The following information was compiled from interviews with women of Korean ancestry living in Hawaii.  This page is not a substitute for medical care.  Please see your doctor or health care provider if you are pregnant.

PRENATAL PERIOD

• In modern-day Korea, it is not uncommon for a pregnant woman to receive monthly sonograms.
• It is illegal in Korea to find out the sex of a baby until it is born. However, Koreans have identified signs which are believed to predict the sex of an unborn child. For instance:

          

                 If a pregnant woman . . .                                               If she . . .                            

• has no morning sickness                                                          has intense morning sickness
• has a rounded tummy                                                               has a pointed tummy
• likes to eat meat                                                                      craves sour foods, and fruits and vegetables         
• sees a strong animal in a dream . . .                                       sees pretty flowers, jewelry, pearls in water in s dream . . . 

           

                     the baby will be a boy.                                                              the baby will be a girl.  

 Culturally-based practices intended to favorably influence fetal development include . . .

        To ensure a healthy baby, a pregnant woman  . . .                 To ensure a smart baby, she  . . .

• looks at nice pictures.                                                               eats nicely-shaped, brightly-colored, attractive fruits.
• refrains from thinking bad thoughts.                                             relaxes and thinks positive thoughts.
  
• avoids talking about bad things.                                                        reads religious material.      
• listens to classical music.                                                                         studies math and listens to classical music.                                                                        

To ensure a good-looking baby, she . . .

•  collects pictures of attractive famous people and/or good-looking babies.
•  eats nice fruits. (It is believed that if ugly/rotten fruits are consumed, the baby will be unattractive or deformed.)
•   tries to avoid harboring hatred toward others. (The baby will inherit the traits it's mother disliked in the individual(s). 

    
Activities prohibited during pregnancy include . . .

• Don't run (walk slowly); don't exercise too much. (These actions will lead to miscarriage.)
• Don't attend funerals, or view a dead body. (Spirit of the deceased will be jealous, and harm/kill the baby.)

LABOR & DELIVERY

• Historically, Korean culture dictated that a pregnant woman's husband was not allowed to be present during labor and delivery: only her mother-in-law (and/or mother) was permitted to be there. (Today, it is not uncommon for a man/husband to witness the birth of his child(ren).
• A woman is expected to endure labor quietly: she must not cry loudly or shout during the birthing process.

To ensure a safe labor and delivery . . .                                                              

• the home where a woman will give birth must be kept clean.                  Korean   for "expectant mother" 
• sick or troubled persons are not permitted to visit.                                                                            

POST-PARTAL PERIOD              

• A woman enjoys a three-week to one-month post-partal "recovery" period, during which time she can expect to be cosseted (i.e., pampered) by her mother-in-law. Traditionally, this has been especially true if a woman gave birth to a male child. (One interviewee reported that she knew of husbands who left home for a few days because they were  disappointed that they did not "get a son." She also reported that, following the birth of a female child, a woman's mother-in-law might overtly press her to bear additional children, to "try for a baby boy.")
• For at least one week after giving birth, a woman must not not take a tub-bath; only sponge-baths are permitted.
• Following birth of a child, a woman's body is to be kept covered; warmth is believed to promote healing. (It is believed that, if a woman is not kept warm during the post-partal period, rheumatism and bone problems will occur later in life.)
• During the post-partal period, a woman is encouraged not to be overly active, but she may perform non-strenuous duties in the home.
• Only immediate family members are permitted to see a newborn in the initial post-partal period. (Others must wait at least 15 days, or up to one month, to visit.)
• After a newborn's umbilical cord falls off, and for the first year of the baby's life, a mother keeps the cord "stump" in a special place, along with the blanket and clothing first used by her child.
• For at least two weeks after giving birth, a woman will eat seaweed soup (miyeok guk) one or more times each day. (The ingredients in this soup are believed to promote breast milk production and quality, as well as increase energy and advance healing in the post-partal period: one interviewee stated the dish "helps flush out and push out the bad stuff.")