Can anyone drudge up hardcore PROOF of any of the following?

Question

1.) If you lie on your back when pregnant, the baby will die from oxygen depravation and poor blood circulation.

2.) The kid will get Autisim from mercury posioning if you eat tuna when you are pregnant.

3.) If you miss the pregnancy vitamins, or cannot take them at all, the baby will be malnourished.

4.) If you remain active and play sports during pregnancy, the baby will die, or something bad will occur. (*within reason and modified according to gestation stage)

5.) A 6 week old embryo is capable of experiencing every gamut of emotion the mother feels...from pissed off or flaming rage, to happy happy joy joy, despite the fact that it lacks the advanced neurological systems to feel these emotions right now.

6.) The baby can cry in the mothers womb, and it's audiable at any stage of gestation.

I wish I could offer a money reward for this, because if I were allowed to by Yahoo, I would give $2,000 to anyone who could PROVE these things to me.

Answer 1

You sure can't believe everything you read.

Answer 2

As most people have said, these are all old wives tales. Actually, I think they're new wives tales, but whatever.

1. Doctors recommend laying on your left side to facilitate better circulation so that the weight of the baby doesn't put pressure on your vena cava which is the main vein that drains the lower half of your body. In all actual reality, it really doesn't matter which side you lay on if you have good circulation, aren't as big as a house, and don't have a problem with feet and ankle swelling. (I personally have crappy circulation, am almost as big as a house, and have major swelling of my feet and ankles. I still wake up sleeping on my back. My doctor says it's fine.)

2. There is a link between Autism and mercury. But it's a shakey link at best. Eating large amounts of fish containing mercury isn't recommended because it's poison to not only your baby, but you as well. Canned tuna is perfectly fine, so is moderate amounts of fresh tuna. As long as you're not eating only fish your entire pregnancy, you and your baby will be fine. If your child is going to be Autistic, chances are it's a genetic thing.

3. The only way your baby can become malnourished is if you don't eat. Then you're forcing the baby to take all the nutrients it needs directly from your body, which then causes malnourishment (obviously), ketoacidosis because your body is breaking down fat for fuel (very bad in pregnancy), and then there are the other things, if you were thin to begin with - low birth weight, developmental problems, etc etc. Women have been having babies since the dawning of time and prenatal vitamins didn't exist then. So I think we'll be okay if we don't take them. I do recommend taking them of course because they do help.

4. This one is lame. I worked up until the day I went into labor with my first two kids, they both turned out fine. My job wasn't exactly "low impact" either. Many women continue to work out and play sports while pregnant. Unless you have a medical condition that occurs during pregnancy that your doctor feels would be exacerbated by continuing an active lifestyle, keep doing what you were doing. Just don't increase activity until after the baby is born.

5. Somehow I highly doubt the probability of this. A baby can't hear what's going on outside of the womb until about 16 weeks, so are babies psychic then? No. An explanation could be that when you're stressed, happy, pissed, excited, sad, etc; your body releases certain chemicals and hormones. Many of those probably pass through the placenta to the baby allowing them to feel the effects of those chemicals. Now when you get into the later stages of pregnancy, I do think the baby can "feel" what you're feeling. Mainly because the same chemicals are released and when I'm pissed and yelling, my baby gets agitated so I know he's hearing me be angry with whatever.

6. Babies have the ability, or reflex I should say, to cry in the womb. But just like hiccups there is no air, so therefore there is no sound. They need air to facilitate those sounds and noises, and since they live completely submerged in a bag of water, it's just not gonna happen.

I know that you already don't believe these things, but there are plenty of people out there that do. So hopefully debunking some of these "myths" will better educate people so they can live healthier happier lives. Ignorance isn't always bliss.

Answer 3

Sleeping on your back will not kill the baby. People recommend that you sleep on your side past 20 weeks in your pregnancy because the weight of the baby and the uterus can compromise the uterine-placenta blood flow. Remember that it is just a recommendation, and mothers who sleep on their back throughout pregnancy have had babies who are just as normal and healthy as mothers who slept on their side.

Tuna fish from a can doesn't contain enough mercury in it to be harmful to the baby. In fact, if you eat canned tuna fish it's really good for your baby because it's a good way to get Omega-3. Too much mercury from fish (like sharks and swordfish) can be toxic, but I've never heard of it causing autism.

Most doctors recommend that women who are pregnant (and are not high-risk pregnancies) remain active. There are sports and activities that a pregnant woman should not do (i.e. horse riding, scuba diving, contact sports) because of the risk of injury to the abdomen which may cause harm to the baby. Not being active and not exercising during pregnancy is more unhealthy and puts the mother at risk for gaining too much weight and THAT can make the baby unhealthy.

Answer 4

You are exaggerating things just a little bit here. Nobody says that if you do those things that anything will happen to your baby for sure just that there is a greater risk. As for proof I'll do my best to prove risk not that definite harm or death to the baby.

1,4)As the uterus enlarges, it can compress adjacent structures. When you lie flat on your back, the weight of the uterus may press against your vena cava, the large vein just to the right of your backbone that brings blood from your legs back to you heart. Compressing the blood vessels can cause your blood pressure to drop, diminishing the flow to the placenta and the baby.

