Pregnancy and (amusing) Old Wives’ Tales
I posted a question over on Facebook today on the kinds of ‘Old Wives’ Tales’ (pregnancy-related) that people know.
And some amusing ‘beliefs’ were shared! =)
I thought I should just compile the list and share it here too! =)
See if you’ve heard some (or ALL) of them!
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Let me start with four ‘tales’ that I’ve heard over the years :
> If you eat crabs, your baby will not stay still (ie. Want to touch this and that)
> If you eat lots of tofu, your baby’s skin will be very smooth
> If you take too much soy sauce in your meals, your baby’s skin will have dark blotches
> Cannot ‘sew’ anything, because there’s a case where a pregnant woman did some sewing and … the ‘body part where baby’s supposed to come out’ was errr …. also ‘stitched up’!
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And here’s more of such ‘tales’ from my fellow facebookers (and their stories!)
> If you eat green bean, your baby’s hair will be dark and thick
> Before you’re 3 months pregnant, you must not tell people about your pregnancy to avoid miscarriage
> Must not move house to avoid miscarriage
> Must not use hammer and nails, as they can get to the baby (read: harmful?)
> Must not eat ‘mutton’ (the Indonesian word for this is ‘Kambing’) because the baby can suffer from ‘epilepsy’ (note: It’s because when the word ‘Kambing’ is pronounced, it’s similar to the word ‘epilepsy’ in Chinese =)
> Cannot paint, because your baby will have patches, or whatever ugly birthmark
(Personal sharing: I didn’t paint for both, and both has an exact birthmark on their forehead!)
> Drink coconut drink (for smooth delivery?)
> Don’t drink coffee if you want fair-skinned baby
(Personal sharing: 1st pregnancy – Crab cravings every 3-4 days for about 2-3mths. Baby turns out to be a very good girl and very ‘uncrabby’. 2nd pregnancy – Crave coffee every other day after 2nd trimester, and baby was as fair as bean curd =)
> Cannot carry other people’s children / babies, else baby will feel rejected
> Cannot go near renovation or moving house.
(Personal sharing: I stayed away from renovations and wasn’t there when they were moving the stuff to new home. Hardly lift a finger during those time =)
> Drink soya bean milk to have fair-skinned babies
(Personal sharing: My Mom drank soya bean drink everyday so I’d be born fair-skinned, but I guess she forgot that soya bean can make her baby come out so round and chubby too! =)
> Can’t cut too much ginger or else your hands will turn out like that
(Personal sharing: I actually met someone who has a “6” finger because she said that’s what her mum did)
> Cannot hang any pictures, buy or assemble any furniture, or else you’d have a hard time with delivery
> Do NOT ‘hate’ or feel irritated towards anyone, ELSE the baby will look like that person!
(Personal sharing: No wonder my Mom-in-law irritates me by wanting to stay with us for two weeks =)
And here’s a popular one which I’m sure almost all of us have heard :
> Satisfy your cravings, ELSE the baby will drool a LOT (and for a long time!)
=)
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Oh btw, while we’re on this topic, I thought I should also share some common old wives’ tales regarding ‘gender predictions’ =)
It’s a Baby Boy IF :
> The pregnant mom looks more scruffy / less attractive (eg. Dislikes putting on make-up)
> The tummy is more ‘pointy’
It’s a Baby Girl IF :
> The pregnant mom looks radiant and more beautiful
> The tummy is rounder (side to side)
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In the photo above, I’m 34 weeks pregnant (took the shot with an iphone when I was in a toilet at IKEA, haha). And since we still don’t know our baby’s gender for sure, … looking at the ‘shape’ of my tummy, does it look like I’ll be having a baby boy OR a baby girl? =)
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Anyway, do you believe in such things?
Did you practise any of them?
I’d love to hear MORE from you! Please do share? =)
11 Comments »
Leave a comment!
Drinking coconut juice part is true, my 2nd was very clear skin when she was born, unlike my eldest, who is covered in white stuff.
I heard green bean are supposed to make baby’s hair thick. My eldest has a very thick hair while my 2nd very botak, despite daily intake of green bean
Some say can not eat spicy things during pregnancy as the baby will be botak, or he/she will have vision problem.
