Common wives tales

Specialties Ob/Gyn

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I really never pay into them except for the heart beat one. All of my boys had a fetal heart rate faster than my little gal. (Isn't it the other way around?)

One that I heard when I was pregant with my 4th is that I need to watch out...I'm more likely to have twins. My dad was a twin, I'm getting older and have already had 4 babies. I was told that this time around I really better watch. Any truth to this>

BTW, just found out I'm due with #5!

Specializes in psych,maternity, ltc, clinic.

This is not a common wives tale, as I only heard it once, but this is the most ridiculous bit of faulty info a patient ever had. I was working in L+D and a women came in for a planned csection and tubal . She opted out of the tubal, tho, because she was told, quite seriously, by a cousin that if she got a tubal she would become a lesbian.:chuckle

Despite our attempts to let her know it didnt work that way, she did'nt get the tubal.

One that I heard when I was pregant with my 4th is that I need to watch out...I'm more likely to have twins. My dad was a twin, I'm getting older and have already had 4 babies. I was told that this time around I really better watch. Any truth to this>

True! As a woman gets closer to menopause ovulation goes a little haywire. Fraternal twins become more common because while women may not ovulate one month, they may release more than one egg another month.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_your-likelihood-of-having-twins-or-more_3575.bc?page=2n (not a medical site but does cite legit research)

Wow! I didn't know that! So that's why so many experienced mommies give birth to twins! I can think of tons of examples, I just never really connected the dots!

While identical twins generally happen by sheer chance, there are several factors that influence your chances of having fraternal twins:

* Heredity: If you're a twin or if twins run in your family, you're slightly more likely to have a set yourself. Women who are fraternal twins have a one in 60 chance of bearing twins.

* Race: Twins are more common than average in African Americans and less common in Hispanics and Asians.

* Age: The older you are, the higher your chances of having fraternal twins or higher-order multiples. A 2006 study found that women over 35 produce more follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) than younger women. Ironically, increasing levels of this hormone are a sign of failing ovaries and declining fertility. But FSH is also the hormone that causes an egg to ripen in preparation for ovulation each month, and women with extra FSH may release more than one egg in a single cycle. So while older women are statistically less likely to get pregnant, if they do get pregnant, they're more likely to have twins.

* Number of pregnancies: The more pregnancies you've had, the greater your chances of having twins.

* History of twins: Once you have a set of fraternal twins, you're twice as likely to have another set in future pregnancies.

* Body type: Twins are more common in large and tall women than in small women.

Wow...

Specializes in cardiac, ortho, med surg, oncology.

• Heredity: If you're a twin or if twins run in your family, you're slightly more likely to have a set yourself. Women who are fraternal twins have a one in 60 chance of bearing twins.

The only thing I would add here is that fraternal twins run on the mothers side since they are due to two eggs being released and fertilized. I have also heard that the likelihood of having fraternal twins skip generations (unless of course the other factors come into play such as age). I myself am a fraternal twin and thankfully did not have any twins. Maybe my daughter will get that joy.

Hope your pregnancy goes well!

Specializes in LDRP.

I've heard the baby's heartbeat means it is a boy/girl thing

Or "my mother/sister/aunt/whole family's water doesn't break on its own, so mine won't either" (said the girl who came in SROM'd)

Specializes in Pulmonary med/surg/telemetry.

Heartburn during pregnancy results in a baby with lots of hair

Both of my kids had tons of black hair when they were pregnant and everyone would ask me if I had heartburn during my pregnancy. I just thought this was the silliest thing I'd ever heard. Well, a couple days ago I stumbled across a study performed at Johns Hopkins where they were going to disprove this once and for all and they ended up proving it instead! The link is below. I couldn't believe it.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17150070

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/318037/pregnant_mothers_with_heartburn_can.html?cat=5

Heartburn during pregnancy results in a baby with lots of hair

Both of my kids had tons of black hair when they were pregnant and everyone would ask me if I had heartburn during my pregnancy. I just thought this was the silliest thing I'd ever heard. Well, a couple days ago I stumbled across a study performed at Johns Hopkins where they were going to disprove this once and for all and they ended up proving it instead! The link is below. I couldn't believe it.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17150070

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/318037/pregnant_mothers_with_heartburn_can.html?cat=5

My mother had terrible heartburn with all three pregnancies, and we were all bald as eggs until we were over a year old!

:jester:

Heartburn during pregnancy results in a baby with lots of hair

Both of my kids had tons of black hair when they were pregnant and everyone would ask me if I had heartburn during my pregnancy. I just thought this was the silliest thing I'd ever heard. Well, a couple days ago I stumbled across a study performed at Johns Hopkins where they were going to disprove this once and for all and they ended up proving it instead! The link is below. I couldn't believe it.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17150070

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/318037/pregnant_mothers_with_heartburn_can.html?cat=5

I didn't have time to read your links but in the past I have heard it explained this way- babies of ethnicities other than caucasian are more likely to be born with lots of dark hair AND their mothers are more likely to eat spicy foods that cause more heartburn...

When I was pregnant with our first baby my mother in law couldn't stand the fact that I was reaching my arms over my head- she was convinced that I was going to cause the umbilical cord to get tangled up. Luckily we turned out okay:)

Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

OMG, if I heard someone yell at me to not reach over my head once, I heard it a million times. We all turned out fine as well, not a nuchal cord in sight.

Specializes in Psychiatry.

Yes, heard all those....when I was preg with my first my grandmother insisted no arms over the head and no crossing your legs because - get this- the baby wouldn't be able to breathe. lol

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