Is there any truth to those old wives' tales?
By Stevie Emilia
JAKARTA (JP): A first-time mother is usually overjoyed when she hears the news that she is pregnant. But the excitement may fizzle when she has to deal with other, more nagging matters.
It is not only the morning sickness, going to the bathroom every few minutes and weight gain which can get her down. There are also the traditional dos and don'ts of pregnancy which will be told to her in all sincerity by experienced mothers to help her in her hours of need.
Despite their doubts, some women will follow the advice without question, fearing the bad things that may happen to them or their babies if they do not.
The instructions not only cover dietary matters, but also how the expectant mother -- and sometimes her husband -- must behave during her pregnancy.
But are they truth or fiction in medical terms? Are they merely sowing the seeds of doubt in young mothers, but with no medical basis?
Here are some of the traditional beliefs from Indonesian communities about pregnancy and childbirth, followed by the comments of obstetrician-gynecologist Prof. Biran Affandi, a former president of the Indonesian Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
* Don't drink ice water or eat from a big plate because your fetus will be bigger than normal.
Drinking ice water will not affect the infant's size or weight. Drinking ice water during hot weather will be refreshing for the pregnant woman and is calorie-free. The ice water will end up as sweat or urine.
Eating from a big plate will be no problem either if it consists of a normal portion of food. But if the portion is big, just like the plate, than it might cause overeating and an unnatural weight gain.
* Don't eat spicy food if you don't want your child to have curly hair.
This myth has nothing to do with the infant's hair. But spicy food may irritate the throat, causing coughs, or diarrhea for the expectant mother, but not to the infant.
* Don't eat or drink from a chipped plate or glass as it will cause your baby to have a harelip.
Not true either. But it might be dangerous for expectant mothers to drink from chipped utensils in case they swallow a broken part, or the cracks harbor bacteria.
* Don't eat pineapple as it will trigger bleeding or cause a miscarriage.
Not true, as long as it is being consumed in normal portions. Eating too much of any food is not good for anyone, including expectant mothers.
* Drink young coconut juice for the baby to have clear skin.
Young coconut juice is refreshing, but it is not known if it can give an unborn child a beautiful skin.
* Eat mung beans for the baby to have thick and healthy black hair.
Mung beans are nutritious because they contain vitamins B1 and B6 which are important to reduce the sensation of pins and needles and body stiffness during pregnancy. But no research has found a connection to lustrous hair.
* Walking is good for an easy delivery.
This one is true (the same goes for other exercises, such as swimming). Pregnant women should also do prenatal exercises to enable them to control their muscles and breathing for a smooth birthing process.
* Drink coconut oil for a smooth and easy delivery.
If coconut oil is taken, it will go through the intestines without being digested and be excreted. It will not affect the infant or birth process.
* Do not lift heavy objects because it will cause the infant's umbilical cord to become wrapped around its neck.
This myth has nothing to do with the infant's position or umbilical cord in the womb. If the mother is used to lifting heavy objects, continuing the activity will probably do her no harm, and may serve as a form of exercise.
* If the mother's belly is big and round, she will deliver a baby girl; if she has a pointed one, she will have a baby boy. A baby girl is also likely if the mother enjoys putting on makeup during pregnancy.
Both untrue.
* Expectant mothers must not visit the sick.
Half and half on this one. It would not be advisable if the sick person has a contagious disease, like a heavy bout of flu, conjunctivitis or lung infections. But there would be no problem if the person had a noncontagious condition, such as cancer.
* Expectant mothers and their husbands must not hate a person because it will make their baby look like the hated individual. Nor should they curse another person's bad character or attitude because the child will have those traits.
Attitudes will have no relation to the infant. But expectant mothers should try to live their lives as normally as possible, including controlling their emotions and blood pressure.
* Don't do kerokan -- a traditional method of fighting muscular pain and the common cold by rubbing a smooth object such as a coin down the back from the spine to the waist or hips in lines to create a tiger-skin pattern -- as it will make your baby born with the same marks.
This habit has nothing to do with the infant. Besides, kerokan is applied to the top layer of the skin and has no connection with the infant at all.
* Do not buy baby stuff before the pregnancy reaches seven months as it will cause a premature birth or miscarriage.
A groundless taboo.
* Don't hurt or kill any living thing or the baby will be born an invalid. This rule applies for both parents.
No, such acts have nothing to do with the infant, although nobody should unnecessarily kill other creatures!
* Expectant mothers should carry sharp objects to ward off evil spirits.
This is not true, and it might even cause harm to the expectant mother if she does not take care with the objects. But we still find this practice, such as carrying small scissors in a locket of a necklace, among many pregnant women.
* Expectant mothers feel an itch in their bellies because of the infants' growing hair.
Expectant mothers will not feel anything when the hair grows. The itch is caused by hormonal changes.
* Don't cut your hair, because your baby will be born an invalid.
This has nothing to do with baby. Babies may be born mentally or physically handicapped if the expectant mother consumed unprescribed drugs, toxic traditional herbs or contracted rubella.
* Sex during pregnancy will help the infant grow fast in the womb.
Having sex is safe during most of the pregnancy, but it will not help the infant grow fast. Sex introduces sperm, which contains prostaglandin, a type of hormone which might cause contractions of the womb and hasten delivery in women nearing the end of their gestation period.
* Don't eat fish because it will give your child an offensive odor at delivery. Also avoid eating crab meat because the child will have problems standing up as it grows up.
Both untrue since fish is an excellent source of protein, as is crab, for the pregnant mother and her unborn child. It is also untrue that consuming fish will make breast milk smell. Of course, no pregnant woman should eat crab if she has an allergy to seafood.
* Place a coin on your infant's belly button to prevent him or her from developing an "outty".
The belly button, or navel, is where the unborn infant gets its food or releases its excrement. It consists of blood vessels, and the presence of a coin after birth will do nothing for its shape.
* Swaddle your infant's body tightly for the first few months so he or she will grow up to have a good body.
This has some truth to it although for another reason. Newborns should be wrapped because when they were still inside the womb the temperature was about 37 degrees Celsius. The baby should be wrapped to keep it warm, not to ensure it has a good figure.