The truth, the tales and science
Sep 28, 2008
OLD wives’ tales are perhaps as old as language. Although some have survived through the ages because they offer comforting advice about experiences we all share, many have been proven false or irrelevant by advances in medicine and technology.
By Fred Ouma
OLD wives’ tales are perhaps as old as language. Although some have survived through the ages because they offer comforting advice about experiences we all share, many have been proven false or irrelevant by advances in medicine and technology.
Tales vs science
Tale: Dangling a ring on a string over the expectant woman’s belly is believed to detect the sex of the foetus. If the ring swings from side to side, it is a girl, and if it rotates, it is a boy. Science: An ultrasound reading may not be fun, but the test results are more accurate.
Tale: If the foetal heart rate is under 140 beats per minute (BPM), it is a boy. Science: A girl’s heart beats faster than a boy’s, but only after the onset of labour. Dr. Christine Biryabarema of the obstetrics and gynaecology department at Mulago Hospital says there is no difference between foetal heart rates for boys and girls, but it varies with the age of the foetus.
By the fifth week of pregnancy, the foetal heart rate is near the mother’s, about 80—85BPM. It accelerates until early in the ninth week when it reaches 170—200BPM and then decelerates to about 120—160BPM by the middle of the pregnancy.
During labour normal foetal heart rate ranges from 120—160 BPM for both boys and girls.
Tale: Extra weight out-front means a girl; weight around the hips and bottom indicates a boy. Science: Dr. Olive Sentumbwe, a gynaecologist, says: “A long torso means more room to accommodate a baby, making it less likely for the belly to bulge outward. And a wide belly may just mean the baby is sideways.â€
Tale: If a woman is carrying low, it is a boy; if she is carrying high, it is a girl. Science: Sentumbwe says if a woman is carrying high, this may be her first pregnancy or her body is in good shape. Stomach muscles have a tendency to become more elastic with each subsequent pregnancy, so a belly that has seen more than one pregnancy may hang a little low.
Tale: Dark nipples indicate a boy. Science: Dr. Pius Okong, a consultant gynaecologist, says an increase in the hormones secreted by the placenta and ovaries and the melanocyte-stimulating hormone (which regulates skin pigmentation) causes dark areas of the body to become more pronounced in most pregnant women.
Nipples, birthmarks, a dark line below the belly, moles, or beauty marks may appear darker during pregnancy. But the darkened areas usually fade soon after childbirth.
Tale: Do not breastfeed a toddler during pregnancy because the new baby needs all the nourishment it can get. Science: If a woman is healthy, breastfeeding during pregnancy will not harm her, the foetus, or her toddler.
Sentumbwe, however, says a doctor may recommend that a pregnant woman does not breastfeed if she has a nutritional deficiency, is underweight, or is at risk for pre-term labour.
Tale: Wearing shoes will help a baby learn to walk sooner. Science: Dr. Tom Ediamu, a paediatrician at Hoima Regional Hospital, says keeping a baby barefoot can help strengthen his or her foot muscles and help the child learn to walk earlier.
However, if they must wear shoes, they should conform to the shape of a child’s feet and provide a little extra room for growth.
Tale: Cats can steal the air from a baby’s mouth. Science: This dates back hundreds of years when cats were associated with witchcraft and evil spirits. Nonetheless, doctors say an animal cannot suffocate a baby by sealing the baby’s mouth with its own.
But Dr. Samuel Kasule of AAR says you should keep pets, including cats and dogs, and plush toys, out of your baby’s crib or bassinet.
Tale: Coffee stunts your child’s growth. Science: Coffee will not affect a child’s growth, but too much caffeine does not belong in a child’s diet.
Nelly Birungi, a nutritionist at Mulago Hospital, warns that excess caffeine can prevent the absorption of calcium and other nutrients.
Tale: If a baby’s eyes cross, they will stay that way. Science: Eye-crossing does not lead to strabismus (a disorder in which the eyes are misaligned), giving the appearance that they are looking in different directions.
