The Myths and Facts of Pregnancy and Conceiving That I Wish I Had Known! #ConceptionMisconceptions
Myths and Facts of Pregnancy and Conceiving
If you are a parent, you probably went through a period where you were trying to conceive. As my husband and I tried to conceive our kids, we encountered what we discovered to be ridiculous myths along the way. While fertility is different for everyone, it’s nice to know the facts and truths behind trying to conceive. Here are some myths that have been debunked about trying to conceive and pregnancy.
To Get Pregnant, You Need to Have Intercourse Every day!
Not true! While the conception journey is different for every couple, when I conceived I was trying every two or three days starting 18 days before my next ovulation period. Tools like the First Response Advanced Digital Ovulation test can help you determine when your body is ready. Treating babymaking as a job can take the fun out of it and also make you more stressed so this can help take away some of the guesswork. Just go with the flow, seriously!
Your Mom Had You Late, So You Can Start Late Too.
We were very young parents but, before we decided to start having babies, I was always told that you have well into your forties to conceive. According to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, over the years, a woman’s chances of getting pregnant are five per cent per cycle by age 40. Of course, there are many factors when it comes to this and it’s always best to seek the advice of your doctor.
Vitamin D Can Affect Your Fertility.
According to Stats Canada, most Canadians are deficient in Vitamin D. While there are further studies needed to prove that Vitamin D directly affects fertility, studies have shown that poor Vitamin D status has been associated with certain pregnancy complications such as gestational hypertension and diabetes.
If you’re thinking of starting a family soon, taking a prenatal vitamin like the First Response Prenatal Multivitamin Gummies, which has 400 IU of Vitamin D and 800 mcg of folic acid, are a great start.
Even your husband can take folic acid and up his Vitamin D too. According to Men Fertility, it is suggested that taking folic acid and increase sperm count in men with low sperm counts.
Regardless of studies, Darasak and I both chose to prepare and enjoy foods that were rich in folic acid during both of my pregnancies. This was beneficial for me since I chose to increase my folate too. For us, getting healthier and making sure we both had what we needed didn’t hurt. As always, ask your doctor if this is something that will help.
Legs in the Air!
“After trying, stay in bed for half an hour with your legs up against the wall. This will help you to get pregnant.” Or so they say, whoever they are! I don’t know if this is true or not but, I didn’t do it for either of my pregnancies and it didn’t affect us conceiving both of them. The jury is still out on this one!
Eating certain foods will help you get pregnant faster
Now, let’s get this out there. All of us have parents who tell us things like “eating pineapple will help you go into labour.” Or “eating chicken on Tuesday will help you get pregnant faster.” The best advice is to eat a well-balanced diet to help your body function in the best way it knows how! Taking your prenatal vitamin helps your body be at its best too.
You’re Having Heartburn, You Have a Hairy Baby!
This one I heard a lot of while I was pregnant. The claim that if you’re experiencing acid reflux or heartburn, you’re going to have a baby with a full head of hair. For me, it turned out to be true but, heartburn is part and parcel with most pregnancies. Mine was probably due to pregnancy itself and my penchant for spicy foods!
Pregnant Women Can’t Exercise.
Isn’t this a crazy myth? While some pregnant women shouldn’t exercise, it does not mean ALL pregnant women shouldn’t exercise. In fact, most health care providers encourage you to be active. Your best bet is to talk to your doctor about this. Your doctor will know you and your situation best.
You’re Eating for Two
I was really young when I had my first daughter, so I grew accustomed to unsolicited advice. Since I was putting on weight slowly, I’d have strangers ask me how far along I was and said that I need to eat a little more, after all, I was eating for two.
Although your body is using a lot of energy and calories, it’s not like you are literally setting a plate for two. A lot of women tend to overeat because they believe they are eating for two. Talk to your doctor about the proper amount you should be eating, if you are pregnant. Sometimes it helps to get a second opinion on what or how much you should be eating during pregnancy.
Prenatal Care Isn’t Necessary.
This is another popular one I heard with old school parents. They say their parents gave birth at home, didn’t see a doctor regularly and their kids came out alright. Although it may seem like a lot of trips to the doctor, prenatal care is necessary to ensure you and your baby are healthy. While those early pregnancy appointments can be annoying, they aren’t in vain. These appointments help to monitor you and your baby and to ensure you both stay as healthy as possible!
You Have Options!
Now that we have some of the myths out of the way, let’s talk about tools that may help. While they may not work for everyone, integrating them into your routine is worth a try.
The FIRST RESPONSE Prenatal Multivitamin Gummies are a great way to make sure you are getting the nutrients you need. I took a prenatal vitamin for both of my pregnancies and it gave me peace of mind.
The FIRST RESPONSE Advanced Digital Ovulation Test is a great tool to use if you are trying to conceive. It’s over 99% accurate at detecting a women’s unique hormone levels, letting you know your most fertile days. It also features EasyRead™ technology to display unmistakable “yes”/”no results.
Many years ago, I used the FIRST RESPONSE pregnancy test to confirm I was expecting. Since then, they’ve launched the FIRST RESPONSE Early Result Pregnancy Test that lets you know up to 6 days sooner than your missed period.
