Breaking! 30 Common Myths About Pregnancy Taboos When you're pregnant, you're told that you can't hold scissors, that you'll have a miscarriage if you're tapped on the shoulder, that you'll have a miscarriage if you eat barley and hawthorn, and that it's hard to get a baby if you eat crabs. ...... Even in modern civilized society, there are many taboos against pregnancy that are still being passed down in folklore, and they're not all 100% true. The newest addition to the lineup is the newest addition to the lineup, the newest addition to the lineup, the newest addition to the lineup.

There are still a lot of taboos about pregnancy that have been passed down since ancient times, so where do they come from? The main physician of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Taiwan An Hospital, Dr. Zhou Jiaqian, said that in the past, when there was no ultrasound technology, it was difficult to know whether there was any abnormality of the fetus in pregnancy, and it was only after the birth of the baby that the problem was discovered, and even a difficult situation arose, which gave rise to so many contraindications to the pregnancy. The starting point, in fact, is to allow pregnant women in the process of pregnancy, can have a little more rest time, such as moving, moving heavy objects, hand lifting and other labor, for the weaker women, there *** uterine contractions, resulting in preterm labor and the risk of miscarriage, therefore, look at the many taboos, do not necessarily have to be refuted with the opposing point of view, these taboos can be avoided! .

Huang Yu-antelope, an attending physician at the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Taipei City United Hospital's Renai Campus, pointed out that because the health, medical and nutritional conditions in ancient times were not very good, resulting in a high rate of miscarriage, and even if the birth is not certain to keep it, the pregnant mother will be particularly important to her, so that there is a wide range of taboos legend.

Chung Pei Nun, assistant professor at the Language Center of the National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, added that, from a traditional perspective, there is no scientific explanation for the situation of pregnant mothers having miscarriages, obstructed deliveries, or giving birth to defective babies, and so on, thus giving rise to corresponding taboos and acts of sorcery, in an effort to achieve the goal of fetal safety, nourishing the fetus, and educating the fetus. In traditional folklore, each person's life has a set of proper arrangements in various stages of development, giving supernatural and social certification, symbolizing the entry into different stages of life, establishing social status and the role to be played, and usually life rituals contain three stages: isolation, rituals, and rendezvous, with the first two stages being the process of sacramental rites, and the final stage being the return to a secular state. Traditional practices are often combined with supernatural forces (the power of the gods), that is, the connotations of the rites of life have a certain component of witchcraft ideas, mystical and sacred.

However, from the perspective of Western medicine and Chinese medicine, pregnant mothers should face these taboos with a sense of normalcy and not be overly nervous. If you have any doubts, you can consult a physician or enroll in a mom's classroom course to learn about the matters that must be paid attention to during pregnancy and labor, reduce unnecessary anxiety, and maintain a stable mood, which is the best foetal education for the baby. In terms of diet, if the mother pays attention to a balanced intake of small meals, as long as the required nutrients are sufficient, you can avoid some of the risks of pregnancy. In addition, pregnant women should have the right mindset to understand the hidden reasons for the taboos, so that they can avoid the accidents and dangers of pregnancy.

Basically, pregnancy taboos are broadly divided into "customs", "diet", and "life" , and the following is a detailed explanation of the most common taboos and myths through the lens of a folklorist, an obstetrician/gynecologist, and a Chinese medicine practitioner.

Is the "Fetus God" credible?

Assistant Professor Chung Pui Nun said that the concept of a fetus god is multi-layered, and unlike ordinary gods and goddesses, the fetus god does not have a specific image, gender, miracles, legends, temples, or even a name, and is not worshipped by the public. Although the Fetus God is called "God", it is not divine and does not protect the fetus and the pregnant woman at all (the protection of the fetus is provided by good gods such as the Goddess of Fetus, Chen Jinggou, the Twelve Grandmothers, and the Mother of the Bed). The Fetus God is temperamental and can cause harm to people at any time, so it is a Fetus Fury (called Fetus Killing in ancient texts), which is a product of the folk concept of Fetus Fury.

