Pregnancy comes with a lot of changes in a woman’s body. Not just physical changes but emotional, psychological, and even mental. Some women find themselves craving things they wouldn’t want to try on normal days.
These changes require a lot of patience and tolerance because whatever affects the mother directly or indirectly affects the baby.
That is why many people who are fond of watching horror movies; wonder whether it is ok to watch horror movies while pregnant. Read on to find out whether it affects your unborn baby.
Horror Movies While Pregnant
There is this general belief that women only enjoy soap operas, fashion shows, and content on feminine beauty products while men enjoy thrilling and action movies.
Some women are genuinely interested in the thrilling feeling horror movies give.
But as a woman, there are certain periods when you become more sensitive to changes around you; this could be during your menstrual cycle or pregnancy.
During these times, you become more emotional due to the hormonal changes going on inside, and as a pregnant woman, the things you’re exposed to can affect your unborn child. So it is understandable why many women ask, “can I watch horror movies while pregnant.”
Pregnancy, for many, is considered one of the most critical periods in a woman’s life and should be handled with care. That is why there are a lot of Dos and Don’ts for pregnant women and myths surrounding pregnancy.
Some beliefs are that women are not supposed to watch horror movies or thrillers while pregnant because it affects the baby.
Whether this is merely a myth or has any scientific backing is what many people do not include when stating it.
However, considering how emotionally sensitive pregnant women are, engaging in activities that will trigger her adrenaline is not advisable because it may lead to more complicated issues.
Is It Safe For A Pregnant Woman To Watch Horror Movies?
It is not safe for a woman to watch horror movies while pregnant. One of the requirements for a stress-free pregnancy journey is a calm mind.
Apart from physical well-being, a pregnant woman is supposed to be completely relaxed emotionally to reduce the strain of the pregnancy on her.
Watching horror movies while pregnant can be triggering that the result is a rollercoaster of emotions which may trigger an adrenaline rush, contrary to the relaxation one needs.
Also, the effects of watching horror movies while pregnant are not only limited to the expectant mother alone, but they may affect the baby also.
Emotional instability can cause some health challenges in the mother, which lead to birth complications.
Will Watching Horror Movies While Pregnant Affect The Baby?
Some people believe that watching horror movies while pregnant directly impacts an unborn baby in such a way that if a woman constantly watches horror movies, she’s likely to give birth to a baby that looks like the characters in the horror movies.
This is a myth, and while it is not valid, it helped curtail some of the dangers a pregnant woman is exposed to when watching horror movies.
People also believed that the unborn child could hear loud sounds from the TV, making them scared in the womb.
This is also a myth, but going by anything, it is closely related to the effect horror movies have on babies in the end.
Horror movies can trigger premature birth and, in the worst-case scenario, stillbirth, but it is not necessarily because the baby died out of fear from the sounds it heard from the TV.
But the increased pulse rate in pregnant women while watching horror movies sends signals to their brain that may trigger premature birth.
Babies are covered in amniotic fluid in the womb, which serves as a protective shield and shock absorber for the babies. Therefore, loud sounds from the TV cannot be easily sent to the baby.
But in situations where there’s a stillbirth, it is solely due to the overwhelming hormonal changes triggered by the thrilling feeling from the horror movies, which might have caused premature labor leading to child death.
As much as it is not advisable to watch horror movies or engage in any triggering activity while pregnant, people have different thresholds for pain and fear.
If you are confident that watching horror movies while pregnant will not affect your emotions, there are some things to consider when choosing the movie to watch.
Read: Horror Games While Pregnant – How Safe is it and Fun Things To Do While Pregnant
Horror Movies While Pregnant – Things To Consider
As a woman’s pregnancy is one of the most critical times of her life, it is best to be on the safe side. For the well-being of the baby as a whole, you must keep the following things in mind:
- Consider the movie’s duration because sitting upright for long hours can cause a strain on your back and waist.
- If, in the course of seeing the movie, it begins to stress you out, discontinue the film and rest.
- In the early developing stages of the baby, it may be more sensitive to loud sounds from outside the environment than when it is fully formed. Consider the age of pregnancy before deciding to watch horror movies.
Remember also that your baby will be fully developed by week 24 of your pregnancy – so while still in your tummy, they can hear everything going on around them.
As a result, if you’re watching something particularly noisy or jumpy (such as a horror movie with lots of gunshots and screaming), the baby may become unsettled and react by moving around or kicking more than usual, which may be uncomfortable for you.
Since babies are sensitive to sound, many people believe playing classical music to a baby during pregnancy can lead to a calmer child after birth.
It is also believed that music such as this can positively impact a child’s brain development, making them more intelligent than they would be without classical music.
Thus, it begs the question, what might the effect of bloodcurdling screams have on babies?
In general, if you know they won’t cause you to experience stress or excessive emotions, you can enjoy a movie.
When deciding whether or not to watch horror movies while pregnant, always keep this in mind if you are aware that you are affected negatively by them.
Finally, if you’re still wondering whether it’s ok to watch horror movies while pregnant, your gynecologist is the go-to person to answer questions about topics that will affect you or your baby.
They have your health history and can monitor the changes in your body should anything go wrong.
Alternatives To Horror Movies While Pregnant
A pregnant woman is supposed to stay happy and relaxed all the time to ease the stress of pregnancy, but if watching horror movies is what will guarantee this, it is ok to continue watching horror movies while pregnant.
However, other equally interesting activities can substitute for horror movies. They are engaging and entertaining as well;
- Reading books in your favorite genre
- Join a community support group for pregnant women
- Watch calm movies and listen to cool music
- Register for yoga classes
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- Pregnancy-friendly video games to play while pregnant
- Feeling Unattractive During Pregnancy (12 Helpful Tips For You)
Conclusion
Can I watch horror movies while pregnant is a question that has crossed your mind at some point if you’re a woman who enjoys watching horror movies.
There may be no direct impact of watching horror movies while pregnant on the baby.
Still, because the baby’s growth is dependent on the mother’s well-being, the likes of horror movies are not advisable because they cause emotional instability in the mothers and can lead to more issues.
