Is there any truth to those old wives' tales?<\/p>\n
By Stevie Emilia<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A first-time mother is usually overjoyed when
\nshe hears the news that she is pregnant. But the excitement may
\nfizzle when she has to deal with other, more nagging matters.<\/p>\n
It is not only the morning sickness, going to the bathroom
\nevery few minutes and weight gain which can get her down. There
\nare also the traditional dos and don'ts of pregnancy which will
\nbe told to her in all sincerity by experienced mothers to help
\nher in her hours of need.<\/p>\n
Despite their doubts, some women will follow the advice
\nwithout question, fearing the bad things that may happen to them
\nor their babies if they do not.<\/p>\n
The instructions not only cover dietary matters, but also how
\nthe expectant mother -- and sometimes her husband -- must behave
\nduring her pregnancy.<\/p>\n
But are they truth or fiction in medical terms? Are they
\nmerely sowing the seeds of doubt in young mothers, but with no
\nmedical basis?<\/p>\n
Here are some of the traditional beliefs from Indonesian
\ncommunities about pregnancy and childbirth, followed by the
\ncomments of obstetrician-gynecologist Prof. Biran Affandi, a
\nformer president of the Indonesian Society of Obstetrics and
\nGynecology.<\/p>\n
* Don't drink ice water or eat from a big plate because your
\nfetus will be bigger than normal.<\/p>\n
Drinking ice water will not affect the infant's size or
\nweight. Drinking ice water during hot weather will be refreshing
\nfor the pregnant woman and is calorie-free. The ice water will
\nend up as sweat or urine.<\/p>\n
Eating from a big plate will be no problem either if it
\nconsists of a normal portion of food. But if the portion is big,
\njust like the plate, than it might cause overeating and an
\nunnatural weight gain.<\/p>\n
* Don't eat spicy food if you don't want your child to have curly
\nhair.<\/p>\n
This myth has nothing to do with the infant's hair. But spicy
\nfood may irritate the throat, causing coughs, or diarrhea for the
\nexpectant mother, but not to the infant.<\/p>\n
* Don't eat or drink from a chipped plate or glass as it will
\ncause your baby to have a harelip.<\/p>\n
Not true either. But it might be dangerous for expectant
\nmothers to drink from chipped utensils in case they swallow a
\nbroken part, or the cracks harbor bacteria.<\/p>\n
* Don't eat pineapple as it will trigger bleeding or cause a
\nmiscarriage.<\/p>\n
Not true, as long as it is being consumed in normal portions.
\nEating too much of any food is not good for anyone, including
\nexpectant mothers.<\/p>\n
* Drink young coconut juice for the baby to have clear skin.<\/p>\n
Young coconut juice is refreshing, but it is not known if it
\ncan give an unborn child a beautiful skin.<\/p>\n
* Eat mung beans for the baby to have thick and healthy black
\nhair.<\/p>\n
Mung beans are nutritious because they contain vitamins B1 and
\nB6 which are important to reduce the sensation of pins and
\nneedles and body stiffness during pregnancy. But no research has
\nfound a connection to lustrous hair.<\/p>\n
* Walking is good for an easy delivery.<\/p>\n
This one is true (the same goes for other exercises, such as
\nswimming). Pregnant women should also do prenatal exercises to
\nenable them to control their muscles and breathing for a smooth
\nbirthing process.<\/p>\n
* Drink coconut oil for a smooth and easy delivery.<\/p>\n
If coconut oil is taken, it will go through the intestines
\nwithout being digested and be excreted. It will not affect the
\ninfant or birth process.<\/p>\n
* Do not lift heavy objects because it will cause the infant's
\numbilical cord to become wrapped around its neck.<\/p>\n
This myth has nothing to do with the infant's position or
\numbilical cord in the womb. If the mother is used to lifting
\nheavy objects, continuing the activity will probably do her no
\nharm, and may serve as a form of exercise.<\/p>\n
* If the mother's belly is big and round, she will deliver a baby
\ngirl; if she has a pointed one, she will have a baby boy. A baby
\ngirl is also likely if the mother enjoys putting on makeup during
\npregnancy.<\/p>\n
Both untrue.<\/p>\n
* Expectant mothers must not visit the sick.<\/p>\n
Half and half on this one. It would not be advisable if the
\nsick person has a contagious disease, like a heavy bout of flu,
\nconjunctivitis or lung infections. But there would be no problem
\nif the person had a noncontagious condition, such as cancer.<\/p>\n
* Expectant mothers and their husbands must not hate a person
\nbecause it will make their baby look like the hated individual.
