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MYTH #1: If you're carrying high, it's a girl; low, a boy.
Or is it the other way around? Neither. The only thing carrying high
means is either this is your first pregnancy or you're incredibly fit.
That's because the girdle like muscles that hold the uterus against the
spine and keep the baby high above the pelvis become more elastic with
each pregnancy, so the belly hangs forward more each time (you may start
showing earlier, too). Rigorous crunching exercises between pregnancies
can bring these muscles back to form.
MYTH #2: If you're carrying in front, it's a boy; wide, a girl.
According to Sherry Jiménez, a nurse and author of The Pregnant
Woman's Comfort Guide, if your belly sticks straight out, you
probably have a short torso, so there's nowhere for the baby to go but
out. Long torsos are roomier and less likely to project outward. A wide
belly may also mean your baby is in a sideways position.
MYTH #3: A big belly means a big baby.
Not necessarily. If you're tall and your abdominal muscles are taut you
may barely look pregnant, though your baby could be sizable. Conversely,
if you're short you may look as if you're carrying Andre the Giant,
although the baby might be small. Also, if the baby is lying sideways,
you'll look wider; if its head has engaged in the pelvis, you may look
smaller.
MYTH #4: If your belly is hairy, you're having a boy.
No. And you're not having a werewolf either. A hairy belly is caused by
the increase in male hormones produced during pregnancy.
MYTH #5: Dark nipples mean you're having a boy.
If this were true, we'd have a glut of guys, because every woman's
nipples darken during pregnancy, according to Joshua Copel, M.D., of
Yale University School of Medicine. Again, hormones are to blame. You
may even develop a dark line down the middle of your belly. Not to worry
-- darkened areas will fade after delivery.
MYTH #6: Stretch marks are inevitable.
They're not, so if you're among the lucky 50 percent or so of women who
didn't get them in the first pregnancy, you're likely to be in the clear
for subsequent ones, according to Charles Lockwood, M.D., chairman of
obstetrics and gynecology at New York University School of Medicine. If
your belly looks like a road map, don't blame yourself; you inherited
the trait.
MYTH #7: If your belly is low, you'll deliver soon.
A low belly indicates only lax tummy muscles. By the way, no one knows
what triggers labor. Maybe it's that enchilada -- or the full moon.
MYTH #8: You'll have the same kind of deliveries your mother had.
That depends. If you inherited her wide hips, your babies could slide
out as easily as hers did. But if your baby is in a different position
or there are complications, your experience will be different.
MYTH #9: You'll have an easy delivery if you're in shape.
No guarantees. But chances are better if your abdominal muscles are
strong because pushing won't be as hard, says Jiménez. You'll also have
greater stamina for the marathon of labor.
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