In order to avoid this:

* Modify your exercise program so that you are on your back for no more than five minutes at a time.
* If you tend to sleep on your back, stuff a pillow under your right hip so you are tipped slightly to the left. As long as you are tipped to the left, or lying all the way over on your right side, the uterine weight will not affect your circulation.

And if you wake up flat on your back, don't worry. Although we know that lying flat can impair circulation, no scientific studies have ever shown that sleeping on your back does damage. Just do your best to set up your bed so if you roll to your back, a pillow behind you tips you a bit to the left side, and then relax and get some rest!

2)Seafood can be a great source of protein and iron, and the omega-3 fatty acids in many fish can help promote your baby's brain development. However, some fish and shellfish contain potentially dangerous levels of mercury. Too much mercury may damage your baby's developing nervous system.

The bigger and older the fish, the more mercury it may contain. Don't eat:

* Swordfish
* Shark
* King mackerel
* Tilefish

3)The baby will take all the nutrients it needs from your body and your diet but you may end up with certain deficiencies like iron and calcium.

Do I really need to take a prenatal vitamin?
If you're very tuned in to nutrition and regularly eat a broad range of foods, including meat, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, your diet will provide almost all the nutrients you and your baby need. Realistically, though, most women — especially those in the throes of morning sickness — can benefit from taking a prenatal vitamin and mineral supplement, preferably before they start trying to conceive. Think of it as an insurance policy to make sure you're getting the right amount of certain important nutrients during pregnancy.

And women with certain health issues, dietary restrictions, or pregnancy complications definitely need to take a prenatal vitamin. This includes vegetarians and vegans, women who are lactose-intolerant or have certain other food intolerances, smokers and women who abuse other substances, women who are having twins or higher multiples, and women with certain blood disorders and certain chronic diseases.

5-6) I have never heard, or read anyone come close to saying something like that.

I hope that helped.

Answer 5

1. Thats not true, its been proven that laying on your left side helps with circulation..thats it
2. I ate Tuna when I was pregnant, but it in moderation, just because my doctor said if I eat too much fish there could be a large number of mercury...
3. What did they do 10000 years ago when they didnt have prenatel vitamins?????
4. The only thing that is recommended for this qurestion is that you dont INCREASE your workout.
5. I did a TON of research while I was pregnant and every site, Doctor and mother I talked ot said that you child can feel your emotions, I believe it.. totally!
6..... NO CLUE

Answer 6

No proof, sorry, but there is a large vein or artery that runs to the uterus and the baby's weight could compress it and cause oxygen deprivation if you lie on your back. However, i don't think it's a problem for a short period of time.
I believe in the link between Autism and mercury, but i'd be more concerned about your fillings than tuna.
Vitamins are surely best, but the baby will take your nutrients and you'll be the malnourished one! Could cause health problems.
#6 is false -- no breathing = no crying, but the action is there in response to pain.
I think #5 is false
#4 -- all other things being OK, sports are fine. I know women who run their whole pregnancies

Answer 7

I can't prove any of them most sound down rite stupid.. women used to get pregnant years ago with out ovulation charts and all that they used to carry healthy babies to term while eating what they wanted and working hard at what ever it was they used to do .. even say a house wife had to be physically fit to wash all those cloths by hand and cart in wood for the fire etc... so its all a load of rubbish.. the only think I am going to do when I get pregnant is avoid alcohol and smokers and take my folic acid.. and I am going to work until I pop and I have a very demanding job both hours and labour intensive... my doctor told me some wise words you can do everything you always have done you will just have a bump in your way.

Answer 8

1. Not die, but it will affect blood flow to the uterus and therefore to the baby. It's a common reason for fetal distress during labor, especially in conjuntion with other interventions such as epidurals (which also lower blood pressure.)

"When you lie flat on your back, the weight of the uterus may press against your vena cava, the large vein just to the right of your backbone that brings blood from your legs back to you heart. Compressing the blood vessels can cause your blood pressure to drop, diminishing the flow to the placenta and the baby."
--Dr. Majorie Greenfield
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/pregnancy/803/whats-the-deal-about-lying-on-your-back-in-pregnancy
(and about a zillion other references you can find on the internet, just do a search)

5. Not every gamut of emotion, but the mother's hormones do affect the baby. If she spends a lot of time being stressed out, for instance, the baby will show higher levels of stress hormones in its body. I have a friend that this happened to, actually. Her baby died in utero at nine months, and the autopsy showed extremely high levels of stress hormones. (She was extremely stressed during pregnancy.) I don't have the time to find resources for the science behind this, but you might be able to find something helpful here: http://birthpsychology.com/index.html

Answer 9

I can only comment to #3... I was young with my first child, I did not take the first vitamin.. nor did I have a healthy eating habit (fast food for every meal) She is now almost 8 yrs old and has turned out just fine...and thankfully no problems.

Answer 10

the baby does cry in the womb but makes no sound because there is no AIR in there and to make noise you need air.thats why when its born they call it there first cry.as for autism being caused by mercury go to the web site below they say that it seems to be a cause.

Answer 11

No, I wouldn't swear by any of those...altough some are PARTIALLY true...like number 6, the baby can cry in the mother womb (proved scientifically) but you can't hear it because sound waves don't travel in the water.