When you\’re pregnant, your body becomes the center of conversation. Everyone will tell you what to do and what to avoid, even your aunts and uncles will tirelessly remind you of the various taboos and customs during pregnancy. They all swear to tell you what will happen if you don\’t follow suit. The best thing is that they can give you examples one by one to convince you. So, as modern women, how do we make sense of these urgencies and conventions?
Folk taboos:
1. Unreasonable taboos
Some taboos and fastings during pregnancy are derived from people’s long-term life experience, while others have medical basis. For example, if pregnant women eat certain foods that are difficult to digest or are prone to illness, they are listed as taboos. But a lot of it is pure bullshit, but it also reflects people\’s eugenic aspirations.
Common folk dietary taboos without scientific basis include the following categories:
Pregnant women should not eat rabbit meat, otherwise their children will have cleft lips. This statement is widely circulated and has been circulating for a long time. Zhang Hua, a native of the Western Jin Dynasty, recorded in \”Natural History\” that pregnant women should not eat rabbit meat. If the rabbit cannot be seen, their children will have missing lips.
Do not eat dog meat, otherwise the child will bite and bite the nipple when feeding.
Don\’t eat donkey meat, otherwise your children will be as disobedient as donkeys.
Avoid eating roosters to prevent your baby from crying at night.
Avoid eating crabs to prevent your children from sucking the foam and drooling. It is also said that eating crabs will cause dystocia.
But people in Taiwan believe that after eating crabs, the children born will scratch other people\’s hands and feet like crabs.
Don\’t eat ginger in case your baby is born with six fingers.
Don\’t eat duck, thinking that eating duck will cause head shaking in children.
2. Behavioral taboos for pregnant women
Many folk taboos during pregnancy are not necessarily scientific, but most of them are beneficial to maintaining the physical and mental health of pregnant women, the normal development of the fetus, or directly protecting the fetus.
1. Pregnant women’s houses cannot be demolished, repaired or moved.
This taboo is mainly related to moving to the fetal god. Of course, when moving, you have to pack things, move heavy furniture, etc., which does increase the chance of accidents for pregnant women, but these tasks can still be completed by family members.
2. Pregnant women are not allowed to use needles for sewing, but scissors.
According to legend, children born this way may have defects. In fact, about 2-3% of fetuses are born with malformations of varying sizes. Perhaps it is these uncertain small parts that gradually formed such a legend. There\’s no reason to talk about it.
There is such a taboo, perhaps because there is a fear that the needle may injure pregnant women.
3. Joy and danger mother and child
There is a traditional saying that during pregnancy, uncle and sister-in-lawSister-in-law is not allowed to greet the car, otherwise the fetus will be frightened. If you attend a wedding, you are not allowed to eat wedding banquets, wedding cakes, wedding candies, etc. to avoid endangering mother and child. This situation is also difficult to understand, but it can be regarded as a unique custom of the Chinese. Likewise, pregnant women are not allowed to attend funerals to prevent cults. There may be a reason for this, because pregnancy is considered a happy event, and more and more attention is paid to prenatal education. The sad atmosphere at funerals will affect the mood of expectant mothers, which is not a good thing after all.
4. Hanging clothes to dry causes miscarriage
After pregnancy, many movements are not suitable for pregnant women, especially those with a big belly. Movements are often limited and they are more likely to fall. The problem shouldn’t be the chores themselves, but the fact that accidents can occur along the way. Anyway, after pregnancy, someone will take care of you, so let your other half do more housework.
5. Pregnant women should not watch their mother give birth, otherwise it will cause difficult labor in the future.
This taboo has a certain scientific basis, because when pregnant women see the mother\’s painful expression and hear the mother\’s cries, it is easy to cause a kind of mental stress. She may be nervous during delivery, which can easily lead to dystocia.
