Did you ever lie to your doctor about not having any fast foods when you actually gorged on a cheeseburger and chocolate chips ice-cream the previous night?
With so many rules made to keep the mother and baby safe, women often find ways to sneak through them and enjoy their cheat days. More often they withhold a piece of information that they should otherwise be informing to their doctors. Here are 10 most secret things that women deny doing and lie about during their routine checkups.
1. Drinking Coffee More Often
Pregnant women are advised to skip on their morning coffee for better. An excess amount of caffeine increases the risk of miscarriage.
We know we cannot let go of a habit—not that we don’t care about our babies.
Limiting your coffee intake to 1-2 cups (200 mg) in a day is fine and we stay within the boundary. When the doctors ask us whether we are staying away from caffeine, we know lying is the only option.
2. Forgetting Or Skipping Supplements
Vitamin and iron supplements are something every mom is advised to take. However, there are side effects of taking vitamin supplements like nausea while iron capsules make the digestive system go for a toss, hence we just skip taking them at times.
Mothers-to-be also skip it because they just forget to take them. However, the supplements, especially folic acid and iron supplements are necessary. If you are suffering from side-effects, ask your doctor for an alternative medicine or increase the daily dietary intake of these nutrients instead of consuming multivitamins.
3. Not Drinking Enough Water
This is the most common thing mothers lie about. Drinking water helps in regulating body heat, else it could leave you dehydrated.
Experts recommend drinking 8-10 glasses of water every day—you could have juices, shakes, beverages or simple water. Your body needs so much of fluids to carry out additional functions that come along with pregnancy.
4. Eating Junk
Were you craving for a red velvet pastry last night? Of course, you bought and ate it. A treat or two is okay unless it becomes a habit and you binge on junk food.
You may not accept eating junk when you visit your doctor the next time, but maintain a healthy diet and avoid eating sugary or fried food every other day.
5. Noticing Unusual Discharge
You may feel disgusted or embarrassed in front of your doctor to elaborately describe the color and quantity of your vaginal discharge, but it is nothing unusual for them.
If you notice a strange color or odor of discharge, inform it to your doctor. Any spotting and bleeding through the vagina could be dangerous and an indication of a miscarriage. Excess discharge could mean the loss of mucous plug. Don’t wait for it to subside—share it openly with your doctor.
6. Planning To Naturally Induce Labor
Carrying a baby in the belly may get too exhausting and overwhelming towards the end, so much so that while the doctors are discussing your birth plan, you have already surfed the internet about inducing labor naturally.
The pregnancy can last for up to 42 weeks—you need not start looking for ways to get the baby out of your tummy as soon as you are over 37 weeks. Trust your doctors—they will advise the best of methods (even if its a c-section), considering your and your baby’s health.
7. Having Sex When Told Not To
Even when the doctors advise against having sex, after a point in pregnancy, some moms still give it a shot. The risk associated with an intercourse during pregnancy include preterm labor, water break and problems with placental placement.
Ask your doctor about the associated risks. You could choose to engage in other non-penetrative sexual activities as an alternative.
On the way to become a mother, you won’t want to risk your little one’s life. When skeptical about smallest of things like consuming certain foods or going for long trips, consult your doctor to know whether it is safe for you and the baby and, then, go ahead with it.