\nNor should they curse another person's bad character or attitude
\nbecause the child will have those traits.<\/p>\n
Attitudes will have no relation to the infant. But expectant
\nmothers should try to live their lives as normally as possible,
\nincluding controlling their emotions and blood pressure.<\/p>\n
* Don't do kerokan -- a traditional method of fighting muscular
\npain and the common cold by rubbing a smooth object such as a
\ncoin down the back from the spine to the waist or hips in lines
\nto create a tiger-skin pattern -- as it will make your baby born
\nwith the same marks.<\/p>\n
This habit has nothing to do with the infant. Besides, kerokan
\nis applied to the top layer of the skin and has no connection
\nwith the infant at all.<\/p>\n
* Do not buy baby stuff before the pregnancy reaches seven months
\nas it will cause a premature birth or miscarriage.<\/p>\n
A groundless taboo.<\/p>\n
* Don't hurt or kill any living thing or the baby will be born an
\ninvalid. This rule applies for both parents.<\/p>\n
No, such acts have nothing to do with the infant, although
\nnobody should unnecessarily kill other creatures!<\/p>\n
* Expectant mothers should carry sharp objects to ward off evil
\nspirits.<\/p>\n
This is not true, and it might even cause harm to the
\nexpectant mother if she does not take care with the objects. But
\nwe still find this practice, such as carrying small scissors in a
\nlocket of a necklace, among many pregnant women.<\/p>\n
* Expectant mothers feel an itch in their bellies because of the
\ninfants' growing hair.<\/p>\n
Expectant mothers will not feel anything when the hair grows.
\nThe itch is caused by hormonal changes.<\/p>\n
* Don't cut your hair, because your baby will be born an invalid.<\/p>\n
This has nothing to do with baby. Babies may be born mentally
\nor physically handicapped if the expectant mother consumed
\nunprescribed drugs, toxic traditional herbs or contracted
\nrubella.<\/p>\n
* Sex during pregnancy will help the infant grow fast in the
\nwomb.<\/p>\n
Having sex is safe during most of the pregnancy, but it will
\nnot help the infant grow fast. Sex introduces sperm, which
\ncontains prostaglandin, a type of hormone which might cause
\ncontractions of the womb and hasten delivery in women nearing the
\nend of their gestation period.<\/p>\n
* Don't eat fish because it will give your child an offensive
\nodor at delivery. Also avoid eating crab meat because the child
\nwill have problems standing up as it grows up.<\/p>\n
Both untrue since fish is an excellent source of protein, as
\nis crab, for the pregnant mother and her unborn child. It is also
\nuntrue that consuming fish will make breast milk smell. Of
\ncourse, no pregnant woman should eat crab if she has an allergy
\nto seafood.<\/p>\n
* Place a coin on your infant's belly button to prevent him or
\nher from developing an "outty".<\/p>\n
The belly button, or navel, is where the unborn infant gets
\nits food or releases its excrement. It consists of blood vessels,
\nand the presence of a coin after birth will do nothing for its
\nshape.<\/p>\n
* Swaddle your infant's body tightly for the first few months so
\nhe or she will grow up to have a good body.<\/p>\n
This has some truth to it although for another reason.
\nNewborns should be wrapped because when they were still inside
\nthe womb the temperature was about 37 degrees Celsius. The baby
\nshould be wrapped to keep it warm, not to ensure it has a good
\nfigure.<\/p>",
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