READ: A lot of myths you hear about pregnancy are totally wrong. You have probably heard things like "long walks can induce labor" or "where the baby sits determines the gender." But these aren't true facts backed by Science. But there are a few that are according to CNN.com, and here they are:
1. A long difficult labor means the baby is a boy: CNN describes that researchers don't quite know the reason why this is true, but a study done in 2003 crunched the numbers in Ireland. And it showed that women having boys had their labor last a little longer (boys = a little more than 6 hours; girls = less than 6 hours). Women had more complications with boys, with C-sections happening 6 percent of the time compared to 4 percent of women having girls. And also, women having boys had extra intervention 29% of the time, compared to 24% for those having girls. It may not be much, but it kind of is. The researchers say a possibility of why is boys on average weigh 3 and a half ounces more than girls when born. Also a study in 2003 showed that women carrying boys ate more calories, which researchers say could mean that boys are a little more demanding.
2. To have a girl, stay away from bananas: A study in 2008 was given to pregnant women and tracked their diet before and during pregnancy. And scientists say that eating plenty of potassium was linked to having a boy (which bananas are full of). Also diets high is Calcium and Sodium are also linked to boys.
3. Heartburn is a harbinger of a hairy baby: In 2006 a study done at Johns Hopkins University followed 64 women during pregnancy. 28 of those women report moderate to severe heartburn, and 23 of them produced babies with either average or above average hair. On the opposite, 12 women reported no heartburn. And of those, 10 of the women had babies with no hair at all. The authors of the study say that the same hormones that help babies grow hair also relax muscles that keep stomach acid in the stomach. And that can lead to more heartburn for Momma.
These myths are backed by science, but below is a video with science debunking some common pregnancy myths: