Baby On Board

Okay, so I spend many a part of my day browsing through baby products, baby blogs, baby message boards, etc. (There seems to be a pattern here. You'd think I was pregnant or something!)

Anyway, I must admit that I am a little shocked by some of the things that I find. I am more shocked to read some of the things that Mommies-To-Be write.

Now, as this is my first child, I must say that I in no way consider myself an expect on pregnancy or being a parent (thus my total reluctance to give parenting advice to others). However, it concerns me that some people who are well on their way to becoming parents do not understand the basic concepts of pregnancy. So, I'm going to try to clear up a few myths I've seen people ask about.

1. There is no reason to totally SPAZ out if your calender says you should be due on the 30th and the sonogram says you're due on the 27th! IT'S 3 DAYS!!! Seriously, by the time the 1st rolls around you'll be praying for that baby to get out of there!
2. On a similar note, it is asking a lot of your baby to say, "Well, we're due on the 30th, but my friend wants it on her birthday which is the 21st. I'm hoping the baby comes EARLY but not THAT early!" Umm... that's 9 days. A due date is only accurate to a plus or minus two weeks. So you're saying that you wouldn't mind your baby making it's debut 5 days early, but you'll hyperventilate if he or she decides to break out 6 days early?
3. No! It is NOT true that pregnant teenagers ALWAYS have girls! Just because the four girls you know that got pregnant as teenagers HAD girls, does not mean that ALL teenage mothers have girls!
4. Your baby's umbilical cord is NOT attached to your belly button. Therefor, it simply is not logical to believe that your child is pulling on the cord because your belly button is moving. Your belly button is where YOUR umbilical cord was attached to YOU. Your baby's umbilical cord is attached to your placenta which is attached to your uterus. If your baby's umbilical cord was attached to your belly button, you'd have a hole there and would have to bottle feed your baby via your belly button for nine months! One of these days I'll get creative and draw a picture of what THAT would look like... until then, just imagine!
5. Placenta Previa is when your placenta is located in a very low position close to the cervex. It could present complications during labor & delivery, but your pregnancy can usually progress normally until then. Proclampsia is when your placenta separates from the uterus prior to labor and delivery. This usually requires IMMEDIATE medical attention. Confusing the two is a MAJOR thing!!! Thus my reason for #6!
6. While the net may be a good place to vent or catch up on the latest trends and news, please do NOT use message boards as a substitute for medical advice! ALWAYS ask your doctors if you have any medical questions. You wouldn't ask medical advice from a woman who was bottle-feeding her belly button on the street! Please use caution when accepting advice online. Just because a woman is pregnant like you, doesn't mean she has the slightest idea how she got that way!!