Don't Worry Too Much About How The Super Blue Blood Moon Will Affect Your Pregnancy

When it comes to the lunar cycle, there's a lot of superstition surrounding what goes down during any type of full moon. The rare blue moon, which we will see come January 31, is quite simply a full moon that occurs twice in one month — so it's got to be double the trouble, right? Surprisingly, the answer might not be what you're expecting. If you're curious about how the blue moon affects your pregnancy, the truth is that most of the hype is much ado about nothing.

When it comes to pinpointing exactly how the blue moon affects your pregnancy, you've probably heard a lot of gossip surrounding how full moons induce labor, or at least make way for a quick laboring experience. But it's all pretty much just false — and no, you won't be giving birth to a werewolf of a baby either. The blue moon, scientifically, doesn't have much of an effect on your pregnancy at all, even though some may be convinced that it does.

Although, as the friend of several nurses, I hear time after time about how "it must be a full moon" when the maternity ward is packed full of moms in labor. But like many popular phrases, it's just a figure of speech as there isn't any scientific evidence which backs a correlation between full moons and the higher possibility of delivery. So, don't expect your water to break as soon as the sun sets on a blue moon, or any type of moon for that matter.

Duke University shared that you're no more likely to give birth during a blue moon than any other phase of the lunar cycle. But they do give a sliver of hope if (and only if) there happens to be a storm occurring during the blue moon. When there's a change in barometric pressure, researchers found that it can affect when a woman goes into labor. But technically that would be caused by thunder, not the moon. Having that tidbit of knowledge if you were to go into labor on a stormy, blue-moon night, however, will give you a nice fact to share with anyone around you swearing it was the moon that induced your labor.

Overall, as magical and mystical as it may sound to be pregnant on the blue moon or give birth on the blue moon, the effect stops there. The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology shared that giving birth during a blue moon simply means that you needed to give birth, and the moon was coincidently full for the second time in one month. Additionally, researchers haven't found a correlation between the phases of the moon and physiological changes in general, so you're not more likely to experience adverse events during your birth or have to opt for C-section.

With all the hype surrounding pregnancy during the blue moon, it can be a bit of a bummer to find out that there aren't any unique, cool affects to anticipate. You can, however, create your own magic.

If you want to commemorate the blue moon pregnancy, have a special photo shoot or throw a blue moon themed baby shower or gathering in honor of the rare occasion. You can also look up the horoscope for your sign and see if the blue moon is supposedly going to have any effect on you that way — if you're into that sort of thing.

And if you do find yourself going into labor on the blue moon, there are some fun old wives tales about babies born on the blue moon that you might enjoy. Or just relax, grab a moon pie, and treat the day like any other. Because in the end, you've got nothing more to worry about just because the moon is full for the second time this month.

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