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I came to know some Chinese superstitions about pregnancy and childbirth during the course of my own pregnancy and after giving birth. Some of them sounded weird to me, but since my mother insisted and I was watched over closely, I have to follow those that I believed did no harm anyway.

These are a few of them:

  • A pregnant woman should not attend wakes or funerals.
  • A pregnant woman should avoid going to weddings so as not to rob the newlyweds of their good luck.
  • A pregnant woman should drink special herbal soups to ensure the safety of her baby.
  • After giving birth, the new mother should not take a bath, or shower, or shampoo for at least a month. As much as possible, she should not leave the house, or be exposed to wind, because these would make her body weak and she will be prone to arthritis in the future.
  • The new mother should eat "hot" foods to balance the energies. It is believed that childbirth with its blood loss makes the body "cold".
  • People should avoid praising babies, because these would attract demons and ghosts who would bring harm upon the baby. Hence, unfavorable terms should be used.
I know Tsinoy mothers would find it hard not to follow these, since their mothers and mothers-in-law (if they were Chinese) would watch them like a hawk to ensure that tradition is followed. I just consoled myself with the fact that these are temporary and my mother was only thinking of my welfare and that of my baby. :)

3 comments:

MGY said...

omg! Good thing hubby's family's doesn't practice things like these. In fact, I was given a go signal to take a bath by my OB on the following day I got birth and walang kumontra. Kakaiba! ISANG BWAN!

Dianna Rahman said...

Hahahaha...
Well I am not chinese but I have lots of chinese friends.
I remember a chinese girlfriend asked me to come over to the hospital before her mum and mother-in-law turned up. She wanted me to help her shower and buy food that she knew they would forbid.
That was hillarious but yes, traditional chinese are very stern and strict about all these.
As for myself, I showered on the second say since I was too sore to do anything first 48hours. After a week, I had my swim and already doing housework. I think it really depend on individual. Do anything to make yourself feel happy and just be careful.Being a mum is no easy task so if swimming or taking a nice bath is what you need... go ahead. :)
Cheers to all mums!

theworkingmom said...

Meldita -- Buti ka pa! In my case, my husband's not Chinese, I am. And my mom's watching me like a hawk!

mrsfechner -- Thanks for visiting my blog! I couldn't because my mom was always hovering around, and yes, she's Chinese and she's strict. Anyway, that was almost 3 years ago already and I'm over it. I'm sure she meant well. :)