I was raised listening to traditional old wives tales handed down from my abuelita and my tías. When I became pregnant with my first baby, the advice was given freely. Moms-to-be often hear lots of pregnancy advice but Latina moms-to-be also get a lot of well-meaning advice based on traditional beliefs and superstition, most of which has no basis in science. But if your abuelita cares enough to share her wisdom, especially if she's had nine kids like mine did, you better lovingly listen out of respect.
When I was pregnant I was stressed enough as it was just being pregnant and hoping for a healthy baby. So to relieve a little bit of that stress here are the 10 common old wives tales about pregnancy believed by our Latina mamis and abuelas that have absolutely no scientific evidence to back them up so no worries.
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1. If your baby bump is like a basketball all out front you are having a boy and if it is more spread throughout your middle, you are having a girl. This was absolutely true for me, though.
2. If you gain weight in your face you are having a baby girl and if you get a big butt during pregnancy, you are having a boy. When I was pregnant, my lips, boobs and butt all got bigger.
3. While pregnant, if you hold a female baby and she is fussy, you are having a baby girl. If she is calm, you are having a boy and vice versa.
4. If you lift your hands above your head, you will wrap the umbilical cord around the baby's neck and strangle him to death. I never tested this one, nor did I wear heels for fear that my uterus would slip in the wrong direction.
5. If you watch a lunar eclipse during pregnancy, you must wear red chonies or your baby will be deformed. Luckily there were no eclipses but if there were, I probably would have been wearing my red panties.
6. If you see something horrendous or ugly, your baby will be feo too.
7. If you have a lot of heartburn, your baby will be hairy. I had no heartburn and both children were born with full heads of curly, black hair.
8. If you cut your hair while pregnant, your baby will be born blind. Never cut my hair while pregnant, looked like La India Maria on delivery day.
9. If the mom-to-be is having a girl, she will be ugly and if she is pregnant with a boy, she will be glowing. I never felt ugly while pregnant with my girls but I did feel sick … a lot.
10. If a mom-to-be doesn't get what she is craving, the baby will be born with it's tongue sticking out like a puppy dog. All cravings were satisfied; babies tongues were in their mouths.
These are just a few of the Latina old wives tales I heard while pregnant.
Image via David Leo Veksler/Flickr
