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Myths about weight and pregnancy.
Myth: A large woman will automatically need a c-section.
Reality: False. Many women who are heavier go on to have perfectly healthy natural births if the woman knows her rights and is willing to fight for them, because doctors ARE apt to suggest c-sections in order to avoid weight-related complications that are most likely not going to occur during delivery.
Myth:A woman who is skinnier will feel her baby move before a heavy woman.
Reality: FALSE. This one drives me insane and every time I hear it I'm offended. I'm not fat, but I'm not thin either...and I feel my babies move just as early as everyone else. Right around 12/13wks. The truth is, no matter how thick a woman's stomach fat may or may not be, your uterus is still the same organ. Having fat on the outside does not make the inside any less sensitive, or any larger, or any silly nonsense. This is one of those silly wives tales.
Myth: A skinny woman should eat whatever she wants.
Reality: False. Weight that you gain too much of, or too rapidly, can cause serious issues during pregnancy and after no matter how small or large you were to begin with.
Myth: a heavy woman should not gain ANY weight during pregnancy.
Reality: False. However, every woman MUST be aware of the food she is putting in her mouth. You must make healthy choices and supplement unhealthy cravings with smart snacks. However, in a woman who is larger to begin with, weight gain MUST be kept to a minimum or again, you will face issues during and after the pregnancy.
Myth: A skinny woman will not be able to have a vaginal birth because her hips are too thin.
Reality: FALSE. Many thin women with small hips have babes, even large ones, vaginally with no complications. Your pelvis is MADE to stretch....once again, be aware of your rights and be willing to fight for them.
Myth: Gestational diabetes is more common in heavy women.
Reality: this one is half-half. If you are more prone to sugar imbalances caused by excessive weight, then yes you are more susceptible to GD. However, once again it comes down more to how much weight you gain and how fast, COMBINED with genetics. I've known women who have been thin in the beginning, gained a bunch of weight very quickly, and had no GD issues. Also, I've known heavy women who have gained no weight at all and also had no GD issues. but conversely, I've known women of both thin and heavy builds who develop GD no matter how much or little weight they gain.
Myth: A heavy woman will have more trouble conceiving.
Reality: Again...this one is a half-half false/true. The heavier you are, the more at risk you are for things that can cause fertility issues like PCOS. But it's one of those things that is debatable and the medical community doesn't currently have a stance on it: is PCOS brought about by weight, or does PCOS cause weight gain. The answer to both has been traditionally, tentatively, yes....but again they are seeing many cases that defy those rules. The general rule of thumb is....if you are having trouble conceiving, and have PCOS, weight loss may help your symptoms. If you are gaining weight and begin having trouble conceiving, you may have developed PCOS.
Myth: a thin woman isn't healthy enough to carry a baby if she doesn't gain a bunch of weight.
Reality: False false false!!! A thin woman will nourish her baby just as well as a woman of average weight, as long as she herself isn't severely malnourished or significantly underweight (at which point a weight maintenance therapy would be initiated).
The key to weight and pregnancy is this: moderate, healthy gain brought about by making healthy choices and paying attention to the foods you put in your mouth. Thin or heavy, fat or skinny, average....however you want to put it...we all have the same organs. Ovaries, uterus, we all have cervixes and vaginal canals. We are all built the same way. I think it's important that we start to dispel some of these myths so that people can start seeing childbirth as a group effort; something that we should support and pull each other through, rather than limiting each other OR ourselves by putting everyone into a category. Who hasn't been guilty of thinking, "She's NEVER going to push out that baby?" either because your friend was too big, or too small?
Well...time to talk about some of these myths and get them out into the light.
I just need to add one more, but this one has more to do with Trying To Conceive than it does with pregnancy:
Myth: Elevating your hips, or keeping your legs closed will help your chances of conception.
Reality: False. If the sperm need that much help getting into the uterus, there are much bigger problems involved!
Hope that made you chuckle...have a great day, ladies!
Reality: False. Many women who are heavier go on to have perfectly healthy natural births if the woman knows her rights and is willing to fight for them, because doctors ARE apt to suggest c-sections in order to avoid weight-related complications that are most likely not going to occur during delivery.
Myth:A woman who is skinnier will feel her baby move before a heavy woman.
