As you can imagine, lots of well-meaning people have offered tips and advice on what I should and should not do while pregnant. I appreciate all the good intentions, I really, really do, and being pregnant has made me feel so loved because everyone has been such absolute sweethearts about looking out for me, buying (unisex) presents for our baby and making sure I’m eating plenty.
Having said that, I’m also Chinese and if there’s one thing the Chinese are very good at, besides math, it’s coming up with all sorts of dos and don’ts. Or superstitions, as some prefer to call them. So I’ve decided to share some of the things I’ve heard here. It’s by no means a comprehensive list, just whatever I can remember, and you’re more than welcome to add to my collection in the comments section.
1. Don’t watch horror movies. (No problems there, I don’t like horror movies.)
2. Don’t eat pineapple. (Oops!)
3. Don’t eat too much ice cream or other cold foods. (Oops!)
4. Don’t do any renovations to my house. If renovations are going on at my neighbour’s, try to stay with my in-laws.
5. Don’t gamble.
6. Don’t sew anything. (No worries there. Come to think of it, I don’t even own a needle and thread.)
7. Don’t use a hammer or make holes in anything.
8. Don’t eat crabs or your baby will grow up liking to pinch people. (Oops!)
9. Do drink lots of soya bean milk and eat other white foods so my baby will have fair skin.
10. Don’t eat or drink too much dark foods. Like coffee, for example. (Er, does chocolate count?)
11. Do look at pictures of good-looking people or cute things so my baby will come out cute. (I work at two celebrity and entertainment magazines, that’s got to help.)
12. Eat more. (Okay, about this one, I think I only need something like an extra 300 calories a day. I am not really supposed to be eating for two.)
On a slightly different note, I can’t believe I’m almost 30 weeks pregnant. I literally just counted. No wonder I’m like, huge all of a sudden. And hubby and I have made zero preparations. We haven’t bought a thing!
No. 10 probably includes bak kut teh…
I dun really believe either but no. 8 made me laugh. I ate quite a lot of crabs during my pregnancy; more than I usually do and joshie really likes to pinch people!
no.2. I thought only the chinese believe that eating pineapple is not good, but a colleague of mine got pregnant, the doctor in Germany did mention-avoid pineapple…..
I heard a new one yesterday: Don’t cut anything. No scissors or knives. If the Chinese had their way, pregnant women would sit in a corner and do absolutely nothing but eat white foods for nine months.
haha, this is hilarious! =)