Is there any truth to those old wives' tales?
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.