I actually quite curious about sewing, I have a cross-stitching hobby, will it affect the baby in any way if I continue doing it during pregnancy? How about tailor? Won’t they have to quit their job during pregnancy?
Does anybody ever sew during pregnancy?
@San:
Hi hi …
but hey, I love avocado and coconut juice anyway heheh .. so regardless of the ‘beliefs’, .. I’m going to have them anyway 🙂 Actually, after reading you guys’ comments, I started drinking coconut juice hehe … It’s not that I didn’t want to drink it before, somehow it just didn’t cross my mind to get some. Very refreshing! =)
Yeah … mom’s emotion when pregnant sure will affect the baby’s emotion too … i believe in that too.
Stay in touch yeah!! =)
Haha! I’ve heard of a lot of them.
Coconut juice is so that your baby comes out “clean” (i.e. no spots or whatsoever). Avocado juice for your baby to have a lot of hair… Whole lot of hogswash, if you ask me! Haha! But I simply ate and drank whatever I wanted when pregnant with both my first and second. I subscribe to the Happy Mommy=Happy Baby theory! Hahaha! 😉 Looking forward to seeing your precious one!
@Prince n princess mum
=) Very interesting beliefs indeed …
Very interesting…….
I choose to believe, than to be sorry in future…..
Hi Sandra,
Haven’t heard about that ‘no cutting’ belief …
I find it simply interesting how people can have so much fears in life …
Hmm… have to get a photo of you backview – then can tell if you are round at the sides also.
The sewing one – my mummy told me that if i sewed sitting on my bed, then parts of baby might be “sewn” up – eg eyes etc…
Also no cutting on bed, can “cut baby – eg have cleft-lip…
Hi Nic!
Thanks for sharing the many old wives’ tales! have heard of some of that … some are new though!
(btw, when one’s MIL really believes in such beliefs, it’s tougher on the daughter in law, huh? Haven’t heard about that sitting on the bed belief )
And hey … hope you’re feeling better by the day!
Here’s some add-ons to those you did not cover:
Some olds folks told me to open up all the drawers, windows and doors at home when I go into labour (I mean ask family members to do the task) as this will dilate the cervix faster!
My MIL said eating too much crabs will result in my kids liking to pinch people! When Will was near to two he liked to pinch us and my MIL believed that I had eaten crabs behind her back. She didn’t believe me when I told her I didn’t even touch anything crabby!!!
Drinking coconut water is helpful, not old wives tale – I did that too in my last trimester. According to chines doctor, the water cools down the body as a pregnant woman is very ‘heated up’. And it will help in faster labour.
Another tale I heard, a prehnant woman went to hunt for this scaley animal with her hubby and her child was corn covered in scales! This was reported in newspaper many many years ago!
A pregnant woman cannot sit on another pregnant woman’s bed, as the two babies’ souls will get petty or will be ‘exchanged’!!! My cousin in law was in her 3rd trimester and I was in my 2nd at that time when she came visit me. She sat on my bed and touched my belly too. I was scolded by my MIL!!!
Cannot watch horror movies…this I concur as the mood of the pregnant mommy will affect the baby. I mean, with heart palpitating throughout the movie isn’t too good for the baby right? But old wives tale said NO due to ghostly believes…
Cannot go out at night during confinement as ‘God’ (I believe it’s meant to be chinese deities) will see a ‘patch of blood’ (the new mom in confinement) moving on streets instead of a person…and ‘they’ (deities) don’t like it!?!
My confinement lady said new moms should not exchange gifts as luck of their newborns will be given away…
The delivery room is a very ‘dirty’ place…luck will be bad when a person (who is not giving birth) enters it! Bang dang thingy which many people believe.
Many more…
@Little Stitch:
hehe … I’ve heard of that one too (the one where you need to look at handsome / pretty people so your baby will also look nice haha ) I thought it’s all in the ‘genes’ (???) 🙂
Well, your tummy looks round- so a girl? I am not sure too. My grandma knows how to calculate based on the lunar months. She guessed it right for both my kids.
Coconut drink is to facilitate a smooth delivery. Mother won’t feel dehydrated and is said when babies are born, it won’t be that bloody.
I would like to add on, if mummies to be kept on looking at pics of famous/handsome or pretty people, their babies will look like them too. So don’t look at Shrek everyday. haha!!!