Honestly, I took multiple tests but didn’t want to truly believe that I was pregnant until I used FIRST RESPONSE and saw those two pink lines. After all these years, I still have my girls’ tests too!
Ready to WIN?
I want to hear all about your #ConceptionsMisconceptions! To help you get excited about sharing your stories, one lucky Whispered Inspirations reader will enter to win a $25 Shoppers Drug Mart gift card. This contest is only open to Canada and begins on June 29th, 2017 and closes on July 14th.
There you have it, now you know some great tools that may help when you are trying to conceive and the crazy things you hear when you’re pregnant. Just know that most people mean well but, it’s always best to talk to your doctor if you have any questions.
What are some conception misconceptions you hear?
Let me know, til then–cheers m’deres!
Nancy Polanco is a freelance journalist, lifestyle content creator, and editor of Whispered Inspirations. She is a proud Mom to Gabby and Michaela and partner and best friend to Darasak. Having worked as part of a health care team for almost a decade, Nancy is happy to be back to her passion. She is a contributor to the Huffington Post, TODAY’s Parents, and an Oprah Magazine Brand Ambassador.
Now this is informative post! I am pass this point of my life but I heard a whole bunch of these myths and I followed a few of them but most of them I did not. It is interesting where these misconceptions come from.
Yes, I always wondered!
Always a trusted brand of mine. Great facts!!!!
Yes, same here!
I think one of the crazy things is that when you are pregnant you must eat for two!
Crazy myths about trying to conceive a child of a specific gender…
Prenatal vitamins are so important. I started taking them as soon as we started trying to get pregnant to ensure that my baby was properly nourished.
Yes, they really are so important.
This is excellent information. I can’t believe how much myth and mystery still surrounds trying to conceive.
You are right, still so much we do not know.
I had to use fertility shots to get pregnant the first time. Less than 11 months later I delivered my second child. Then 16 months later the third came along. The human body is a complete mystery.
I completely agree!
This is a Fantastic read. I wish I had known these things prior to having our two littles. Thanks for sharing!
I was told the first pregnancy is always the hardest,so untrue!!
I love these! Well, I didn’t love them when I was trying to get pregnant! LOL. There are SO many myths!!
I truly had no idea about the effectiveness of Vitamin D and how it can have an impact on your pregnancy. Very interesting! I don’t believe I get enough Vitamin D myself – will have to check out supplements for sure.
There are so many myths about pregnancy out there. This is a great round up of some of the most shared myths out there. Thanks for setting people straight!
I’ve heard that there are ways to try for a girl vs a boy, but I’m not sure if this is true!
There are so many funny myths out there, and some that might be a little dangerous. I hadn’t heard the one about heartburn, but I’m sure it’s scared a lot of expectant mothers!
There were several misconceptions I had not heard of. Especially the hairy baby and heartburn. That was a funny one to me!
It’s crazy how many different things you are told when you are pregnant. I see a lot of pregnant women out exercising these days so I definitely think that myth is going by the wayside.
This is very informative! I didn’t know some of these when I was pregnant. These myths are great to know for new moms.
One myth I heard when trying to conceive was the sex position would help to determine the sex of the baby and what sex position was better to conceive.
I think a myth is that you need to have sex everyday to try and get pregnant.
Vitamins are super important and i can’t believe on many of the common misconceptions that just wouldn’t go away!
You can’t conceive on the pill
Being on the pill for too long will delay pregnancy.
Myth that you have to stay in bed with a pillow under you bum after sex to help get pregnant.
I heard this many times Carry high, it’s a girl. Carry low, it’s a boy.
If you are carrying low then it must be a boy is another myth that I have heard passed around.
I thought seafood was good for me, but I’ve heard I should avoid it when I’m pregnant.
You can eat some but try to limit or don’t eat high-mercury fish
Cocoa butter prevents stretch marks….so false
I really don’t remember a lot of myths about conception, but I do remember someone saying she could tell the sex of a child by holding a pin above someone’s stomach.
I have a friend who has a hyper sensitive sense of smell since she’s pregnant and she can’t even sit on her new leather couch because it makes her nauseous
Another myth i have heard is walking makes labor go faster..so untrue
I have heard stories about the way that you have sex (position) influences the sex of the baby.
One myth I heard was that you couldn’t have sex while pregnant.
A misconception I heard about conceiving was about how different days of your ovulation cycle can determine what the sex of the baby will be.
one I heard years ago and thought it was funny is after sex to stand on your head so the sperm fertilizes the egg
One myth I heard is that the shape of your tummy predicts the sex of the baby.
my doctor told me a few years ago that it would be really difficult to conceive past 35 years of age. Well that was a misconception! I have two post 35 conceived beautiful healthy children and it wasn’t difficult.
Ya and sex everyday won’t test you positive for SURE
Myth I heard many times is that how you carry the baby, low or high tells the sex of the child.
The myth I remember is how you carry can determine the sex of the baby.
Drinking dark beer helps the milk come in. Nope ,so false.
If you raise your legs after intercourse, you increase your chances of conceiving.
