Yet another study tells moms-to-be that doing one thing during pregnancy can have certain results in their babies. This time, fruit is the culprit, and data indicates it can make babies—wait for it—smarter.
Wait. What?!
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This is just another entry in a long line of research studies that are driving pregnant women crazy. In this case, researchers from the University of Alberta used extensive data from the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD), and they discovered that moms who ate more fruit while they were pregnant had babies who did better on developmental cognitive testing when they were a year old. So if you're kid doesn't end up being smart, it's probably because you didn't eat a lot of fruit while pregnant.
And oh, don't forget about new research that has been conducted on acetaminophen and pregnancy. The supposedly harmless over-the-counter med, which has been widely regarded as super safe during pregnancy, can lead to hyperactivity or maybe asthma. Also, eating peanuts during pregnancy may or may not trigger an allergy in your child, but recommended guidelines, based on yet more research, have gone both ways in the past. Oh and don't forget, having a C-section may mean your child will struggle with obesity later in life.
Basically, you're either totally screwed, or you're making your baby healthier and smarter based on what you do or don't eat during pregnancy. Confused yet? Basically everyone is, too.
Being pregnant is challenging enough.
This isn't to say there's no merit in scientific research. Mining data from years of investigation can reveal trends and correlations that may eventually make a difference in our lives, and the lives of our children. There's one thing to keep in mind, though—often, these research studies usually are just that—a single study—and even when the data from hundreds of thousands of people has been carefully analyzed and conclusions have been drawn, there may be more to the story.
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Being pregnant is challenging enough. Simply getting through the day can be brutal at times, and if our kids are eventually diagnosed with issues down the road, the second guessing of our pregnancy diets can be pretty harsh.
So let's just shove all these studies where they belong and enjoy our pregnancies for what they are—amazing.
