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Myths about pregnancy and childbirth
December 2009By Maayan Jaffe
Myth 1:
The Lamaze birthing method promises mother a “pain-free delivery.”
“To be honest, labor really hurt,” says Tracy Hoff, who gave birth to baby-girl Madison Shayna this past July.
Hoff and husband Michael, who live in Federal Hill, took part in the Shalom Baby program through the Center for Jewish Education. She says they learned breathing techniques, but when it came to labor that “didn’t really help.”
That’s not to say that breathing techniques can’t help some mothers. Huppit Bartov Miller says the breathing is less about the in-and-outs and more about serving as a distraction. She also took the Shalom Baby course and used some of the methods during her delivery of twin girls Gefen and Shaya in September.
“The techniques are helpful,” says new mom Devorah Lewin. “If you are more aware of what is happening to your body, you’ll be more able to handle the pain.”
Myth or fact?
You decide.
Myth 2:
You can tell what you’re having by the way you are carrying baby.
Unlike most moms nowadays, Nissa Weinberg and husband Paul, of Pikesville, decided to let baby’s gender be a surprise. Throughout the pregnancy, she says, she heard both sides of the story.
“My face was puffy and people said that meant girl. But my belly was also round and sticking up, and people said that meant boy,” she explains. “It was 50 percent boy, 50 percent girl — no one really knew.”
Weinberg recalls how every month she would go to a certain salon. At each appointment, her cosmetologist would tell her, “You’re having a girl.” She stuck with it until Weinberg’s ninth month. But at Weinberg’s final appointment before birth, the woman changed her mind; apparently, at the end, she had boy aura.
“I did go to a friend of mine’s mom who is a hypnotherapist. She did a funny thing with my arm and she told me my body was telling her boy,” Weinberg laughs.
Weinberg did give birth to a boy, Adley Nolan, last July.
Myth or fact?
Says Lewin, who was told by 100 percent of people she was having a boy (which she had!): “It’s a myth, but I think it’s partially true.”
Myth 3:
Heartburn equals hair.
Many mothers-to-be experience agonizing heartburn throughout their nine months of pregnancy. It’s not uncommon to be told, “Heartburn means baby will have a full head of hair.”
“I did not get any heartburn,” says Lewin, who lives with husband Gavriel in Pikesville. “And my baby had a whole head of hair.”
Lewin attributes her lack of chest pain to her healthy diet. She says she thinks white sugar, caffeine and carbonated beverages contribute more to heartburn than pregnancy.
Hoff, meanwhile, says she had the opposite experience. “I had a lot of heartburn, but baby just had an average amount of hair,” she says.
Myth or fact?
Says Hoff: “It works for some and not for others.”
Myth 4:
You’ll be back to your old body almost as soon as baby is delivered.
“Not even close,” laughs Hoff, who says she is still struggling to fit into her pre-baby clothes.
Weinberg recalls the shock of realizing that it would take some time to be her slender self.
“I came home from the hospital and I took a shower and when I got out I realized I didn’t have anything to wear, nothing I could put on,” she says. “In my mind, I thought I would just put on my pants, but I couldn’t. The first few months I just switched off between two pairs of pants.”
Miller says watching her body change throughout the pregnancy was an incredible experience. After twins, she is back to her pre-pregnancy size, but she says her body remains different. She knows she’ll have to get back to the gym, but she’s giving it time.
“I’m going to be very patient,” she says, noting that breastfeeding is helping to keep her weight in line.
Myth or fact?
“Your stomach can’t be totally flat the next day,” says Lewin. “That is impossible!”
Myth 5:
Mom and baby will instantly understand each other.
“I definitely loved him and looked at him and my heart melted,” says Weinberg. “But it was a big responsibility. I learned (to care for the baby) and it gets easier and easier over time.”
Miller describes her relationship to Gefen and Shaya similar to the way Weinberg describes hers to Adley. It was natural from the beginning, she says, but some things you have to get used to.
“It took me about a week to realize why they were crying — if they need a diaper change, to be fed, or just hugged,” she explains. “When your own baby is crying and she gets close to you she calms down. You see a difference between the way she is with you and other people and it helps you think you understand her, which ultimately is a self-fulfilling prophesy.”
Myth or fact?
Myth. New moms say getting used to raising baby takes a little time.
Jewish Baby Books
“The New Jewish Baby Book: Names, Ceremonies and Customs: A Guide for Today’s Families” by Anita Diamant (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2005)
“In the Beginning: The Jewish Baby Book” by Naomi Patz and Jane Perman (URJ Press,1998)
“The New Jewish Baby Album: Creating and Celebrating the Beginning of a Spiritual Life” by Jewish Lights (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2003)