Fetus God activities around the pregnant woman, mainly in the bedroom, the direction of travel has rules to follow, the ancients fear that pregnant women do not remember, and therefore in the farmer's calendar on a day-by-day detailed record. The ancient people tried to explain the cause of miscarriages or defective newborns through the "Fetus God", but nowadays, people's wisdom has been greatly opened, there is no need to believe in the existence of the Fetus God.

Read more: 5 tips for a good, smooth labor!

6 Pregnancy Taboos About Customs

There are many folklore about pregnancy taboos, and customs vary from place to place, so a lot of moms-to-be are y troubled by these rumors.

1, not more than 3 months pregnant can not say, otherwise easy to abortion?

Dr. Zhou Jiaqian pointed out that because first trimester (12 weeks before) the fetus is more unstable, the chance of miscarriage is about 1/5, because the baby's chromosomal abnormalities, was eliminated by the natural early miscarriage, therefore, will be more cautious. In addition to this, most people in modern times choose to announce after 12 weeks of stability, mainly due to psychological factors, especially infertile or elderly pregnant mothers, more worried about the risk of miscarriage. In fact, the decision to disclose or not to disclose is still up to the pregnant mom, and to disclose or not to disclose does not affect the incidence of miscarriage.

However, it's important to remember that if you're 7 or 8 weeks pregnant and you have a tendency to miscarry, you should tell your supervisor and your coworkers that you're having a hard time getting through the process, so you can be sure you're getting what you want.

Assistant Professor Chung Pei Nun said that in traditional customs, pregnant women should avoid attending wedding banquets, especially in the early stages of pregnancy, because the bride god is bigger than the fetus god, plus pregnancy is a happy event, if you participate in other joyful celebrations at the same time, it will result in a "joyful rush of joy" to the pregnant mother, the fetus or the newcomer is not good, which is based on the concept of "regard the pregnant woman as unclean" due to the concept of "the pregnant woman as unclean".

Basically, pregnant mothers should not be exposed to funerary things, such as going in and out of the funeral home, making merit, making sacrifices, putting the coffin in the coffin, and going to the funeral, etc. This includes using the funeral towel to avoid the impact; eating funeral offerings, which will lead to a miscarriage due to the impact; attending the funeral, which will make it difficult to raise a child after birth; and seeing the sealed coffin or touching the coffin with your hands, which will lead to a miscarriage or an untimely death.

In addition to the next of kin, the general funeral should be avoided, especially the taboo to see the dead into the coffin, to avoid the sadness of the atmosphere affecting the pregnant mother. If the mood of the mother is uncertain, the fetus will feel it, therefore, from ancient times, we hope that the mother can keep a happy mood, to give a positive birth control.

延伸阅读： 鬼月到，孕妇、宝宝禁忌多？

3, shoot the shoulders of pregnant women easy to make pregnant women abortion?

Dr. Zhou Jiaqian pointed out that there is a saying that is worried about shooting the shoulders of pregnant mothers is easy to make her scared, fear of triggered the risk of uterine contraction . Another theory is that the shoulder well point at the shoulder, if pressed vigorously, may cause contractions, but in fact it is rare. However, mothers should be especially careful in the early stages of pregnancy and take this theory with a grain of salt.

4, watching the bag, puppet theater easy to birth cartilage children?

The myth that pregnant mothers should not watch puppet shows and puppet shows is often heard. Assistant Prof. Chung Pui Nun explained that because the puppet body is hollow and is controlled by the palm of the hand, pregnant mothers who watch puppet shows will give birth to a boneless, cartilaginous, or very passive child. Because the puppet puppets must be pulled by strings to act, if the pregnant mother watched the puppet theater, the children will be born as puppets like a lifetime of manipulation.

As for the other argument, it is that pregnant mothers watching puppet shows are prone to give birth to boneless or cartilaginous children. This argument comes from the concept of "changing the fetus", which suggests that the characteristics of the characters in the theater will be passed on to the fetus through the senses. In fact, this folk taboo is only ancient reminders of the life of pregnant mothers, from a medical or scientific point of view, modern completely need not believe.

5, the living room hanging pictures of beasts, pregnant women easy to be scared? Tiger can not enter the pregnant woman's room?

