In the past, cultural notions of pregnancy in Korea have
been significantly different in comparison to Western-style health care.
Interviews conducted with Korean women and family, by members of the
HCC NURS 254 class, Group 1, indicate that tradtional notions of prenatal
care continue to co-exist with a more
Western-style approach
The purpose of this webpage is to explore Korean culture,
with regard to pregnancy. We are in no way promoting a Western healthcare
model, over more traditional Korean prenatal pregnancy practices or beliefs.
Viewers of this webpage should consider that Korean culture has prospered
for several millenia, long before the notions included in contemporary Western
healthcare practices were even considered.
Comments (based on our interviews) are listed below and
are not meant in any way as suggestions for prenatal care. If you think
you are pregnant, it's very important to contact your health-care provider
and schedule an appointment.
Mahalo from the HCC ADN Class of 2009
Pregnancy
Awareness
General
malaise and missed menstrual periods appear to be universal indicators of
possible pregnancy. South Korea
is an industrialized country and has access to many of the same over-the-counter
medicines & preparations that we have access to in the U.S.
One way for a Korean woman to determine whether or not she is pregnant
is to self-administer an over-the-counter test. An ultrasound confirms
the pregnancy.
In
Korea,
doctors are prohibited by law from telling prospective parents the gender
of the baby, due to a cultural preference for male babies.
In traditional settings, a pregnant woman's mother-in -law or sister
has a dream; also the Chinese doctor can tell if you are pregnant by feeling
your pulse (he can detect an extra heart beat). Dreams are a
very important traditional element of pregnancy. There will be a dream;
a "tae mong" by a sister, mother, or mother-in-law. The baby's gender
is determined by what is seen in the tae mong (see below).
Telling
Others About a Pregnancy
A pregnant woman in Korea, might tell her husband first,
when it has been confirmed. A pregnant woman's mother might also
be the first person to know. Also; pregnancy out of wedlock carries
cultural stigma (may result in abortion - a doctor might be the first person
to know).
Prenatal Care
Pregnant women in Korea often go to their OB/GYN doctor and are prescribed
a regimen of prenatal vitamins. Traditional prenatal care is given by
the woman's mother, or mother-in-law. The pregnant woman may also go
to the Chinese doctor for herbs and other traditional medicine.
Prenatal Determination of Baby's Gender
Dreams - The baby will be a boy, if the tae
mong
shows a tiger, dragon, a fruit with a seed in it, or a strong, muscular animal.
If the tae mong shows a bird, snake, ring, or a flower, the baby will
be a girl. The kind of pulse the Chinese doctor feels is also indicative
of the baby's gender.
Cravings - sour
foods/fruits indicate the baby will be a girl; carvings for meat or
sweet foods indicates a boy.
Physiological signs -
If the mother has a pointed stomach and no morning sickness it will
be a girl; if the mother has a rounded stomach with morning sickness then
it will be a boy.
Presence of Significant Others
In present day Korea, husbands will go with their wives to
appointments, and may be present during delivery. Traditionally, males
were not allowed in the delivery room, or where the baby was born. Mothers-in-law
also play significant roles throughout the pregnancy and during the delivery.
Also (traditionally), while mother gives birth, the father is responsible
for hanging a special rope made out of twine to let people know that a child
was born, and to stay away from the home. People were not allowed to cross
the rope or come to the home (no visitors) for 100 days after the child is
born. After that there is a celebration when they will present the baby to
everyone else.
Ensuring the Baby's Health
Traditionally, pregnant women would not go to the
funerals for fear the unborn child might be harmed by an evil spirit or ghost
(cause a miscarriage). The pregnant woman should not exercise - there is a
fear that the baby may be not safe during exercise. This includes no
heavy lifting. Eating healthy food is important. It was believed
that if the mother was frightened during the day, she would have bad dreams
at night. This would interfer with the mother's ability to get enough
rest and/or relax. Scary movies were also considered to have a negative
effect on the mother's ability to rest and/or relax. A pregnant woman
should listen to good music as this was considered to encourage relaxation.
In the early
pregnancy,
she shouldn’t ride in an airplane, or on a bike, to protect against
miscarriage. 
Other Restrictions
Avoid Korean herbs at the begining of the pregnancy, stay
away from strong spices, don't eat ugly food (i.e., irregular shaped fruit,
etc...). Eat seaweed soup 1-2 weeks prior to birth (helps clean blood
out). Traditionally, pregnant Korean women don't work in the dirt
or touch dirty things. Foods with irregular shape, or surface are thought
to cause similar characteristics in the baby (For example, if you eat chicken
skin while pregnant, the baby will have bumpy skin when born; if you eat duck
the child will have webbed feet). Eating blemished or bruised
fruit will cause the baby's face to be ugly at birth.
Traditionally, a pregnant woman would also keep her belly covered, and
not wear pants (abdominal restriction might cause harm to the baby).
Generational
Differences
Traditionally, women who experience complications during
pregnancy believe
they are somehow at fault, while younger generations believe there are physiological/metabolic
causes for problems. One of the interviewees indicated that her mother
and sister experienced "tae
mong"
dreams in which they saw things that indicated the gender of the baby they
carried but she did not have the "tae mong" dreams. She also said she
followed some traditional beliefs during her pregnancy, but not strictly.
Note: Information for this webpage was obtained from a very small sample (we
interviewed just a few people). South Korea is subdivided into many
smaller regions, each of which may have their own regional views and beliefs
about prenatal care.
We appreciate your feedback! Please email
us your comments.
Return to the Transcultural
Index
Posted November 5, 2008
Photo credits - Pregnant Women (2 separate photos) by John M. Warner.