Help yourself to double servings because your eating for two…..so false
if you are carrying a boy you will have allot of heartburn i never had heartburn
I heard the myth that you can’t exercise.
: You can’t fly during your first or last trimester. Nope. False again.
All the myths leading up to having a certain gender …. seriously lol. had fun with those chinese gender charts but that was that. I didn’t eat anything to try to have a certain gender etc
The myth I’ve heard is about predicting the sex of baby.
I have heard that eating meat will get you a boy and fruit will get you a girl.
A myth I heard was how different positions can influence whether the baby is a boy or girl.
Queasiness will end with the first trimester…so false
I remember people saying that you shouldn’t have a bath when you are pregnant.
Another myth is the position of how you have sex can determine the gender of the baby.
I’ve heard you can’t get pregnant while breastfeeding.
A myth I have heard is that you can’t exercise when pregnant but lots of women do it and I think it’s super great and healthy!
One misconception I’ve heard is that when you conceive predicts the sex of the baby
I heard you shouldn’t eat smoked salmon while pregnant but it’s false,it’s actually good for you
Another Myth that I have heard is that you should have sex everyday in order to conceive.
Wow! There are so many myths out there! Great info! 🙂
I think it was the eat for two – you do but it means to watch what you eat.
Pregnant women should keep away from polished furniture. That’s just so false.
How you carry determines the gender of the child.
My first one was unplanned and I thought – getting pregnant is EASY (too easy) but then my second one took a lot of trying and one miscarriage… so I learned nothing is every too easy.
I heard all kinds of crazy conception myths, nothing to do with gender, just getting pregnant.
I heard that stress during pregnancy is always bad for the fetus but actually they say it can be good for the fetus
I think it’s crazy how many myths about pregnancy are out there!
How you are carrying can tell you the sex of your baby… or not.
If you carried high it was a girl nope turned out to be a boy.
I was told not to put my arms over my head, because it would strangle the baby
I heard Dying your hair is harmful for Baby,but they say it’s not!
Birth control pills are 100% effective.
If you have lots of heartburn your baby will have lots of hair.
I heard dying your hair is bad! NO NO NO! lol These ladies with 10 inch roots…haha
Don’t raise your arms above your head or the cord will get tangled.
One of the silliest things I’ve hear is you will have to eat for two!
My OB told me to do the legs up in the air thing, so if a doctor recommends it, It must work. I was pregnant the first month, so I guess it did.
Wow, I tried it and was not successful. LOL, guess we are all different!
It is scary how many misconceptions can fly around about things like pregnancy. It is good to hear what is real and what is false.
It is pretty funny to hear some things you are told.
You can get pregnant after 40 as I had my last 2 at 41 and 43. They were easy pregnancies too.
So happy they were easy for you!
You totally do not need to have sex everyday. If you did, I would not be expecting my third right now!
You’re absolutely right!
This is a great post for those dealing with infertility. I never knew there were so many myths, it could be so discouraging for people trying to have a baby.
I totally agree! It can be a deal breaker for some but I hope these myths can encourage people to never give up!
I started taking prenatal vitamins as soon as we started trying to get pregnant. It is so important to try to be as healthy as you can be before you start to grow a new person.
Me too! Gotta stay in top notch shape!
The hairy baby/acid reflux is one I heard a lot. My kiddo did end up with a full head of hair though.
I’ve heard that one so many times! hehe
Very informative and useful! I always see pregnant women eat a lot and they said because they were eating for two!! jajaja sounds so convincing that i’ve believed them until now. The help of vitamin D and ovulation test are new knowledge for me, thou. I’ll try to remember. I’ve heard that there are some more information (don’t know whether they are myths or facts) like when you’re pregnant, if you wanna eat an amount of sour food then you’ll have a boy; sweet food for a girl. Or you can predict the baby’s gender by the shape of your stomach. I love reading some pieces of information relevant to pregnancy. Thanks for sharing some facts and your experiences. Hope to read more!
You’re welcome Hannah! Drop by for some more! =)
I heard from a lot of people that prenatal care was not necessary. I could not have disagreed more with that. I absolutely needed it with my kids, especially my high risk pregnancy.
Lots of people underestimate the importance of prenatal care.
I love this post! It’s true, there are so many myths. It was so funny to read…after the fact.
Glad you love it! Lots of funny myths!
Truly informative post specially for those who are planning to get pregnant. Great that you posted it in here.
Thanks for reading it Ron!
Legs in the air is the funniest one! I still dont know if its a myth or not! I was told about this on my wedding night and i cringed all day after!
It is pretty funny! hehe
It only takes one time to get pregnant so daily sex is not necessary. I wonder who created that myth.
Me too! I always wondered who created all these myths.
I definitely had a lot of preconceived ideas about TTC and pregnancy that didn’t materialize. I’ll be sharing this list with my friends who are TTC!
Spread the word!
The “To get pregnant you have to do Intercourses everyday” is so hilarious. We’ll if it’s enjoyable to you then you should.
Yup!
It’s amazing what gets put out there into the world and what we believe. Thanks for setting the record straight.
Most definitely! You’re welcome!