Assistant Professor Chung Pui Nun said that the living room and bedroom should not be decorated with animal skins, paintings or ornaments, otherwise the animals will eat the fetus. The most serious of these is the tiger. To this day, people still believe that tigers are not allowed to enter the room of pregnant mothers, because tigers are ferocious animals that can eat people at any time, and based on the idea of the Chinese zodiac, ancient people believe that tigers will hurt the fetus if they enter the bedroom. Consider the feelings of pregnant mothers and their families , should not intentionally challenge folklore taboos.

6, avoid contact with temples, worship?

Assistant Professor Chung Pei Nun explained that the main reason why pregnant mothers can not touch temples or worship, the main reason is the supremacy of the gods, the fetus is the product of male and female coitus, in the presence of the gods, belong to the great irreverence, including can not participate in the worship of the gods, sacrifices; can not be close to the shrines, wizards, and other clergymen; can not touch the gods enshrined, tablets, or offerings; can not be close to special pujas, for example: Gods and Buddhas overflowing; during the Mid-Yuan Pudu, the waist bucket (birth bucket) in the home of an expectant mother cannot be placed in the front garden to avoid angering the White Tiger God or the Pudu Gong and endangering the fetus, which are all due to the concept of "treating pregnant women as unclean".

Read more: How many weeks can I hear the heartbeat? The first time I've seen this, I've seen it on the Internet. "The first time I saw this, I had to go to the hospital to get a prescription for a baby!

Breaking!

1, pregnancy to eat barley, hawthorn easy to slip?

In principle, it is not recommended that pregnant mothers eat cold food, such as barley, hawthorn, etc. The most important thing is that they should be able to eat a lot of food. Dr. Huang Yu Antelope emphasized that, in addition to the cold, Job's tears, but also can be water, wet, water retention function, but the need to have proper amniotic fluid to protect the safety of the fetus when pregnant.

According to research data, consuming too much Job's tears may lead to less amniotic fluid, resulting in danger to the baby, therefore, should be eaten as little as possible during pregnancy. Hawthorn is even more important to avoid for pregnant moms who are cold, because the acidic properties may cause contractions if the uterus is subjected to ***, and it's not recommended that pregnant moms buy it on their own.

Dr. Chou Jiaqian believes that, in general, Western medicine will recommend that pregnant women eat more food with high fiber content, so some pregnant women will eat red beans and barley with large oats for breakfast. This is the first time I've ever seen a woman with a baby in her hand, and I've never seen a woman with a baby in her hand, so I'm not sure if it's a good idea for her to have a baby in her hand.

2, ate papaya, baby prone to jaundice?

Dr. Zhou Jiaqian said, newborn jaundice is divided into physiological jaundice and pathological jaundice, of which, pathological jaundice is divided into hemolytic jaundice and is cholestasis (i.e., for the biliary atresia), which is not associated with eating papaya.

Papaya is mainly rich in carotenoids, eating too much may be some yellow *** pigment precipitation, resulting in pregnant women's skin color yellow, in fact, as long as they do not overdo it, and if you stop eating papaya for a period of time, the skin will naturally return to the original skin color. Dr. Huang explained, the baby just born will have some physiological jaundice, usually 1 ~ 2 weeks after birth can gradually subside, therefore, if it is not a pathological jaundice, there is no need to worry too much.

Extended reading:

This is the first time I've ever seen a woman with a baby in her arms, and I've never seen a woman with a baby in her arms!

3, eat ginger will make the baby more a finger?

Assistant Professor Chung Pei Nun pointed out that the shape of the ginger fork, and the human palm is very similar to the ancient superstitious belief that pregnant mothers eat it will be easy to give birth to more than one finger child. However, ginger is a spicy substance, and pregnant mothers who eat it will be prone to sores in the future and may also suffer from eye diseases. In addition, ginger is spicy, easy to spread the gas, can also lead to pregnant mothers to loose the baby, the situation of abortion.

Dr. Huang Yu Antelope explained, female physique will be affected by hormones, generally normal women in menstruation, will produce some menstrual syndrome, may feel hot. Similarly, during pregnancy, in order to create a warmer environment for the fetus to grow, the body will be slightly hotter than before pregnancy, so many cold foods should not be overdone.

Is it safe to eat hot foods? In fact, not, when the pregnant mom's body is already very hot, and then eat the hot food, only more uncomfortable, ginger is a hot food. However, adding some ginger flavor when frying is no harm, but do not recommend drinking ginger soup or ginger tea, undoubtedly in the body poured a bucket of hot oil, will be more on fire.

