behind all the fiction surrounding pregnancy.

Women’s brains shrink during pregnancy

Recent research has shown that the brains of women do appear to shrink in late pregnancy, which may explain cognitive problems some women complain of before and after giving birth. The research showed that, as the woman's body and physiology returned to the non-pregnant state, their brains increased in size.

Older women will be more likely to have a Down’s Syndrome baby

The odds of chromosomal problems do increase with age: at 40, your chance of having a child with Down's Syndrome is one in 110, while at 45 it is one in 30. Since risks of such problems increase in this age group, doctors will particularly recommend that women in these age groups have screening scans and blood tests for chromosomal abnormalities, and diagnostic tests, such as amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS) when necessary.

Your feet get bigger after pregnancy

Ankles, feet and fingers often swell in pregnancy because the body holds more water than usual, especially in the last trimester. Towards the end of the day, especially if the weather is hot or if you have been standing a lot, the extra water tends to gather in the lowest parts of the body. You should:

• Try to avoid standing for long periods
• Wear comfortable shoes
• Put your feet up as much as you can. Try to rest for an hour a day with your feet higher than your heart
• Do foot exercises

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy will make it more difficult to bond with your baby

Heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy is detrimental to the baby and should be avoided.

Doing exercise during pregnancy can aid your baby’s breathing and help prevent cot death

Gentle exercise has been shown to be beneficial to your own health in pregnancy, but there is no evidence that it has any direct benefit to the baby.

Horse riding or other strenuous exercise should be avoided when pregnant

Most forms of moderate exercise are excellent, though you should only go horse riding within your level of competence, and would not be sensible for a complete beginner. The later stages of pregnancy will make this activity very uncomfortable. It is important to weigh up risk and with horse riding the most prominent danger is from falling off.

Pregnant women become anaemic

It is common for women to develop iron deficiency during pregnancy. This is because the baby takes iron from your stores to build its blood, and your own blood volume also increases and extra iron is needed for this. Some people do not have sufficient iron in their normal diet for this. Many pregnant women require an iron supplement, particularly from the 20th week of pregnancy, in addition to ensuring an iron rich diet (lean meat, green leafy vegetables and dried fruit contain iron). There are a number of good supplements you can take. Consult your doctor or midwife.

You become constipated during pregnancy

Some women do become constipated as pregnancy progresses because the motility of the intestine decreases, but there are a number of simple remedies. Firstly ensure your diet contains lots of fruit, fibre, vegetables and water or other fluids and exercise regularly. You may need to change your iron supplement if you are taking one. Consult your health professional as to which laxatives you can take.

Having several children can make you incontinent of urine

Slight to moderate leakage of urine is a very common problem, especially during and after pregnancy. Pelvic floor exercises can help avoid this problem. In many cases it is curable, so if you’ve got a problem talk to your doctor, midwife or health visitor. See our information on Pelvic floor exercises. 


Travel and Pregnancy- Common myths

Pregnancy can be a stressful time and with the need to relax it can be an ideal time to take a break. Discover which of the bags of advice you'll be given are fact and which are pure fiction.

Flying is harmful to the unborn child

Not true. There is no medical proof that flying is harmful to the unborn child, nor to the mother if you take the right precautions.

You can’t take any medicines when pregnant

Not true. There are many medicines you can take but you should consult your doctor to check. If travelling to a malarial region the malaria would potentially be more dangerous to your unborn child than taking medication. Some anti-malarial medications are safe in pregnancy, while others are not; check with your doctor.

You can’t get DVT in pregnancy when travelling by car

Not true. In fact you can get DVT when travelling by car so it is important to stop frequently, move around and drink plenty of water.

Strong sunlight can give you permanent brown patches on your skin

True. The skin is more sensitive to sunlight during pregnancy and can develop patches of brown pigmentation which may not fade afterwards.

You shouldn’t sunbathe topless when pregnant as it affects your ability to breastfeed.

Not true. There’s no evidence of this. But you do need to be extra careful to avoid sunburn in sensitive areas so make sure you use a high factor sun cream and don’t stay out too long

 

Page last updated December 2011



 

Wellbeing of Women