Reality: FALSE. This one drives me insane and every time I hear it I'm offended. I'm not fat, but I'm not thin either...and I feel my babies move just as early as everyone else. Right around 12/13wks. The truth is, no matter how thick a woman's stomach fat may or may not be, your uterus is still the same organ. Having fat on the outside does not make the inside any less sensitive, or any larger, or any silly nonsense. This is one of those silly wives tales.
Myth: A skinny woman should eat whatever she wants.
Reality: False. Weight that you gain too much of, or too rapidly, can cause serious issues during pregnancy and after no matter how small or large you were to begin with.
Myth: a heavy woman should not gain ANY weight during pregnancy.
Reality: False. However, every woman MUST be aware of the food she is putting in her mouth. You must make healthy choices and supplement unhealthy cravings with smart snacks. However, in a woman who is larger to begin with, weight gain MUST be kept to a minimum or again, you will face issues during and after the pregnancy.
Myth: A skinny woman will not be able to have a vaginal birth because her hips are too thin.
Reality: FALSE. Many thin women with small hips have babes, even large ones, vaginally with no complications. Your pelvis is MADE to stretch....once again, be aware of your rights and be willing to fight for them.
Myth: Gestational diabetes is more common in heavy women.
Reality: this one is half-half. If you are more prone to sugar imbalances caused by excessive weight, then yes you are more susceptible to GD. However, once again it comes down more to how much weight you gain and how fast, COMBINED with genetics. I've known women who have been thin in the beginning, gained a bunch of weight very quickly, and had no GD issues. Also, I've known heavy women who have gained no weight at all and also had no GD issues. but conversely, I've known women of both thin and heavy builds who develop GD no matter how much or little weight they gain.
Myth: A heavy woman will have more trouble conceiving.
Reality: Again...this one is a half-half false/true. The heavier you are, the more at risk you are for things that can cause fertility issues like PCOS. But it's one of those things that is debatable and the medical community doesn't currently have a stance on it: is PCOS brought about by weight, or does PCOS cause weight gain. The answer to both has been traditionally, tentatively, yes....but again they are seeing many cases that defy those rules. The general rule of thumb is....if you are having trouble conceiving, and have PCOS, weight loss may help your symptoms. If you are gaining weight and begin having trouble conceiving, you may have developed PCOS.
Myth: a thin woman isn't healthy enough to carry a baby if she doesn't gain a bunch of weight.
Reality: False false false!!! A thin woman will nourish her baby just as well as a woman of average weight, as long as she herself isn't severely malnourished or significantly underweight (at which point a weight maintenance therapy would be initiated).
The key to weight and pregnancy is this: moderate, healthy gain brought about by making healthy choices and paying attention to the foods you put in your mouth. Thin or heavy, fat or skinny, average....however you want to put it...we all have the same organs. Ovaries, uterus, we all have cervixes and vaginal canals. We are all built the same way. I think it's important that we start to dispel some of these myths so that people can start seeing childbirth as a group effort; something that we should support and pull each other through, rather than limiting each other OR ourselves by putting everyone into a category. Who hasn't been guilty of thinking, "She's NEVER going to push out that baby?" either because your friend was too big, or too small?
Well...time to talk about some of these myths and get them out into the light.
I just need to add one more, but this one has more to do with Trying To Conceive than it does with pregnancy:
Myth: Elevating your hips, or keeping your legs closed will help your chances of conception.
Reality: False. If the sperm need that much help getting into the uterus, there are much bigger problems involved!
Hope that made you chuckle...have a great day, ladies!
I was about 28-32 pounds overweight when I got pregnant AND have gained about 34-37 pounds and have no GD. I have a friend who is smaller than me and gained no weight who has GD... Pregnancy is so weird lol
The gestational diabetes one gets me - I know more skinny women with GD than overweight women! Size doesn't indicate a glucose intolerance.
And I also feel my babies early and I'm plump. Just depends on baby's position and how aware you are to what you're feeling.
And I also feel my babies early and I'm plump. Just depends on baby's position and how aware you are to what you're feeling.
I absolutely love this! I've actually been told most of them since with my first I was very thin and second I started off overweight. I didn't see the one I heard the most tho.
"Thin women with very wide spread hips means easier birth" I found this to be very untrue I had a horrible time with my first son. Where as my twin doesn't have wide spread hips and had a much easier time with both of her births.
"Thin women with very wide spread hips means easier birth" I found this to be very untrue I had a horrible time with my first son. Where as my twin doesn't have wide spread hips and had a much easier time with both of her births.
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