4, eat rabbit meat, baby will have hare lip?

Assistant Professor Chung Pei Nun said, in the dietary taboos during pregnancy, to "avoid eating rabbit meat" is the most typical, the folk believe that pregnant women eat rabbit meat, will give birth to a three-valve mouth (i.e., hare lip) of the child. This is a long time ago, as early as the Warring States period silk book "birth book" has recorded, this is based on the "similarity law" (rabbit meat will be associated with the rabbit lip) and witchcraft concept.

Dr. Chou Chia-chien emphasized that the lip of the hare comes from abnormal cell division in the embryo, and that it is only in the past that medical technology was not developed, and that there were some misunderstandings in order to find out the cause. The first thing you need to do is to get your hands on a new pair of shoes and a new pair of shoes for the first time.

5, eat soy sauce, baby skin will become black? The first thing you need to do is to take a look at the actual skin of the baby.

Basically, a baby's skin color is black or white, mainly determined by the parents' genes. Dr. Wong further explained that pigmentation does not pass directly through the placenta to the baby, so it's not like eating soy sauce will make you darker or eating pearl powder will make you whiter. However, because of the high saltiness of soy sauce, we should be concerned that pregnant women who eat too much heavy seasoning, easy to make the body hot or produce salt metabolism poor edema.

Pearl powder part, generally often regarded as a beauty effect, but the main effect for the pregnant mother, rather than the baby, pearl powder with the effect of clearing away heat and tranquility, can help hot, bad sleep pregnant mother good sleep, but also supplemental calcium, when the body is rested enough, pregnant mothers will be able to provide a good environment for the baby.

6, eating crabs will be difficult?

Assistant Professor Chung Pui Nun compiled five reasons for pregnant mothers to avoid eating crabs:

1. Crabs moving sideways represent that they will have a cross-birth (like with like).

2. Crab spitting bubbles means that the child will drool easily (kindred spirits).

3. Crab with eight claws means that the child has many fingers (kindred spirit).

4. The crab is active and scratchy, which means that the child loves to scratch (kindred spirit).

5. The cold nature of crabs means that pregnant mothers are prone to miscarriage after eating them (from the perspective of Chinese medicine).

Dr. Huang added that some seafood is cool, such as clams, oysters, crabs, etc. Crustacean seafood does tend to cause allergic reactions in pregnant mothers, but this allergic factor is not directly passed on to the baby. As a result of pregnancy, the body will change, or itself has allergies to the pregnant mother, in the pregnancy of their own discretion to eat, as long as attention to the balance of not too much can be.

Read more: 6 healthy snacks for pregnant moms

7, eat cold food easy to slip?

Assistant Professor Zhong Pei Nun said, pregnant mothers should not have eaten cold (cold) food, especially can not drink ice water, otherwise easy to produce phlegm or diarrhea, affecting the growth of the fetus. The general public said that cold, cool, or fire-reducing food, meaning cold food.

Cold foods include melons, eggplants, tofu, celery, spinach, barley, tea, mung beans, etc. Dr. Huang added that, in terms of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), cold foods make the uterus colder and lead to poor circulation of qi and blood, which affects the growth of the fetus, and it's not very recommended that pregnant mothers eat them, and even fruits from the refrigerator have to be returned to warmth. Even fruits from the refrigerator should be warmed up before eating. Dr. Zhou Jiaqian pointed out that some of the cold food is not clean and easy to breed bacteria, especially raw fish may have parasites, if the pregnant mother to eat down, causing infection is not worth the loss, therefore, should avoid eating cold food, try to cooked food-based.

8, the ginseng can support the baby?

In ancient times, people were prone to malnutrition, so short, thin women more, but after pregnancy is equal to the need for two parts of the nutrition, will use ginseng to supplement, regulate the body. In modern times, because of the good environment and stress, the average pregnant mom is usually the problem of fire, unless the pregnant mom's body is really weak, before considering ginseng to make up for the energy.

9, cough and eat Chuanbei loquat paste, easy to slip?

