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Let's talk about pregnancy myths. There are so many out there that have a chokehold on new moms everywhere, making many of us feel worried, nervous, overwhelmed, or intimidated about things that just aren't true.

Click here to scroll to the bottom of this post to see the quick-look podcast show notes for this episode.

Knowledge is power, especially during pregnancy. Pregnancy is a time when you’re at your most vulnerable. You’re doing something important, something uncomfortable, something maybe a little bit scary, something that you know someone else like your provider or other moms have more information than you do so sometimes it feels most natural to just assume that the information being given to you is the best, safest, or most important and relevant information.

…But that’s just not always true.  Instead, sometimes the information that we are consuming is conflicting, confusing or just downright wrong and that can send us into a spiral of either anxiety and frantic googling or paralysis where we stop trying to learn all together and we throw up our hands and say “forget it. I’ll just go with whatever flow comes my way”. And neither of those things are great options. 

As a labor and delivery nurse and a mom of three, I think it's really important that we talk about some pregnancy myths that are important to debunk and set the record straight. Pregnancy is a time when it is really really easy to get sucked into believing things that are just simply not true because we don’t do this every day! No matter how many kids you have, pregnancy and birth is still exciting and a little nerve wrecking each time and if you haven’t been told the truth behind these pregnancy myths, it’ll be really easy to fall victim to their traps. 

So with that, let’s talk about 5 myths that we can debunk today.

Pregnancy Myth 1: Eating for Two

It's a common belief that you need to double your food intake during pregnancy. After all, you're not just eating for yourself but also for your little one…

In reality, pregnancy only requires an additional 300-500 calories per day during the second and third trimesters, nowhere near doubling your intake. And those extra 300 calories that you need are often not something that you need to think about or add in as a conscious “addition” to your diet. Listening to your body and eating when you’re hungry is often enough to make sure that you’re getting the calories that you need to grow a healthy baby while also giving your own body everything that it needs.

Your body is incredibly intelligent. It communicates with you through hunger signals, energy levels, and even cravings. So, if you're feeling good and satisfied after eating, you can be confident that you're nourishing both yourself and your growing baby adequately.

Overeating, forcing yourself to finish your plate after you're feeling full, or indulging in an extra serving of dessert just because you're pregnant could potentially lead to unnecessary weight gain and unstable blood sugar levels.

Debunking the pregnancy myth

Pregnancy is definitely a time when we are hyper aware of how much nutrient’s we are getting because we want to ensure the healthiest baby possible. And that’s a great mindset to have. But keep in mind that if you're doing your best…then you're doing your best. There is no need to stress yourself out about having a perfect (or imperfect) diet.

As long as you're avoiding potential harmful substances like alcohol, consuming less than 200 mg of caffeine a day, steering clear of unpasteurized dairy, washing fresh fruits and veggies thoroughly, and avoiding high mercury fish, you're doing a great job! Bonus points if you are adding in your daily prenatal vitamin with folate and DHA.

Unfortunately, even that can sometimes stress expecting moms out because their prenatal vitamin makes them sick, they have severe morning sickness, or they can’t keep anything down and are actually losing weight during the first trimester. Fortunately though, your tiny little baby is really good at getting what they need, even if it means stealing everything they can from you.

So, if you keep forgetting to take your prenatal or you’ve thrown up so many times it’s hard to believe your'e getting the nourishment you need, hang in there. Your baby is more resilient than you think and and doubling your food intake during pregnancy is a myth that we can let go of right now.

Pregnancy Myth 2: Morning Sickness

Pregnancy Myth – “Morning sickness gets better as the day goes on.”

It's easy to be misled by the term “morning sickness”, but it's hardly restricted to just the morning. Many expectant mothers can attest that the bouts of nausea they experience during pregnancy are often not confined to the early hours of the day.

Morning sickness, in reality, can strike at any time of the day. Pregnant women often report that their nausea is not limited to mornings but lasts throughout the day.

What fuels the misnomer is that morning sickness is often worse when the stomach is empty, which tends to be in the morning.  It’s not so much about the time of day but about what’s going on in your stomach at the time. The problem is, if your sick first thing in the morning, you probably won’t have much of an appetite for food and the rest of the day will be a battle between knowing you should eat but feeling so nauseous that if you do finally eat, you’re just going to throw it right back up. 

Debunking the pregnancy myth

For many pregnant women, the struggle is real: the nausea often saps their appetite, making it a struggle to eat. A simple trick that might help here is keeping a snack by your bedside to munch on as soon as you wake up. Other small dietary adjustments like these, such as sipping ginger tea and opting for liquid prenatal vitamins, can often provide some much-needed relief from pregnancy sickness.

Pregnancy Myth 3: Cervical Dilation Before Labor Begins

Pregnancy Myth- “If I'm not dilating before labor starts, there is something wrong”

This one's a particularly notorious myth that has worried countless women. Many women believe they should begin dilating before labor starts, but the reality is not that simple.

So, tell me. Have you ever felt, thought or heard any of these:

“I’m 39 weeks and only half a centimeter”

“I’m 40 weeks and still not dilated”

“I’m 36 weeks and still closed! What do I do”?

…Well, I have some good news. This is all very normal.

If you're thinking any of those things right now, you can celebrate that your body is doing exactly what it should be doing. The cervix’s job is not to be a crystal ball for you to look at and be able to predict when labor will start. Instead, it’s whole job is to keep baby inside until he or she is ready to be born. If your cervix is still closed, unless you have a medical condition that is making you and your provider have a discussion about possible induction, you can celebrate that your cervix is doing it’s job really, really well and protecting your baby from the outside environment just as it should.

Here’s the thing. Do some people dilate before labor begins? Absolutely. Are some people 1, 2, or even 3 cms dilated before they even have their first contraction? Totally! Is that a bad thing? No! It’s great. It’s always nice to have a “head start “prior to labor starting. But the truth of the matter is this…

If you and your neighbor share a due date and your pregnancies are pretty identical and you guys are so excited that the big day is coming up so you share your experiences at your most recent doctor’s appointments …

…and at 36 weeks your neighbor is 1 cm dilated…and you’re still closed.

…and then at 37 weeks your neighbor is 2 cms dilated and you’re still closed.

…and then at 39 weeks your neighbor is 3 cms dilated and your still closed.

…and then at 40 weeks neither of you had started labor yet and you’re both just sitting around saying things like “this baby is comfy in there. I’m not having any signs of labor starting”.

Who do you think will have their baby first?

If you said your neighbor, well, you might be right. But if you said YOU, you’re just as likely to be right.

The cervix does not predict when labor will start. In this scenario, you and your neighbor can start AND finish labor at the exact same time. YOU could even go into labor well before she ever does.

Debunking the pregnancy myth

Your cervix isn't a crystal ball that can predict the onset of labor. Even if you're not dilating at 39 or 40 weeks, it doesn't mean that labor won't start on its own.

If you’re approaching your due date and you decide to accept a cervical exam out of pure curiosity and your provider tells you that you’re “still not dilating”. Remind yourself that “still” is an unfair thing to say since you haven’t even started labor yet. And labor is what is supposed to dilate your cervix. Any amount of dilation prior to labor is bonus. Not a requirement. 

Myth 4: You're “Overdue” If You Don't Go into Labor by Your Due Date

Pregnancy Myth- “40 weeks is the end of the “due” Window”

Another myth to debunk is the notion of being “overdue” if you don't go into labor by your due date. It's essential to understand that your due date is merely an estimate, and only 5% of babies are born exactly on their due date.

But you know that already, don't you?

We all pretty much accept that the “due” time is a bit of a range, right?

I mean, how common is it for expecting parents to hit 37 weeks and say things like “any time now!” Even though their “due date” isn’t for another 3 weeks. At 38 weeks parents might be saying that they are hoping to be dilated at their next appoint. At 39 weeks women are searching for ways to encourage labor and they might even be trying home induction methods to kick things into gear….and still their due date isn’t for another week.

