Omeyi Yangs: Pregnancy 101 – To dos, myths & after support (30 Days, 30 Voices)

 ‘For this our Naija, people sabi talk ehnnnnnnnn, once dey know say you get belle… Do this, don’t do that, na wa o.

So pregnancy seems to be very much IN these days; but let’s face it; some women have it better than others.

Some experience the dreaded ‘daily dose of morning sickness’, like it happens only in the mornings??? While some of us begin to keep ‘unintentional malice’ with our perfumes and/or toothpaste.

Many go through fatigue, mood swings, endless cravings, and so on, but no matter what category we fall under, a common denominator is that a life is being nurtured and for that I give women an A+ for a job well done!

 Ok! So you are preggers, what next? What do you do?

–           Find a hospital you are comfortable with; do research if you are unsure, ask other mums of their experiences in their hospitals.

–           Be your own investigator:  The Internet is a great tool to start with, get books on pregnancy and read all you can (yes we know that no ‘2 pregnancies’ are the same but knowledge definitely puts you ahead of the pack).

–           Be prepared when going for hospital visits: have questions to ask your OB/GYN as it will make your time there more productive.

–           Stay positive at all costs: don’t get bogged down from knowledge or experiences acquired or even the lack of it; remember your baby feels your emotions too.

–           Look fabulous: Thank goodness the maternity fashion industry has gone vava-voom so you have no reason to stick to frumpy clothes. When you look and feel good, it boosts your morale.

–           There’s a product for almost everything now, so don’t suffer in silence (there are support belts to reduce back pains; support pillows to help you sleep more comfortably etc).

Myths in Pregnancy:

For this our Naija, people sabi talk ehnnnnnnnn, once dey know say you get belle… Do this, don’t do that, na wa o. Let’s deal with some of these common myths:

–          Drinking cold water will make your baby big or catch pneumonia.

–          Eating snails will cause your baby to drool a lot.

–          Eating banana or plantain will cause your baby to have dark line from his forehead to spine.

–          Drinking chocolate beverages will make your baby big.

–          Bending down while pregnant would cause baby to be dizzy or have crossed eyes

–          A breast-feeding mother cannot get pregnant.

–          Wear a safety-pin on your clothes when going out to protect your baby.

Not only are some of these points false, some are actually laughable. Drinking cold water will not have any negative effect on your baby. I won’t even discuss the safety-pin or banana/plantain issue. lolz!!!

About chocolate beverages, there is no reason to avoid this but as with everything, moderation is key and it all depends on you, the individual. I for one drank during my 1st pregnancy and my baby had a normal birth weight:-). Eating snails won’t cause drooling in your baby (guess what? babies drool anyway). Before getting back on the ‘dance floor’, please visit your doctor about the family planning method suited for you because breast-feeding is NOT a birth control measure. There are too many stories of women getting pregnant few weeks or months after child-birth and being in shock!

A baby having crossed eyes or getting dizzy, because the mother bent down in pregnancy??? LMAO

So you now have your bundle of joy in your hands! Congratulations! But, please note the following:

–          Get a Belly Bandit® wrap or a post-partum tummy wrap to shrink and tighten your tummy (if you are not part of the 5% or so of women whose tummies just disappear).

–          Also, we understand your baby needs to eat any time and everywhere but please have a nursing cover to hide your ‘girls’ while doing so.

          Some mothers do have issues with breast milk, if you try all the warm liquids, ogi, etc and nothing works then get herbal supplements. 

Basically, it’s all about carrying and nurturing that precious life the best way you can in the most comfortable way. So, even though getting preggers seems to be the new fad, you can set yourself ahead of the pack with the few tips above. Enjoy the ride. 

#Best of luck Mama#

About the author: Omeyi Yangs is an economist by training. She is married with a 3-year-old son. Providing solutions for pregnant women/new moms in Nigeria make her tick, hence her creation of ‘Every Mums Maternity Apparel’. 

 

Editor’s note: Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

Comments (7)

  1. nice and very educating.hope to read more of it.

  2. Hmmm… Interesting read.

  3. Interesting read…I particularly like the section on 'myths in pregnancy'.

    Well done!!!

  4. Very interesting article!!!!

    Highly informative!!!

  5. Very informative.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

cool good eh love2 cute confused notgood numb disgusting fail