3. Other taboos during pregnancy
In some suburbs, it is popular for a daughter’s parents to give her a separate bed after she becomes pregnant. When a woman is pregnant, her mother\’s family usually gives her son-in-law a single bed when she is about three months pregnant, which is called a \”separate bed.\” On the surface, \”giving a bed\” means that the couple will live separately in the future, which is beneficial to the health of the pregnant woman and the development of the fetus. So when should you not have sex during pregnancy? In addition to not being too intense during pregnancy, what else should you pay attention to? Experts believe that in the first 3 months of pregnancy and the last 2 months of pregnancy, sexual intercourse should be reduced or stopped as much as possible, and sexual intercourse should be restrained in the mid-term. If you have abdominal pain or vaginal bleeding, or when the doctor thinks there is a possibility of miscarriage or premature birth; those with obstetric reasons such as placenta previa should not have sex.
Explore folklore:
[If you drink more fresh milk, will your baby’s skin become whiter? 】
Many expectant mothers believe that drinking more milk will make their baby\’s skin whiter, while drinking more brown and dark drinks or eating curry will make their baby\’s skin yellow and black. In fact, the skin color of the fetus is affected by the genes inherited by the parents. It is already genetically determined at the moment of pregnancy and has little to do with diet during pregnancy.
[Is it bad to have bad teeth after giving birth? 】
In folklore, there is a saying that children have bad teeth. In fact, the reason why the ancients said this was mainly because most pregnant women in the past were malnourished or did not know balanced nutrition. When there is not enough calcium, it is natural to develop dental health problems during pregnancy or after childbirth.
Today\’s expectant mothers can have the same \”white teeth\” as before pregnancy as long as they pay attention to balanced nutrition, calcium supplementation, and oral health care during pregnancy.
[Is eating more fruits good for the fetus? 】
Old people alwaysIt is recommended that expectant mothers eat more fruits. They believe that fruits are rich in nutrients and good for both mother and fetus, and it doesn’t matter how much they eat. But in fact, expectant mothers should not eat too much sweet fruit, let alone eat fruit as a meal, otherwise it will easily lead to an increase in blood sugar in the body and easily lead to gestational diabetes.
[Trouble with Traditional Chinese Medicine]
Many expectant mothers and elders believe in the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine and hope to help the fetus in the womb develop and grow better through traditional Chinese medicine treatment or traditional Chinese food therapy. In fact, although traditional Chinese medicine is relatively mild, expectant mothers should still use it with caution, such as some medicines that promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, medicines that promote qi and dispel wind, medicines that are bitter and cold, and medicines that clear away heat, cool blood and detoxify.
Some expectant mothers want to take supplements to strengthen their fetus, but in fact, supplements such as ginseng, velvet antler, and longan are not suitable.
In case of indiscriminate use, expectant mothers can only take traditional Chinese medicine and various tonics under the guidance of professional doctors.
Let’s look at the folk customs one by one:
In the traditional confinement period, some folk customs advocate not washing your hair during confinement period! , Take a lot of supplements every day during confinement! , Be sure to complete the 30-day confinement period! Confinement seems to be a difficulty in life, which makes many women who are pregnant or have just given birth feel nervous. In fact, these confinement taboos must take into account the factors of time and space, including the environment, climate, and folk customs of previous life. Considering the conditions of modern daily necessities such as electrical appliances and different water sources, the taboos of confinement do not necessarily have to be fully accepted. Modern confinement must be done scientifically, healthily and comfortably! Confinement should be carried out in a scientific way and new ideas for postpartum health should be promoted.
It is customary not to wash your hair or take a bath during the first month of the month, because you will be attacked by wind and cold, which will lead to headaches and body aches in the future.
Some people think that new mothers can take a bath after giving birth, but it should be 3 days after giving birth in summer and 1 week after giving birth in winter, and the number of baths should not be too frequent, especially for those who are physically weak. When bathing, the water temperature should be warm. Even in hot summer, it should not be lower than 37°C, because water that is too cold will cause qi and blood to stagnate in the mother, and she may suffer from irregular menstruation and body pain in the future.
