Pregnancy myths busted: The rules women can relax about - and the hidden risks they need to know

Pregnancy can come with an overwhelming list of rules and regulations.

Don’t drink coffee, don’t lift weights, don’t dye your hair, don’t take a hot bath, don’t lie on your back.

Depending on who you ask the list can keep growing.

But Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists president Dr Nisha Khot says some of the things pregnant women commonly worry about are not as clear-cut as they might think.

So, what can you actually do while pregnant and what should we be more concerned about? Khot sat down with 7NEWS.com.au to bust some of the biggest myths.

Can I exercise and lift weights?

For most women, pregnancy does not mean giving up on your exercise goals. What matters is what your body was accustomed to before you became pregnant.

Someone who was already running, strength training or doing high-intensity exercise may be able to continue, but pregnancy is not the time for someone who was previously fairly inactive to suddenly begin an intense training program.

Khot said exercise could even be very beneficial for the physical and mental health of expectant mothers and can help improve pregnancy outcomes.

Women may find they tire more easily during pregnancy and should adjust accordingly. The key, Khot said, was listening to your body and slowing down when needed.

Can I still drink coffee?

Coffee and tea do not automatically have to disappear.

Khot said women need to think about their overall caffeine intake, rather than viewing each drink in isolation.

That means considering coffee alongside tea, chocolate drinks with added caffeine and other sources consumed throughout the day.

She said “two or three cups of tea or coffee” should be fine during pregnancy, while highly caffeinated and carbonated drinks should be avoided.

Pregnancy can also change how the body responds to caffeine, meaning some women may find a quantity they previously tolerated suddenly leaves them feeling jittery or makes their heart race.

Her advice is simply to pay attention to how you feel and adjust your intake accordingly.

Do I really need to avoid so many foods?

The long list of pregnancy food restrictions can be daunting but unfortunately Khot said many of these warnings are well informed.

Fortunately, with the major concern being infection, there is a loophole in some cases.

For example, women may be advised against packaged salads because of contamination risks, but that does not mean salad itself is unsafe.

Lettuce bought, thoroughly washed and prepared at home can offer women a suitable alternative to pre-packaged meals.

“The risk is acquiring an infection or a really bad gastrointestinal bug that makes you really sick, or acquiring an infection that then passes from you to the baby,” Khot said.

Can I have a hot bath?

In what is bound to be a breath of fresh air for pregnant women across the country, you can still enjoy a warm bath in your own home — but the emphasis on “warm” is critical.

The concern is overheating. With body temperature already slightly higher during pregnancy, very hot water can cause a woman’s temperature to rise further and leave her feeling unwell, dehydrated, or faint.

So, a bath itself is not the problem, overheating is. Keep that water more warm than actually hot and you should be perfectly safe.

Can I fly while pregnant?

For an uncomplicated pregnancy, flying itself is generally completely safe but there are issues to consider.

Pregnancy already increases the risk of blood clots and long-haul flying can add to that risk.

Later in pregnancy, there is also the practical concern of going into labour while in the air, which is why airlines impose their own restrictions on how late pregnant passengers can fly.

Khot advised women to check the rules of their individual airline.

“If you have a pregnancy where there hasn’t been any concerns about going into labour early, then there is no reason why you can’t fly,” she said.

Women with risk factors for premature labour should seek individual medical advice before travelling.

What if I wake up sleeping on my back?

The key here is not to panic.

Pregnant women are advised to go to sleep on their side because lying flat on the back can put pressure on major blood vessels and reduce blood flow through the placenta.

But that does not mean women should spend the night worrying about whether they might unknowingly roll over.

“If you wake up in the middle of the night and you’re on your back, honestly, don’t panic,” Khot said.

“Just turn over, carry on. The whole point of being asleep is that you’re getting sleep.”

Her advice is to settle to sleep on your side and simply roll back over if you wake on your back.

Given sleep can already be difficult during pregnancy, she said women should not add unnecessary anxiety to it.

“Pregnant women notoriously don’t get very good sleep. So, if you’re getting some sleep, I think that’s really valuable,” Khot said.

Can I dye my hair or get my nails done?

Common beauty treaments are generally fine for women at any stage of pregnancy.

That includes hair dye, nail treatments and fake tan, according to Khot, who said most of those products do not enter the bloodstream in a way that would harm the baby.

Women who wanted to be extremely cautious could choose to wait until after the first 12 weeks, when the baby’s organs are forming, but Khot said common beauty treatments were not something women generally needed to fear.

Is sex safe during pregnancy?

For most women, sex during pregnancy is completely safe.

There are some circumstances where doctors may advise against it, including after the waters have broken, with placenta previa, or temporarily following bleeding in early pregnancy while it is investigated.

Outside those situations, Khot said sex was not harmful to the woman or baby.

And as for the long-standing suggestion that sex late in pregnancy can bring on labour, it’s bad news for expectant mothers hoping to move things along.

“It is a very well known myth. But actually, there is nothing to prove that’s what happens,” she said.

Is any alcohol safe?

Khot was very firm on this point, “zero alcohol” is safe for a developing baby.

“If you are planning a pregnancy or if you are pregnant, then no alcohol at all.”

However, for women who drank alcohol before discovering they were pregnant, do not panic.

Women in that situation should speak with their doctor about their individual circumstances rather than assuming they have harmed their pregnancy.

“You should have a discussion with your doctor, and your doctor will be able to give you information, but it’s not going to be harmful, not to the extent that you would need to panic and need to make decisions about whether you should continue the pregnancy or not,” she said.

The real risk women aren’t talking about

After running through the long list of things pregnant women routinely worry about, Khot raised something she believes deserves far more attention.

Cytomegalovirus, commonly known as CMV, can be spread through bodily fluids, including saliva and urine — and young children can be a source of infection for pregnant mothers.

She said CMV was “a leading cause of disability among newborns”, yet many expectant mothers knew little about it.

The risk can arise through everyday interactions that parents may never consider dangerous.

Khot said she regularly saw mothers pick up a toddler’s fallen dummy, put it in their own mouth to clean it, and then return it to the child.

“That is really dangerous because that’s how CMV goes from toddler to mum who’s pregnant,” she said.

CMV infection during pregnancy can have serious consequences, with Khot warning it can contribute to miscarriage, stillbirth and significant foetal abnormalities.

Yet while women routinely hear about soft cheese, hair dye and nail appointments, she said far fewer are taught how to reduce their exposure to a toddler’s saliva and urine.

Pregnant women caring for young children should practise careful hand hygiene after nappy changes, avoid putting a child’s dummy in their own mouth and avoid eating leftover food from their toddler.

“Every pregnant woman talks about whether I should get my hair dyed, whether I should get my nails done, but actually every woman should be talking about: how do I kiss my toddler?” she said.

“Kiss them on the forehead, kiss them on the cheek, not on the lips. Don’t eat toddler’s leftover food because it has toddler’s saliva in it.”

Most importantly, Khot said that no piece of general advice applies to every woman.

She said women should consider their own medical circumstances and speak to their doctor or midwife when they are unsure to get the advice that is more relevant to them.