Many mothers often talk about old wives tales that they heard from family or friends. Most of the time they heard these tales from childhood. Although some may have some truth to them many just do not have any evidence based research to support the facts.
As Midwives, we hear lots of these stories. We even had our own tales that were told by family members. For example, one common tale was we have to eat oatmeal and drink milk to produce enough milk to breastfeed. Or, if you have lots of heartburn your baby will have a ton of hair. For starters, the breast works purely on stimulation and we had plenty of heartburn but our babies were born bald. Another common tale that we often hear is if I eat spicy food will this induce my labor? Well, if you're culturally used to eating spicy food then your body is already accustomed to it and it may not be as effective. Everyone responds differently to different things. Some moms are told if they are carrying a low belly during pregnancy then it's definitely a boy and if it's high up then it's a girl. We have definitely seen lots of low bellies carrying girls and high bellies carrying boys so this is not a definite answer in gender. With so many tales and stories that are shared between cultures and families many will think they are true but not all of them are backed by research and Science. They can be fun and entertaining to talk about but we like to debunk the ones that can affect your pregnancy or breastfeeding so that moms have the best experiences and choices that will help them succeed in their journey.
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