Pregnancy is a strange time for women. This 5 weird pregnancy facts every woman needs to know list proves it. Get ready, because things can get weird as the due date approaches!
1. Can pregnant women eat cheesecake?
To all of you pregnant ladies wondering can I eat cheesecake when pregnant, we’re here to help! A short answer would be – no!
Why?
Cheesecake is usually made with soft cheeses that can contain listeria bacteria. That nasty thing is known to cause listeriosis infection. A no-no during pregnancy.
So, the long answer to the question can pregnant women eat cheesecake would be: maybe!
If your cheesecake is made from soft cheese that has not been pasteurized – it is still unsafe. However, the majority of cheesecakes from supermarkets are made from pasteurized soft cheese, which is perfectly safe.
Also, make sure cheesecake is not made from raw eggs because of a tiny, but still existent danger of salmonella.
That general rule – stick to the pasteurized cheese applies to all similar questions pestering pregnant minds like can pregnant women eat goats cheese. You can if it’s pasteurized. If not – you shouldn’t.
2. Cats and pregnant women – friends or foes?
One of the common questions that arise when a cat lady becomes pregnant is – will my cat give me toxoplasmosis?
We’re talking about a rare parasitic disease called toxoplasmosis that can be transmitted to unborn babies.
So, where do cats fit in?
Feces! It is believed that cat feces can be a source of toxoplasmosis. However, cats themselves can only get toxoplasma infections by eating infected raw meat. Usually, their prey like rodents, birds and small animals.
If you have an indoor cat, you should be fine. As a matter of fact, humans will more commonly contract toxoplasmosis from eating undercooked meat. Not from cats.
It is not impossible, but highly unlikely that your indoor cat will give you problems. On the other hand, if you have a proper hunter cat on your hands, wash your hands carefully after emptying the litter box.
3. Pregnant women flying – is it a good idea?
All those wondering is it OK to fly when pregnant – this one has a simple rule – before week 36 of your pregnancy, providing you have a healthy pregnancy, flying is safe!
If we dive a bit deeper into the matter of pregnant women flying, the situation is as follows: the second trimester is usually considered to be the safest period to fly. Middle three months of pregnancy are considered to have the lowest risk of miscarriage and other complications.
Airlines have different rules regarding pregnant women flying, so make sure you double-check with your carrier.
4. Do tall women have more chance of twins?
Talk about weird pregnancy facts… Do tall women have more chance of twins, for real? This one may be a bit far-fetched?
Maybe not! A study published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine claims that tall women have more chances of giving birth to twins.
How can that be?
According to the study, taller women have more of the insulin-connected growth factor (IGF) linked to the rate of getting pregnant with twins. Women who gave birth to two or more children were over an inch taller from the average.
So, to answer the question does being tall increase the chance of twins – probably yes!
5. Why is your pregnant belly bigger at night?
So, why is your pregnant belly bigger at night? Let’s rephrase that – is your pregnant belly bigger at night, for real? Are you a nocturnal shape-shifter or is it all just an optical illusion?
A lot of pregnant women notice that their pregnancy bump gets bigger during the night. In the morning, it looks about right, by night it gets bigger like you’re getting ready to deliver. Why is that?
The baby didn’t grow so fast, so why does it happen?
That issue is related to your abdominal muscles. They get tired from holding your bump during the day and loosen during the night, which allows your belly to appear larger.
When you sleep, your abdominal muscles rest and recuperate. By morning, they’re ready to hold the baby more tightly again.
All is perfectly normal, even though it might come as a surprise the first couple of times you notice it.
The list is far from over, but we chose only 5 weird pregnancy facts.
We had to leave out the longest recorded pregnancy – woman called Belulah Hunter carried her growing baby 375 days before giving birth.
Not only that, but the whole pregnancy process is also full of weird facts. We’re not talking about old wives’ tales. Nor just ordinary facts like morning sickness, a heightened sense of smell of the pregnant woman, nor as it can happen – a baby crying with a full head of hair while floating in the amniotic fluid in the womb.
We’re talking weird! For instance, a fact that a pregnant woman’s uterus expands over 500 times its normal size. And that a pregnant woman produces more estrogen in a day than a woman would normally produce in three years.
We hoped you enjoyed going over these weird pregnancy facts every woman needs to know. And – for all of you moms-to-be, worrying too much and stressing during your pregnancy, we have an all-round article – everything you need to know about dealing with pregnancy anxiety. There you can find, pretty much everything related to pregnancy anxiety, including some nifty natural remedies for anxiety during pregnancy.
