During the first few weeks of pregnancy, you may not know you’re pregnant and still might go about your usual routine of stress, coffee, and sometimes a drink or two. But once you find out that you’re with child, concern about the common causes of miscarriages set in: eat healthily, stay well-rested, don’t drink alcohol and coffee, and so on.
While there are general guidelines to follow about ensuring a safe pregnancy, as always the best person to consult about what you can or cannot do is your OB-GYN. If yours is a sensitive pregnancy, there will be a whole lot more don’ts on your list in comparison to other pregnant women. But more often than not, the following situations won’t cause a miscarriage:
8 myths about common causes of miscarriages
1. Exercise
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Any exercise that involves l you lying on your stomach or focusing on that area (e.g. crunches, cycling) is out of the question, of course. However, usually light exercise such as walking, running, even a bit of dancing will do you and your baby good.
2. Jumping or carrying heavy weights
Unless clearly ordered by your doctor to not take part in any strenuous exercise, jumping or carry heavy items should not result in miscarriage.
3. Wearing heels or tight clothing
You see the mummy shamers on social media who wag their tongues when pregnant women wear high heels or wear constricting clothing that they think are squeezing the belly.
When pregnant women trade in their heels for a pair of comfortable flats, it’s more likely due to comfort, or the worry of being pushed or tripping over and hitting their belly somewhere. Wearing heels per se and simply walking and standing won’t cause harm to the baby.
And when it comes to tight clothing, a corset or shapewear can’t “squeeze out” your child from your womb—but it will be highly uncomfortable for you. Support wear, like leggings with a built-in belly band, or loose clothing will help your body feel more comfortable.
4. Daily stress
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Many mums-to-be have asked themselves”can stress cause a miscarriage?” Pregnant women could only hope to have nine months free of stress. But, the daily pressures you feel at work or home (or both), seeing the news, even the traffic, will always cause your stress levels to spike up.
But don’t fret. Experiencing daily stressful situations won’t harm your baby. But to be sure, if you’ve suffered previous miscarriages, it’s best to consult with your OB-GYN to check if you need medication to help you manage your stress levels in a safe manner.
5. Spotting
A few drops of blood can cause an expectant mother to worry, and if you have a history of miscarriage, it’s best to consult with your doctor. But, a bit of spotting could also be old blood passing through your body.
6. Sexual intercourse
Some women still believe that having sex while pregnant is one of the common causes of miscarriage. Let’s get this thinking out of the way—your partner won’t reach that far to “hit” your baby within the womb.
If you don’t have a high-risk pregnancy, and you’re given a clean bill of health by your doctor with each pregnancy, then having sex with your partner won’t be a problem. Depending on how far along you are, figure out the positions that you’re comfortable with.
7. Birth control pills or devices
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You may have heard that if you were on the pill or previously used an IUD (Intrauterine Device), there’s a likelihood of suffering a miscarriage because of all the “chemicals” in the pills or device.
However, there hasn’t been any evidence to support these claims, which is why most OB-GYNs still continue to prescribe birth control to their patients when the case calls for it.
Of course, the use of birth control must be disclosed to your OB-GYN if you want to conceive, or if you find yourself pregnant and you were on the pill, or still have an IUD in your body. Keeping an IUD while pregnant might result in complications, so it’s best to get it out when you find yourself pregnant.
8. The pregnant woman
Unless the mum-to-be willingly took abortion pills or underwent an abortion, she is never, ever to be attributed as one of the common causes of miscarriages.
This is particularly difficult to accept by women who’ve suffered pregnancy loss, who automatically blame themselves for what happened. After all, they carried the child in their womb, and they feel love and a sense of responsibility from the moment they found out they were pregnant.
But oftentimes, there’s nothing a woman who had a miscarriage could have done better that would have resulted in a full-term baby, especially if she strictly followed her doctor’s orders. In the same way that some women can carry their pregnancies to full-term with so much ease, there are some women who need more care than others. No one is to blame for the loss, most especially the mum-to-be who would have done anything to hold her child in her arms.
It will always benefit a pregnant woman to be extra careful during those nine months. But rather than worrying herself silly over every single thing that could potentially harm her or her child or what the common causes of miscarriages are, it’s best to rather be mindful of what she does, and enjoy the miracle of life as it happens.