Causes of a strabismus include genetics and inappropriate development of the ‘fusion centre’ of the brain, although most cases are brain-related.
Dr. Frank Mwesigye, an ophthalmologist at Mulago Hospital, says treatment should be directed at the source of the problem. “The eye doctor must determine if the strabismus is due to an eyeglass problem or brain problem. Sometimes, bifocals are needed to eliminate the eye turn.â€
Tale: Thumb sucking causes buck teeth. Science: Thumb sucking often begins before birth and generally continues until five years. If a child stops the habit around four to five years, no harm will be done to the jaws and teeth.
However, parents should discourage thumb sucking after the age of four when the gums, jaw and permanent teeth begin their most significant growth.
Dr. Catherine Mwesigwa of the Dental Department, Makerere University, says after this age, it is possible for thumb, finger, or pacifier sucking to contribute to buck teeth.
Tale: Noise can cause hearing loss. Science: Just 15 minutes of listening to loud, pounding music, machinery, or other noises can cause temporary loss of hearing and tinnitus, a ringing in the ears.
Noise causes the eardrum to vibrate excessively and can damage the hairs in the cochlea, a cone-shaped tube in the inner ear that converts sound into electrical signals for the brain to process.
Although temporary hearing loss usually disappears within a day or two, Dr. Gregory Tumweheirwe, an Ear and Nose Throat specialist at Mulago Hospital, says continuous exposure to extreme noise can result in permanent hearing loss.
Tale: An infant walker will help a baby learn to walk sooner.
Science: Babies who spend their active hours in walkers may learn to sit, crawl and walk later than children who have to learn these skills on their own.
But Rachael Kansiime of occupational therapy department, Mulago Hospital warns: “Sitting in an infant walker, with its wide tray and small leg openings, blocks the visual feedback so important to a baby learning muscle coordination. More important, baby walkers are dangerous.â€
Although in Uganda data is not available, nearly 14,000 injuries are treated in the US. In a policy statement, the American Academy of Paediatrics recommends a ban on the manufacture and sale of mobile infant walkers in the US.
OLD wives’ tales are perhaps as old as language. Although some have survived through the ages because they offer comforting advice about experiences we all share, many have been proven false or irrelevant by advances in medicine and technology.
Tales vs science
Tale: Dangling a ring on a string over the expectant woman’s belly is believed to detect the sex of the foetus. If the ring swings from side to side, it is a girl, and if it rotates, it is a boy. Science: An ultrasound reading may not be fun, but the test results are more accurate.
Tale: If the foetal heart rate is under 140 beats per minute (BPM), it is a boy. Science: A girl’s heart beats faster than a boy’s, but only after the onset of labour. Dr. Christine Biryabarema of the obstetrics and gynaecology department at Mulago Hospital says there is no difference between foetal heart rates for boys and girls, but it varies with the age of the foetus.
By the fifth week of pregnancy, the foetal heart rate is near the mother’s, about 80—85BPM. It accelerates until early in the ninth week when it reaches 170—200BPM and then decelerates to about 120—160BPM by the middle of the pregnancy.
During labour normal foetal heart rate ranges from 120—160 BPM for both boys and girls.
Tale: Extra weight out-front means a girl; weight around the hips and bottom indicates a boy. Science: Dr. Olive Sentumbwe, a gynaecologist, says: “A long torso means more room to accommodate a baby, making it less likely for the belly to bulge outward. And a wide belly may just mean the baby is sideways.â€
Tale: If a woman is carrying low, it is a boy; if she is carrying high, it is a girl. Science: Sentumbwe says if a woman is carrying high, this may be her first pregnancy or her body is in good shape. Stomach muscles have a tendency to become more elastic with each subsequent pregnancy, so a belly that has seen more than one pregnancy may hang a little low.
