Do You Have Any Favorite OB Myths?

[BabyRN2Be]

I was wondering if anyone had a favorite OB myth that you've come across in work.

I'll start with a few of my favorites:

When I worked at a maternity home, the lead houseparent told the girls that if their baby was a girl, it proved that the young lady had participated in a lot of sexual activity at conception. If it was a boy, the young lady had intercourse only once or twice. I couldn't think of any biological basis for that one. Of course if the young lady had a baby girl, then she would really have been read the riot act about her sexual activity from the housemother.

This one I heard rather recently. A woman went in for an u/s to determine the baby's sex, and baby had it's legs crossed. The woman asked the u/s tech to count the fetal ribs because men have one less rib than women do - the "Adam's Rib Theory."

Anyone heard of other interesting OB myths that are brought into the doctor's office or hospital?

[Chibi Baka]

They have a name for people who use the pull out method for birth control, PARENTS!!! read that in a book somewhere.

Goodness, some people are just dumb.

I swear thats the most popular belief among teenagers over here.

Whenever i talk to someone they ALWAYS say blah blh blah i wont get pregnant he pulls out...

Me: *blank stare* Are you serious?! i mean goodness its not like it all comes out at once or somthin!

I even had someone tell me that her boyfriend pulls out when he pre cums..

im just thinking.. is that possible.. stuffs comes out more than 2 times durin the whle process.

Thats it.

Im destroying the human race (is that a bad way to talk for a future nurse )

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

Also, "You have to shave the baby's head or his hair will be thin."

My sister's mil was pressuring her to shave her son's haed. She refused. So, during a visit, my sis' mil took it upon herself to shave her two-year-old grandson's head. Boy, was my sister pizzed!

[Debbie, RN]

:rotfl: Okay, this is a strange one. I had a pt. tell me once when she was getting a labor check that "We caused this",assuming this meant that she and her mate had intercourse before coming to the hospital; I responded with a sly grin on my face. She replied "Oh No, we didn't have sex!, we ate salad with balsalmic vinegar on it!"

Now that has got to be the best I've ever heard in 16 years of L&D practice. :chuckle

[keeper]

I used to work at an assisted living facility for the elderly and worked there through two pregnancies. I got a lot of flack each time I reached above my head, lol.

I also had a resident tell me to bind my baby's abdomen after the birth so he/she wouldn't get an "outie" belly button. My son has one.....aw man! Was that all I had to do?

Sarah

[stevierae]

Our favorite was usually stated by our unwed teenaged moms who were shocked that they were pregnant because "You can't get pregnant the first time".....

LOL, that reminds me of this OB guy I used to work with. He was not all that old, but his wife was younger than he was, and, apparently more, uh, "energetic," if this comment was any indication--He said one day,

"Almost every day in clinic I see pregnant teenagers who say, "I didn't think you could get pregnant if you "did it" standing up."

And I have to bite my tongue to keep from asking them all the same question: "STANDING UP? I have enough difficulty "doing it" LYING DOWN!!!"

[stevierae]

All caucasian babies are born with blue eyes.

You mean that's not true? Huh, I actually always thought it was--I have 3 kids, and I have blue eyes and my husband has brown eyes (my husband is black.) All 3 of my kids were born with blue eyes; they changed to brown gradually over a couple of months.

Here's one I used to hear a lot while working L&D years ago: moms coming in in labor, all upset because their membranes had ruptured and now they were going to have to undergo a "dry birth."

They all seemed to have gotten this info from THEIR moms--seemed to think that the amniotic fluid, if "held onto" long enough, would function as a lubricant and help the baby "slide through" better. Always gave me a mental image of a greased pig.

[eirthjona]

here is an interesting one.

Morning sickness is worse where dad has different blood type from mum.

[Nurse Ratched, RN]

You guys slay me - these are great! :)

Re: the "can't get pregnany while breastfeeding" thing - I actually had a nursing instructor telling us that (in very recent years.) She was a staunch Catholic and opposed to birth control except for rhythm method/monitoring your cycle, and made sure we knew how to teach those things. I dutifully listened, because I wasn't about to get tossed out of nursing school for doing poorly in a field I had no interest in ever working, but in good conscience did not feel able to pretend these were effective methods. I fortunately never had to teach them.

[devi, ADN, BSN]

I've heard some OB myths about redheads (on this very board, I think). I don't remember exactly what they were, but they pertained to redheads having more trouble with labor and delivery.

So what do you all think. Myth or truth?

[SmilingBluEyes]

that is a generalization. just the one that says "all redheads bleed more".......

trust me, i am a redhead, these things were no worse for me than the general public who are not redheaded.

[devi, ADN, BSN]

here is an interesting one.

Morning sickness is worse where dad has different blood type from mum.

I have O- blood. My ex-husband had AB+. When pregnant with my son, I had almost no morning sickness. *shrug* who knows? I just hope it's as easy with the second baby.

[veteranRN]

I'm a redhead with 4 kids. Everytime I went to deliver the nurseswould say "watch for bleeding". Never had a problem! Just like mythbusters "I think this myth is busted"