5 Things You Didn't Know About Pregnancy

Here are the answers to Pregnant Lady Quiz 1!

1. Pregnant women are recommended to forgo eating hot dogs.

True, if the hot dog is uncooked or not hot enough to be steaming at the time of consumption. Not only are pregnant women recommended to avoid eating hot dogs, but they should also avoid deli meats, soft cheeses, meat spreads, raw or undercooked meat or fish, and refrigerated seafood. This is because of the risk of contracting Listeriosis, which is caused by eating food contaminated by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. Complications from exposure to Listeria may include miscarriage, early labor, or even neonatal death. Listeriosis is actually pretty rare, but pregnant women just happen to be particularly susceptible compared to their non-pregnant adult counterparts.

Fortunately, pregnant ladies don't have to completely cut their favorite deli meats out of their diets; nuking the meat until it's steaming hot is enough to kill off the bacteria, making it safe to eat. Personally, I think that sort of defeats the purpose of deli meat, but what do I know?

2. The youngest mother on record was five years old.

True, unfortunately. Her name was Lina Medina (warning: there is a naked pic of the pregnant child on the linked page) and she was born in Peru in 1933. She suffered from extreme precocious puberty; she started menstruating at the age of 3 and had breasts at the age of 4.

Lina gave birth to her son by C-section; the identity of the father has never been established. Her son has long since died, but she still lives in Peru.

3. Some women have experienced orgasm while giving birth.

True, although this has been contested. At the very least, there are women who claim to have experienced it. Katrina Caslake is one such woman, and she has made it her mission to spread the good news after her unexpected experience.

I'm prone to believe these women myself; not just because of wishful thinking, but because I could definitely see how the sensation of a baby sliding over one's G-spot as it is born could trigger some pretty intense sensations. Every woman's birth experience is different; and even if a pleasurable birth may not be altogether likely, I don't think that it is impossible.

For more information, there is a film called Orgasmic Birth, which chronicles the birth experiences of eleven lucky women.

4. A woman cannot get pregnant if she is breastfeeding.

False. The Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) is a valid and reliable method of birth control with a failure rate of only about 2%, but only if the new mom is breastfeeding exclusively at least 6-10 times in a twenty-four hour period (including several feedings throughout the night), has not had a period yet since delivery, and her infant is less than 6 months old. Once any of these criteria are no longer met, she must find another method of contraception.

Many casually breastfeeding moms can and do get pregnant, mostly due to the misunderstanding of LAM and its rather finicky criteria. For more information on LAM and other natural family planning methods, check out Taking Charge of Your Fertility, which is also an excellent resource for those of us that are trying to conceive.

5. Pregnant women should double their caloric intake.

False. Despite the popular myth of pregnant women needing to "eat for two," pregnant ladies only need to eat an additional 300 calories (on average) during the second and third trimester. You can get that many calories by eating just one low-fat cup of yogurt and an apple.

Congrats to Fiesty, who got all five answers correct. Enjoy your invisible puppy of an unspecified gender and breed, and may you have a happy and healthy pregnancy. And many thanks to Lexy, Nicole, Tigerwong, and chole for participating.