So, in general we all accept that the due date isn’t very accurate. If we go into labor 3 weeks early, we are good with it. If we go into labor 1 week early, we feel like we’re winning because we know that this was likely the right time for baby. BUT somehow going even ONE DAY beyond that magical prediction and somehow our bodies are failing us? Somehow now we are in the danger zone? We start to give up on the belief that our bodies can or will go into spontaneous labor and give us a healthy baby?

Can you see how skewed this is?

Debunking the pregnancy myth

Well, the reality is that the vast majority of healthy pregnancies will go into spontaneous labor between 39 and 41 weeks. This is the MOST common time to expect labor will likely happen.

Might you go into labor at 38 weeks? Yeah, maybe. It’s a little less common than 39 weeks but still totally safe. Might you go into labor past 41 weeks? Yeah, sure. Less likely than 41 weeks, but still not abnormal.

So, let’s change our frame of mind around the due date. Let’s let go of the idea that you might go into labor at 37 weeks. Could you? Yes, just like you could at 36 weeks or technically at any other time during your pregnancy. But it’s probably not something you should expect or sit around waiting for.

Let’s also let go of the idea that if you’ve seen your due date come and go that your body failed you and you’ll need help or intervention in order for your body to go into labor. Instead, give yourself a more realistic range. Go into your calendar and circle your due date. Now find one week before and one week after. We are replacing anticipation over your one, magical due date and refocusing it onto this two week “labor launchpad” where labor will likely begin (between 39 and 41 weeks). 

Myth 5: You can induce labor with a few simple tricks

Pregnancy Myth – “I'm over being pregnant. What can I do to start my labor at home?”

Finally, let's address the myth that labor can be quickly and easily started at home whenever the mood strikes. The truth is, it's extremely difficult to force your body to go into labor before it's ready.

This one is complicated. Lots of things are known for their abilities to bring on labor. But sometimes a quick trick will put one mama into labor easily while not working at all for another mama. This often happens when an expecting mama starts implementing these tricks before her body is really ready. It takes more persuading to convince your body to go into labor when it knows that baby still has a little more cooking to do.

I often speak to women who have come into labor and delivery hoping to have some cervical change because they’ve been curb walking for weeks. Or they’ve taken castor oil and the only result they got was a bout of some ugly diarrhea. But the thing is, if your body isn’t ready for labor to start, these methods aren’t going to be beneficial. Walks around the neighborhood are great at any stage of pregnancy but if you’re constantly curb walking, sitting on a birthing ball, eating pineapple until your tongue is raw, and trying all the things from early on like 37 weeks, you’ll find that all of your efforts are actually just exhausting and discouraging you rather than actually encouraging labor to start.

Debunking the pregnancy myth

So, keep in mind healthy activities like walking around the neighborhood, swaying on a birthing ball, engaging in some pregnancy yoga, doing psoas stretches to help open the pelvis, are all great things to do to PREPARE for labor when it does start. But doing things to encourage labor progression or cervical dilation will be best saved for 39-41 weeks when they will actually be productive.

Related Read: 17 Ways To Induce Your Labor Naturally At Home

Harmful Pregnancy Myths

It's essential to challenge pregnancy myths when they can be harmful to new parents trying to figure it all out. These pregnancy myths can often lead to unnecessary worry and misinformation. And remember to find a provider that you really trust so that you can comfortable rely on your healthcare provider for accurate information tailored to your individual circumstances. You are unique, and so is your pregnancy!

What to Discover Next: 

• 21 Pregnancy Questions That Every First Time Mom Wants to Know
• Is My Water Broken? Tricks to Know
• Your Complete Pregnancy Checklist : What You Need to do Before You Deliver
• What to Expect in the Second Trimester of Pregnancy
• 16 Indispensable Pregnancy and Labor Tips from a Labor and Delivery Nurse