After bathing, if your hair is still wet, do not braid it or go to bed immediately. Otherwise, dampness will invade and cause headaches and neck pain.
In fact, if there are no wounds on the perineum and the fatigue has recovered, you can take a bath at any time. It is not advisable to use a tub bath, but the bathing time should not be too long, 5 to 10 minutes each time, at a room temperature of 20°C, The water temperature of 34-36℃ is most suitable. Dry your body quickly after washing and put on clothes in time to avoid colds.
I suggest that new mothers must make a choice based on their physical condition and the bathing conditions at home. As long as you take good measures to keep warm and comfortable, don\’t let the wind blow or get cold before and after bathing, and use clean and hygienic water, new mothers can wash their hair and bathe with confidence.
It is customary not to brush your teeth or comb your hair during February. Doing so will cause premature loosening of teeth and pain in the scalp.
New mothers after giving birth shouldBrush your teeth and comb your hair every day as usual. Most of the food eaten by postpartum women is soft, and the oral cavity has lost its self-cleaning function during chewing, making it easier for the formation of dental plaque. Therefore, new mothers cannot neglect brushing their teeth, let alone skip brushing.
Combing hair can stimulate blood circulation in the scalp, keep hair roots healthy, and make hair better. New mothers can maintain the same hair-combing habits as before.
Custom 3: Do not eat vegetables, fruits and raw or cold food, otherwise it will damage the spleen, stomach and teeth.
Modern medicine believes that you can eat vegetables, fruits and cold and raw foods after childbirth. Because the body\’s recovery and milk secretion require more vitamins, especially vitamin C, which can stop bleeding and promote wound healing, and vegetables and fruits contain a large amount of various vitamins. Moreover, they also contain more dietary fiber and can promote gastrointestinal motility, which is beneficial for postpartum defecation. But when eating fruits and vegetables after delivery, you need to pay attention to the freshness and cleanliness of the food.
Custom 4: Don’t get out of bed for activities. You should lie in bed so that your body can recover quickly and well.
The current view is that normal mothers can get out of bed 24 hours after delivery, and patients with episiotomy can get out of bed 3 days after delivery. If a new mother lies in bed all day and even eats in bed, this will not only cause the mother to lose her appetite and slow the recovery of her reproductive organs, but will also lead to general weakness, poor mental state, and may cause endometritis, Diseases such as vascular embolism. If the mother can get out of bed frequently, it will enhance abdominal muscle contraction, promote uterine recovery, discharge of lochia, increase appetite, and prevent urinary retention and constipation. Maternal cesarean section can also prevent intestinal adhesion by getting out of bed early.
It is customary to not go out to enjoy the wind after giving birth. Even if you are indoors, you are afraid of being caught in the wind. You should cover your body tightly to prevent strokes.
The reason why mothers did this in the past may be related to poor postpartum nutrition and weak resistance, because they are easily infected by germs and develop fever. Nowadays, mothers have sufficient nutritional intake and have strong resistance to diseases. The indoor must be ventilated to keep the air fresh, but be careful not to blow through the hall draft. New mothers don\’t need to wrap themselves up too tightly, as doing so in hot weather can cause heat stroke. On hot summer days, turn the fan in the opposite direction and let the wind bounce off the walls to circulate indoor air. The air-conditioning air should not be blown directly to the mother. The room temperature should be maintained at 26 to 28 degrees Celsius and the humidity should be 55% to 65%. This environment is conducive to the mother\’s rest.
It is customary not to have sex within 100 days after giving birth.
This custom is quite reasonable. Because it takes at least 8 weeks for the reproductive organs to recover after delivery, women with complications need more adequate rest. If you have sex too early, inflammation, uterine bleeding and perineal tears may easily occur. Therefore, you must wait until the lochia is completely cleared, the postpartum examination is normal, the postpartum period is more than 2 months, and contraceptive measures are taken before sexual intercourse is possible.