MYTHS OF PREGNANCY KAPUT!
On a beautiful evening, Parentune.com a pro-parent community, which strives to help you do more for your child, organized a workshop along with Dr. Rinku Sen Gupta, an Obstetrician and Gynecologist, who informed the parents about the myths and facts of pregnancy.
Facts and myths go hand in hand, and myths are a part of daily life. Nothing is completely right or wrong, it depends on the time and relevance. For example: myth of having ghee during pregnancy was relevant in earlier times. A lot of information that we get to hear from our relatives and friends during early and later pregnancy is dependent on their isolated and situational knowledge, so believing in such information would not be advisable as every person is unique in their own ways. Now let’s look at some myths we always come across during pregnancy:
To eat for two or one: The thought of having a life in your tummy can make you go bonkers sometimes, especially when it’s about having food. Dr. Gupta suggests eat in such a way that it does not upset your system. No need to eat extra, rather have things, which are easily digestible. The catch is to keep having little quantity of food every two-hour.
It is only in your later pregnancy that you have to increase your calorie intake by 200-300 calories per day, but yes no eating for two. Make sure to eat healthy and fibrous food like fruits, pulses, nuts and dairy products. Healthy snacking is very important. Avoid junk food completely.
Pregnancy means BED REST: We usually come across advices by people that a pregnant woman should take bed rest in her first three months and last three months of her pregnancy, but according to Dr.Gupta until unless the pregnancy is not complicated, bed rest is not advisable. People need to understand that pregnancy is not an illness; it’s a feeling beyond words. She recommends every woman to follow daily routine according to their comfort level.
Moderate exercise of 40-45 minutes should be involved in the daily routine and some stretching and yoga will prevent from any pain and cramps during pregnancy.
Gaining weight is healthy: Dr.Gupta personally does not encourage increasing weight. “A baby is between 2.7 to 3 pounds, rest of the weight is yours. Most weight gain should happen in last 5 months. Take care of the calorie intake and its source. Do not depend on unhealthy sources of calorie.”
Chord around the neck: Until unless the situation isn’t very complex, Dr.Gupta doesn’t recommend cesarean section.
It is very common to see multiple loops of chord around the neck of the baby. Parents usually panic when they get to know about it, but there is nothing to be worried about. And it is certainly not a sign to get cesarean done.
Baby is too small: Ultrasound has made life easy but yes it has led to unnecessary tensions in mothers at the same time, most common concern being ‘the baby is too small/not growing.’ Remember a low weighted child can be as healthy as a 3kgs baby. All standards on ultrasound machines are western standards, the report has to be seen in totality, your respective doctor would guide you towards it. We have to take care of the water around the baby, the blood flow etc. and then make interpretation. There is a range of weight that is considered healthy. Just because baby is big doesn’t mean you would have cesarean. The size of the baby has nothing to do with abnormality.
Caesarian section: Some people think it is safer for the baby and the mother. The number of women taking up caesarian section on their own is gradually increasing every day. But as per Dr. Gupta vaginal delivery is the safest as compared to the caesarian delivery. Complications can happen in any mode of pregnancy but why caesarian is not considered as the right option for the baby:
When the baby goes through vaginal passage, baby’s lungs get squeezed of extra fluids due to which the lungs functions properly. Also, the fluid makes the baby’s immunity better. It is proven that babies who are born through caesarian are more prone to diseases/allergies. Of course, there would be delay in feeding milk to baby but the bonding with the baby would be sooner as compared to caesarian section.
For mothers, Caesarian is not advisable because it is a surgery like any other. The chances of infection are higher. Though technology has improved a lot but still if we compare both, vaginal delivery is always better and safer. Longer pain, delayed breast feeding etc. are effects of caesarian section.
Vaginal or normal delivery is different for every woman just like menstruation cycle. The labor pain also depend from individual to individual. A Woman’s body has hormones that keep the pain in control and moreover, these days we provide help as labor support which keeps mothers distracted and also if one is suffering from unbearable pain then there are medical ways to reduce pain. So, we don’t recommend Caesarian.
Can I deliver normally: “People come to me at their 37 weeks of pregnancy, asking me if they can have normal delivery? We as a doctor can never tell you the exact answer. If it is your first pregnancy and you’ve been keeping well all long and been exercising then the reason for having normal delivery is as high as 85%, which is quite high. But the remaining 10-15% chances still exist to have caesarean at any time of labor because it is unpredictable,” says Dr.Gupta.
Inducing labor pain means caesarean: Sometimes people think that if they have been induced for labor pain then it’s sure that they would have caesarean. But labor is induced to comfort your pain. Also, one can comfortably wait for 5-7 days after the due date has passed, of course the doctor would be advising accordingly but a lot depends on the mental or physical comfort zone of the mother.
Once a caesarean is always caesarean: Well! this isn’t true. There is a possibility that if you had caesarean in your last pregnancy, without any complications, then after considering various medical and health factors, you can go ahead with vaginal delivery in second pregnancy.
At the end, Dr.Gupta suggest to all the would-be -mothers to take up the natural way of being a mother and also guides that it is very important to see who is your labor support because if your support is panicking then the doctor and the team would give up soon as well. Fitness is really important; there are no dos and don’ts of pregnancy, do all that you want to, be calm and relaxed and enjoy the pregnancy.
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