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Take Grandma's Advice with a Grain of Salt

So you've announced to the family that you are pregnant. Suddenly, everyone seems to be full of advice on how you should handle pregnancy and your new child. And in situations like this, it seems as though our elders, such as your grandparents, come crawling out of the woodwork with their countless old wives tales.

The important thing to remember is that all of this sudden "advice" that everyone wants to give should be taken with a grain of salt. Many of the tips and stories that our elders share with us, are things that have become scientifically proven to be false. There are a countless number of these old wives tales floating around, but there are a few that just about everyone has heard.

Don't raise your arms above your head or you'll choke the baby with the umbilical cord! It's hard to imagine how pregnant women ever got anything done without lifting their arms above their head. This is definitely one of the top tips that Grandma is sure to give. How this bit of advice came about is unknown, but it is definitely a favorite among old wives tales. The fact of the matter is “nuchal” cord, which is what they call it when the baby's cord is around it's neck, only happens in about one third of all births. It is caused by the baby twisting and turning in the womb, not from you raising your arms above your head, or even doing the polka or the twist!

Probably the second most given tip given by Granny to a newly pregnant mother would be to not take a bath. There are different reasons for this belief. Some people believed that germs could be passed through the vaginal opening to the baby. Others believed that it could cause your mucous plug to fall out. Both of these facts are completely false. In actuality, the only problem that may arise is if you take too hot of a bath. A hot bath (100 degrees F or more) can cause your body temperature to rise, which does have the potential to cause problems for your developing baby. As long as you keep the temperature moderate however, bathing is a great way to relax and relieve some of the symptoms of pregnancy.

One of the less heard, but amazingly funny tips that Granny loves to give, is that you need to drink a lot of water so that the baby won't get dirty in it's sac. Again, how this particular tale came about is unknown, though one can assume that perhaps they figured the water you drank had something to do with the water in the baby's sac. The amount of water you drink during your pregnancy is very important. However, amniotic fluid is not plain water. Amniotic fluid does replace itself every few hours, so the amount of water you drink can effect it's production, but it has nothing to do with making your baby "dirty."

Probably one of the most well known of all tips though from our elders during pregnancy, is that you should not have cats. There is no need how ever to find your kitty a new home; it is perfectly safe for you to keep him by making just a few simple adjustments. The biggest issue surrounding cats during pregnancy is the risk of toxoplasmosis from the litter box. Toxoplasmosis is a parasite that can contaminate the litter box and can possibly make you ill. The simple way to avoid this is to have someone else take care of the litter box while you are pregnant and/or nursing.

The most important thing to remember is to think rationally when you are being given all of this advice, and take everything with a grain of salt. Not everything Grandma is going to tell you will be the honest truth, but remember, she is only trying to help. Just stay calm, and ask your doctor questions and you can easily figure out what is fact, and what is fiction.