newborns

We're excited to bring you a new post from mother and actress Tori Spelling and her ediTORIal by Tori Spelling blog. This week, Tori debunks five new mommy myths.

As a momista-of-four, there were still things that surprised me about each pregnancy and each new babe. There’s just so much to learn as a new mom. Even if you were one of those moms who read What to Expect When You’re Expecting cover to cover three times, chances are that you still fed into a few misconceptions and old wives' tales. So today I’m debunking a few of the biggest myths that new mamas encounter. Check them out and let me know which ones you used to believe . . .

Related: Tori's mother of the year award

Myth No. 1: You can predict the sex of the baby (without your doctor).
Each time that I was preggers, I had people tell me that if I was carrying low the baby was going to be a boy and that if I was carrying high it was a girl. Well, according to WhatToExpect.com, the height of your bump has nothing to do with the baby’s gender. Dying to find out the baby’s sex? It’s called an ultrasound! Otherwise, just sit tight and enjoy the guessing game. There are so few surprises in life.

Myth No. 2: You can determine the sex of the baby with sexual positions.
Lots of new mamas believe that not only can they predict their baby’s sex, but that they can take certain steps during conception to determine it. Well, I hate to break it to you, ladies, but according to Parents.com, the missionary position is not going to guarantee a girl and doggy style is not going to make your little one a boy. But I can promise you one thing — boy or girl, this little one is still going to be the light of your life.

Keep reading for three more myths and why they're nothing more than myths.

Becoming a mother for the first time is an exciting, overwhelming, and, yes, sometimes anxiety-ridden experience. You have nine months to process the fact that your life is about to drastically change, but all those unknown elements (What will my baby look like? Will he have colic? Will she be a good sleeper? Do I have everything I need?) can be overwhelming and scary. While it's probably healthy to worry about some things — all the better to be prepared — there are others you can cross off your list, including the five natural but unnecessary worries below.

• Fear: You and your baby won't bond immediately.
  Reality: While it can take some women (myself included) a while to feel like they're feeding, changing, bathing, and rocking out of love, not responsibility, it's the rare woman who doesn't eventually fall head over heels for her baby. It's OK if you don't have a fireworks moment the first time you see your newborn. She'll still think you're the greatest mom ever.
• Fear: You don't know enough about newborns to be a good mother.
  Reality: If you're having this fear, it probably means you're also engaged enough to read a few books or websites about caring for a newborn, so you can figure out the whole feeding, diapering, and swaddling thing. But even if you don't read a single thing before your baby arrives, know that so much of being a new mom is about trusting your instincts. All new moms — whether they've taken tons of parenting classes and read a library full of baby books or haven't done an ounce of preparation — quickly learn parenting a newborn is all about trial and error.

Keep reading for three more natural but unnecessary fears shared by many first-time moms.