One Born Every Minute: Biggest pregnancy, childbirth myths revealed

It’s one of the most common things you’ll hear said about a pregnant woman, but according to a top midwife it’s also completely false.

It can be one of the most common things a pregnant woman will hear about their upcoming labour.

But according to midwife Natascha Dastur, size doesn’t matter when it comes to giving birth.

Ms Dastur is the clinical midwife educator at The Children’s Hospital in Westmead, Sydney, and estimates she has been a part of around 400 deliveries in her eight-year midwife career.

The experienced midwife appears on Network 10’s One Born Every Minute Australia, a fly-on-the-wall documentary series based on the popular UK version.

Speaking to news.com.au, Ms Dastur was more than happy to dispel the myths that exist around pregnancy — and some of them may surprise you.

“People say good hips in inverted commas or small babies in inverted commas make for an easier birth — again with inverted commas,” she said.

Midwife Natascha Dastur says size doesn’t matter when giving birth.

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“And I just think, you’ve obviously not been in the situation where you’ve forced a baby out. Because let me tell you, small, big, big hips or small hips, babies come out the way they want to come out and the way the way the mother labours. And it’s not necessarily the shape of the pelvis that determines it every time.”

Ms Dastur said there were also misconceptions around how women delivered their babies.

“You must give birth on your back, that’s the biggest thing (misconception),” she said. “Everybody gives birth on their back in every television show except for The Handmaid’s Tale.”

Another myth that exists with pregnancy is that a woman’s baby bump determines the sex. Not true, Ms Dastur says.

“There’s the old wives’ tale that if you carry really low it’s a girl, and if you carry really wide and in the shape of a ball it’s a boy,” she said.

Finally, we regret to inform you, while pregnant women can have food cravings in the same way a woman wants chocolate while on their period, there is no such thing as “eating for two”.

Women give birth in all different positions, not just on their back like in TV shows.

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“That’s another myth. Women do not become starving animals when they’re pregnant … you’re not eating for two, you’re eating for one,” Ms Dastur said with a laugh.

“I always tell women, you should have the best diet of your life in your pregnancy because it sets you up for your entire pregnancy and for your labour and for your birth, and at the same time it nourishes you and it nourishes the baby.”

Using 60 remote operated cameras One Born Every Minute Australia captures every moment of giving birth inside The Children’s Hospital.

The new TV series One Born Every Minute Australia follows the staff and patients of the birth unit inside Sydney's Westmead Hospital. Picture: Channel 10.

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Despite the ever-present cameras, Ms Dastur said they did little to change the regular workings of the hospital.

“No I don’t think (it changed things), you’ll watch the show and you’ll see exactly how we behave … we knew that (the cameras) can’t impact on our care for the women, and after a couple of days it was like they weren’t even there,” she said.

One Born Every Minute Australia premieres tonight at 8.30pm on Network 10 and is available to stream on Tenplay