Myths in the second and third trimesters

• Lifting your arms over your head can cause the umbilical cord to wrap around the baby's neck. Not true!
• Sewing and stitching during the pregnancy will cause the baby to have birth defects. Not true!
• You should never sleep on your back. Not true! In the last few weeks of pregnancy, there is no comfortable position for sleeping. The weight of the baby also makes it difficult to sleep flat on your back. However, when your back is hurting, it sometimes feels comfortable to sleep on your back.

If you have high blood pressure or the water around the baby is marginally decreased, your obstetrician may ask you to sleep mostly on your sides. This helps by increasing the blood flow to the baby. If your obstetrician has not given you any particular reason for sleeping on your sides, there is no harm in sleeping flat on your back from time to time.

• Turning from side to side while lying down may cause the baby to suffocate or will cause the cord to wrap around the baby’s neck. Not true! One of the old wives’ tales is that when you want to turn from side to side while you are sleeping, you should first sit up. This is absolutely unnecessary.
• Avoid sex and exercise during pregnancy- not true. Unless you have had a complication for which your obstetrician has asked you to avoid intercourse or exercise, there is no need to avoid sex or exercise.
• You must have intercourse to ensure a normal delivery. Not true! Sometimes, a woman may be too uncomfortable to have intercourse in the last few weeks of pregnancy.
• If you sweep and swab and do heavy physical labour during your pregnancy, you can avoid a caesarean- not true! Just be active; it is important in any pregnancy.