It is often thought that what you don’t know can’t hurt you. Remaining in the dark to stay one of those truly unenlightened people can be satisfyingly blissful. When it comes to pregnancy and the what’s, how’s and whys, most men would prefer to stay in the pitch black of night, whether they admit it or not. Hearing too much about the blood and guts of pregnancy and delivery, vaginas and uteruses can be enough to make anyone commit to life long abstinence or at the very least permanent birth control. Truth is, that when a woman is pregnant she just can’t get enough information and she is more than willing and happy to share it.
Seems like most of the information women seek is about the progress of their baby and all the things that are considered “normal” during pregnancy. As if eating pickles dipped in ice cream could ever be considered normal? Then there are the bits and pieces of horrific information that can literally scare a woman senseless as if the waves of hormones, swelling and mood swings aren’t enough. Let’s face it though; pregnancy should be fun and exciting. It should be one of those times in a woman’s life where she glows (after all she can eat whatever she wants without feeling bad) and it should be filled with hope and optimism, laughter and the kind of giddiness that is normally saved for a bunch of awkward 6th grade girls in braces having a slumber party. Pregnancy is a ‘members only’ time in life where what you feel is the punctuated emotion that still, has no words to define. So rather than statistics, gloom and doom facts, the certain trials a woman will experience and the plethora of aches and pains that storing a watermelon inside your belly is sure to cause, it is time to have some fun. And this information won’t have the father to be ducking for cover or looking for the first gag bag he can find. After all there is nothing better than some useless pregnancy trivia and knowledge to lighten up the mood – especially when the load you’re carrying is only getting heavier!
Pregnancy Trivia…Because Life is About More than Just the Facts! Most are true, some are odd, many are unbelievable and others are completely and utterly made up. Can you tell the difference? Find out at the End of the Quiz
- A woman’s uterus expands to 500 times its normal size during pregnancy. (Ha, and a man is proud of a simple erection)
- If your baby is born in May, chances are it will be an average of 500 grams heavier than if your baby is born during any other time of the year.
- Egyptians used (not sure how) crocodile dung as a contraceptive.
- Drinking the urine of a pregnant woman is said to strengthen the immune system. Any takers?
- The first test tube babies were born in 1981. Wonder where they are today?
- A pregnant woman’s sense of smell is predicted to be almost as acute as that of a dog.
- If mom or dad to be smokes at the time of conception, chances are you are going to have a girl. Proof that males are definitely the weaker sex!
- Tasting mucous during ovulation can predict the sex of a baby. If mucous is acidic or sour, girl. If it is pH balanced…boy.
- Speaking of the gender; it is completely decided by the sperm – or the man. The woman has nothing to do with determination of gender.
- A baby in a breech position can actually cut off part of the intestine and stomach making it impossible for a woman to keep food down. This condition resolves itself when the baby moves.
- It is estimated that in the United States alone, about 4.25% of all the women are pregnant at any given time.
- A pregnant woman’s caloric requirements can be met by adding a 6ounce serving of yogurt and half a bagel to their daily intake.
- Cravings represent mineral deficiencies during pregnancy.
- Eating fish during the first trimester will increase a child’s IQ.
- Blood flow to the mouth is increased during pregnancy.
- It is common for pregnant woman to lose one tooth per child in their lifetime.
- A woman’s foot will typically grow by half a shoe size during pregnancy.
- Lactation can begin anytime during the second trimester of pregnancy.
- Placing a radio between a pregnant woman’s legs when her baby is in a breech position can make the baby turn in late pregnancy as they are drawn to the noise.
- It isn’t sex late in pregnancy which can cause labor to begin it is the contents of the ejaculation.
- Woman’s voice can deepen during pregnancy due to testosterone.
- Most woman experience lots of hair loss three months after their baby is born.
- The female bladder can be compressed to the size of a pancake during pregnancy. Yes, ouch! Now you know why she is constantly using the bathroom.
- Doctors use a crochet needle to break a woman’s bag of waters.
- Water breaks on its own, before contractions begin in only 12% of all pregnancy. So, no worries about it breaking while you are out to eat – rarely happens.
- The longest pregnancy on the record books – as reported by Time magazine is 341 days (yep that’s just shy of a year) and the baby was only 6 pounds. Sounds like some mom has some explaining to do!
- Twins come at the odds of 1 in every 20 pregnancies – BUT around 3/4th of pregnancies start out as twin, but the second ‘twin’ vanishes within days of conception.
- 17% of all mothers over 45 give birth to twins. (Perhaps it’s the extra maturity?)
- Must be in the water; Connecticut and Massachusetts residents have the highest incidences of naturally conceived twins. Want some; take a hike up north.
- Pregnancy can be contagious. When a woman close to you gets pregnant, your hormones shift making you more fertile.
- The heaviest baby ever born was 23 pounds, 12 ounces. And you’re complaining?
- A newborn does not have any kneecaps.
- Breastfeeding a baby can reduce a woman’s odds of getting breast cancer.
- 42% of all women secretly (well, I guess it’s not a secret anymore) worry about having a baby with a birth defect.
- Chocolate, potato chips and tacos are the 3 most craved foods of pregnant woman according to a 2008 survey.
- On average a pregnant woman loses 13.5 pounds within an hour of delivery. (Woohooo)
- The salt or saline content of amniotic fluid is the exact same as that of the oceans.
- A newborn baby’s skin will heal without scarring.
- Giving birth after the age of 40 predisposes a child to being left handed. Figures show (who has time to research all of this) that an over 40 mom to be has a 127% more chance of having a leftie.
- Pregnant woman are 50 times more susceptible to sun burn.
- Sexual positions during conception can help you to have a boy or a girl.
The list of strange facts could go on and on. There is lots to learn when it comes to pregnancy, and realizing that humans have one of the longest pregnancy lengths of any species can make life seem completely unfair. While some of it is disgusting, other things are interesting and far more are just completely weird, the truth is that every single useless trivia fact listed in the above list is true! To some extent at least, in some capacity. Chances are by the time all is said and done and you are holding your own little newborn you too will have some strange tidbit of information, based on personal experience that can effectively added to the pregnancy trivia list! Until then…realize that when it comes to pregnancy, nothing is normal!
