Filipino Pregnancy

How to tell the sex of the child

• If the stomach of the pregnant mother is high then the child will be a boy. 

• If the stomach of the pregnant mother is low then the child will be a girl.

• If the neck of the mother becomes dark then the child will be a boy.

• If the neck of the mother has no change in color then the child will be a girl.

• If you have a nice complexion then the child will be a boy.

During pregnancy

• The pregnant woman must not knit or hold scissors because it could cause the umbilical cord to break or be cut. 

• She must not wear jewelry around her neck otherwise the umbilical cord will tangle around the baby’s neck.

• If there is an earthquake while she is pregnant, a widow must wash her hair and whole body.

• If there is a death, the pregnant woman must not attend the funeral.

• After conceiving, do not pick fruits or flowers because the plant will die and thus, the baby.

• She must not carry anything heavy early in the pregnancy.

• It's important to not eat too many sweets because the baby will be big.

• The pregnant woman should not play with dolls otherwise her baby will be mute.

• If the pregnant woman is always mad at a certain person, the baby will look like that person.

• If she sleeps too much, she will have swollen legs.

• If she craves certain foods during pregnancy, the baby will have certain characteristics 

• The woman must sleep at night, otherwise, when the baby is born, it will keep her awake at night.

Labor and Delivery

• Every Sunday, the pregnant woman should go to church to pray that the delivery will be safe.

• It's important to not stop when walking through doorways, the pregnant woman must go straight inside the house because if she does stop, she will have difficulty delivering the baby.

• Eat lots of butter and warabi to make the birth canal slippery.

• Eating the sap from a certain flower will ease the pain of delivery.

After Birth

• No work of any kind
• No big steps when you walk
• No cold water
• Hot water only
• No driving
• No showers
• Hot baths only
• No cold food
• Hot food only
• No spicy or gassy foods (e.g. cabbage) or it will make the milk spicy or gassy for the baby
• No reading the newspaper for one month because bad news will hex the baby.

• In the Philippines, immediately after the birth, the mother would stand in front of a special fire to warm the mother’s body. 

• The mother would also be told to wrap a cloth around the hips to keep the pelvic area together.

• In the Philippines, after birth, the placenta may be hung from a tree or buried with a paper and pencil to make the baby smart.

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