Tale: Dark nipples indicate a boy. Science: Dr. Pius Okong, a consultant gynaecologist, says an increase in the hormones secreted by the placenta and ovaries and the melanocyte-stimulating hormone (which regulates skin pigmentation) causes dark areas of the body to become more pronounced in most pregnant women.
Nipples, birthmarks, a dark line below the belly, moles, or beauty marks may appear darker during pregnancy. But the darkened areas usually fade soon after childbirth.
Tale: Do not breastfeed a toddler during pregnancy because the new baby needs all the nourishment it can get. Science: If a woman is healthy, breastfeeding during pregnancy will not harm her, the foetus, or her toddler.
Sentumbwe, however, says a doctor may recommend that a pregnant woman does not breastfeed if she has a nutritional deficiency, is underweight, or is at risk for pre-term labour.
Tale: Wearing shoes will help a baby learn to walk sooner. Science: Dr. Tom Ediamu, a paediatrician at Hoima Regional Hospital, says keeping a baby barefoot can help strengthen his or her foot muscles and help the child learn to walk earlier.
However, if they must wear shoes, they should conform to the shape of a child’s feet and provide a little extra room for growth.
Tale: Cats can steal the air from a baby’s mouth. Science: This dates back hundreds of years when cats were associated with witchcraft and evil spirits. Nonetheless, doctors say an animal cannot suffocate a baby by sealing the baby’s mouth with its own.
But Dr. Samuel Kasule of AAR says you should keep pets, including cats and dogs, and plush toys, out of your baby’s crib or bassinet.
Tale: Coffee stunts your child’s growth. Science: Coffee will not affect a child’s growth, but too much caffeine does not belong in a child’s diet.
Nelly Birungi, a nutritionist at Mulago Hospital, warns that excess caffeine can prevent the absorption of calcium and other nutrients.
Tale: If a baby’s eyes cross, they will stay that way. Science: Eye-crossing does not lead to strabismus (a disorder in which the eyes are misaligned), giving the appearance that they are looking in different directions.
Causes of a strabismus include genetics and inappropriate development of the ‘fusion centre’ of the brain, although most cases are brain-related.
Dr. Frank Mwesigye, an ophthalmologist at Mulago Hospital, says treatment should be directed at the source of the problem. “The eye doctor must determine if the strabismus is due to an eyeglass problem or brain problem. Sometimes, bifocals are needed to eliminate the eye turn.â€
Tale: Thumb sucking causes buck teeth. Science: Thumb sucking often begins before birth and generally continues until five years. If a child stops the habit around four to five years, no harm will be done to the jaws and teeth.
However, parents should discourage thumb sucking after the age of four when the gums, jaw and permanent teeth begin their most significant growth.
Dr. Catherine Mwesigwa of the Dental Department, Makerere University, says after this age, it is possible for thumb, finger, or pacifier sucking to contribute to buck teeth.
Tale: Noise can cause hearing loss. Science: Just 15 minutes of listening to loud, pounding music, machinery, or other noises can cause temporary loss of hearing and tinnitus, a ringing in the ears.
Noise causes the eardrum to vibrate excessively and can damage the hairs in the cochlea, a cone-shaped tube in the inner ear that converts sound into electrical signals for the brain to process.
Although temporary hearing loss usually disappears within a day or two, Dr. Gregory Tumweheirwe, an Ear and Nose Throat specialist at Mulago Hospital, says continuous exposure to extreme noise can result in permanent hearing loss.
Tale: An infant walker will help a baby learn to walk sooner.
Science: Babies who spend their active hours in walkers may learn to sit, crawl and walk later than children who have to learn these skills on their own.
But Rachael Kansiime of occupational therapy department, Mulago Hospital warns: “Sitting in an infant walker, with its wide tray and small leg openings, blocks the visual feedback so important to a baby learning muscle coordination. More important, baby walkers are dangerous.â€
Although in Uganda data is not available, nearly 14,000 injuries are treated in the US. In a policy statement, the American Academy of Paediatrics recommends a ban on the manufacture and sale of mobile infant walkers in the US.