The loquat extract is a common medication for almost every family in the early days, and some children even eat it as a dessert, which is rumored to cause miscarriage during pregnancy. The newest addition to the list is a loquat, which has been used for more than a decade, and is now being used for more than a dozen other purposes.

10, can not drink coffee, tea?

Dr. Huang Yu Antelope with foreign research data, high doses of caffeine may directly through the placenta affect the baby's neurodevelopment, but must drink more than 5 cups a day; tea should pay attention to try not to drink cold-brewed tea and hand-cranked cups of tea, on the one hand, worry about too cold, on the other hand, it is not clear the source.

Dr. Chou Chia-chien also pointed out that coffee may cause the fetus to be too small, or excessive caffeine intake leads to uterine contractions and premature labor or miscarriage, it is recommended that the 12 weeks before try not to drink . 12 weeks after if you want to drink coffee or tea, according to the Consumer Productivity Council of the Executive Yuan to implement the caffeine grading system , according to the three colors of red, yellow, and green, the caffeine grading system . The caffeine content of each cup of coffee is labeled in red, yellow, and green, with red being 200-300 mg (or more), yellow being 100-200 mg, and green being less than 100 mg. If a pregnant woman wants to drink coffee, she should aim for 100-200 mg a day.

延伸阅读： Pregnant can drink coffee?

11, drinking alcohol will make the baby deformed?

Dr. Zhou Jiaqian said that pregnant mothers who have a drinking habit, may lead to the baby has " fetal alcohol syndrome ", continued to drink more than 2 cups a day, the face of some special signs, and even deformities; if you drink 1 cup a day, although it will not cause the baby's appearance of deformities, but it may affect the behavior, resulting in the future of the poorer learning ability.

Alcohol has a very strong penetrating power, and will pass directly through the placenta to the baby, and because the baby's liver is still not fully developed, and can't be metabolized by enzymes like an adult, the effects of alcohol on the baby's appearance, development, and behavior are all very far-reaching. The newest addition to the lineup is the newest addition to the lineup, the newest addition to the lineup, the newest addition to the lineup, the newest addition to the lineup.

12, Huanglian can solve fetal fever, the newborn will not have jaundice?

Many elders say that you need to start eating huanglian at the end of your pregnancy so that your baby won't have jaundice. In this regard, Dr. Huang Yu Antelope explains, normal pregnancy body will be slightly hot, but the reaction is too obvious will affect the baby, may be from the fetal heat into fetal toxicity, resulting in the emergence of pathological jaundice. Huanglian itself is bitter and cold, does have a solution to fetal fever, the effect of fire, but the general pregnant moms and not too much need to use Huanglian. The bitter tea on sale may be added to the yellow lotus, although it has the function of reducing the fire, but the source of medicine and the dose are not clear, therefore, it is not recommended to pregnant women to drink.

13, avoid eating rooster, the baby will not be born after the night cry?

Almost all newborns cry in the middle of the night, Dr. Zhou Jiaqian pointed out that newborns sleep about 16 to 18 hours a day, but each sleep is very short, about 2 to 4 hours, so the baby seems to be sleeping and waking up, and waking up, may be because of the stomach hungry, flatulence, poop, peeing, and other reasons to cry, and eat chicken is not relevant. In addition, chicken is a good source of protein for pregnant moms and is not inedible.

14, pregnant moms can eat sesame oil chicken, mutton stove and spicy hot pot?

When it comes to cold winter, you should eat some warm pots and pans, but pregnant moms can only smell the aroma on the sidelines? Dr. Huang Yu Antelope said, not completely can not eat, just worried about sesame oil chicken, mutton stove or spicy hot pot will make the body hot pregnant mother more fire, the reason is that sesame oil chicken and mutton stove will add some wine seasoning , although the alcohol after stewing will be volatilized, but caused by accelerated operation of the qi and blood, so that the pregnant mother is even more hot. The hot pot is to add some spices and herbs, in addition to make the gas and blood more run, but also do not know whether to add in the Chinese medicine is suitable for pregnant women.

It's worth noting that some pregnant moms are accustomed to eating only a few seconds of half-cooked meat when eating hot pot, but half-cooked food can't be guaranteed to be completely free of parasites, so be sure to cook it until it's fully cooked before eating it, and don't overdo it.