Smart Woman - Pregnant? Get With It!

For many women, there's nothing better and nothing more stressful than pregnancy. There are a lot of do's and don'ts for expecting mothers, but is it all really necessary? Maybe not. "It seems like it would be a lot less stressful if there weren't such a laundry list of things to avoid" said Erica Faske, who's 38 weeks pregnant with her second child, "some people say to avoid caffeine, but that's not possible with a 3-year-old at home." In fact, research shows caffeine is fine, but keep it to two cups of coffee a day.

Another common myth is that you can't eat hot dogs or deli meat, but it's just that, another myth. Dr. Loralei Thornburg, an OB/GYN for the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York said "They need to be heated and properly prepared and stored to prevent food-borne illness." Women are also told to avoid soft cheese Thornburg added "the majority of soft cheese in this country is pasteurized before use." And if it's pasteurized, go ahead and indulge. What about x-rays? Experts say no single x-ray poses a serious risk to a fetus. "If you were in an accident or you had a need for x-rays, such that it's going to impact your health, you should get that x-ray" said Thornburg.

Then, there's fish. Dr. Gary Myers has studied fish consumption in pregnancy for 30 years. "The advice to lower your fish consumption may actually be causing more harm than good" said Dr. Myers. Brains need the Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish to grow. Myers also added, "We're not in the business of giving advice, but I tell my daughters they should eat fish." Jodie Phaneuf, who's pregnant with twins, said "when you work so hard to get this far, you don't want to put anything at chance." Whether these are myths or not, Jodie is playing it safe. "I don't need it that bad. I'm just going to table it for now, and I'll look forward to it once I give birth" added Phaneuf.

Although it's safe to eat cooked fish, experts do warn to stay away from sushi and other raw fish while you're pregnant. It's also safe to fly in your third trimester, as late as you want, though some airlines might restrict you in the last two weeks for fear of in-air labor. And here's another one: cocoa butter, no matter how much you use, will not prevent or fix stretch marks.