People who take old wives tales seriously...

[lagertops]

Especially RE pregnancy. Ive been asked a couple of times if ive 'found out' the sex of my baby by doing the ring on a string thing by people with a serious face. Also had a friend tell me that she just couldn't understand why her baby was born without loads of hair as she had really bad heartburn throughout pregnancy...

And today was the icing on the cake. My OHs step-grandmother absolutely demanded that I was in no uncertain terms to buy my babys pram until after he was born. I didnt bother asking why as she talks crap a lot until the third time she had said "Buy the cot, but do not get the baby's pushchair!!" and her reply was simply 'Its an old wives tale.'

Im sorry, but I cant be bothered with superstition to the point where it's affecting my practical choices. I know for most people its a bit of fun, but does anyone actually take this nonsense as gospel?

[goldenlula]

My nan used to say you must never tickle a babies feet 'As it would turn the mad' apparently

[roundtable]

I intend to make a few up mrsjay!

Actually, in all seriousness, especially since I'm more likely to have dil's, I'm going to keep my gob shut if it's not said in support or in mutual good humour. I'd like to have a good relationship with my future dil, not just my grandchildren if I should be so lucky.

[DoJo]

NO NO NO! Having a roast dinner and watching Lovejoy induces labour as anyone who was in my house the night my waters break should know! It's a shame that he's going to be mad though - I had to tickle his feet to get him to feed for the first week or so, and nobody warned me...

[Dobbiesmum]

I had a doctor telling me to not put my arms above my head for any length of time while pg because I suffered from low blood pressure, he specifically used hanging out washing as an example..
Sex worked for me twice
And out of my 3 DC's, the 2 who caused the worst heartburn came out with a mass of hair, the only one who only caused a couple of weeks worth was bald as an egg...
On the flip side I got a weird one from some random in the street who told me that because I was all bump it was obvious I was carrying a hidden twin who was probably on top of the other baby. It happens all the time on her planet apparently.

[Whowouldfardelsbear]

Ooh well maybe some logic behind the hanging out washing thing then.

Roast dinner worked for me, but I hadn't watched Lovejoy. Can't remember what I watched, but remember vomiting in the early hours and thinking what a waste of a naice beef joint that was.

[CostaLady]

When I was pregnant, a male work colleague slapped my legs because I had them crossed in a meeting, as it causes the cord to wrap round the baby's neck.

Mind you, this is the man who used to make his poor, previously tee-total wife drink a pint of Guiness and glass of red wine a night, even when suffering terrible sickness. Prat.

[PomBearWithAnOFRS]

When my pfb was teeny I was told many times (by my deranged then MiL and her even more deranged sister) not to look at the baby from over the top of his head from behind him as "when he looks up to see you, his eyeballs will roll right over in his head and he will go blind"
With hindsight, that turned out to be one of their more rational, saner pronouncements, hence the divorce...

[SarahStrattonIsBackForJustABit]

My MIL was insistent about that too, Pom. Never make a baby look upwards.

[digerd]

The pram/pushchair thing is a " don't tempt fate" thing, when infant mortality was much higher than it is now.

[charleyturtle]

My MIL told us not to keep the pram in the house and kept it in her house until about 2 weeks before my due date when I was told "its probably ok for you to have the pram now" I didn't get it at all, but didn't mind too much as our house is little so having the pram at hers gave us more room.

the day before I was due to be induced she invited us round for dinner, cooked a massive curry and for dessert everyone got fruit cake except for me who got an entire pineapple. the whole way through dinner she kept saying to dp "don't you think you should have sex with Charley tonight, you wont get another chance for weeks after the baby comes" she really kept on about it, which was weird. I didn't put it all together until SIL told me that MIL had spent the entire day googleing "how to bring on labour" and actually planned the entire meal around getting me in labour. Bless her.

I actually had been having slight labour pains all day but didn't want to make a fuss over dinner.

[Sparrowfarts]

The potential effects of going into labour shortly after consuming a whole pineapple scarcely bear thinking about

[AmberLeaf]

When I was pregnant, a male work colleague slapped my legs because I had them crossed in a meeting, as it causes the cord to wrap round the baby's neck

There is something about crossing your legs that must be founded in science, when I was 7 months pregnant with one of mine I was in hospital due to bleeding, I was laying in bed with my legs crossed at the ankle and the midwife told me I shouldn't do that...Ive forgotten the reason why though!

I think some old wives tales are based on something that is right, but many are just silly.

Re gender predictions, has anyone looked at the chinese gender prediction chart thing? My youngest child is 10 and Im not having any more, but I looked at theirs retrospectively and the chart was right on all of them. A few friends have done it too and it was right with theirs too.

Someone 'sciencey' please come and debunk it for me

[TheSmallClanger]

My mother gave a Moses basket to a friend before the birth, and the baby died (late 70s/early 80s, I think). She is the least superstitious person on earth normally, but she adheres to the baby equipment rule religiously. She means well.

[juniper9]

I'm happy for my LO to pop, so let's run through this list again, just in case:
sex, pineapples, walking, drinking tea, farting, driving over bumps, a curry, singing mama mia whilst doing the hula, roast dinner, the Archers, radio 4...

anything else?

I've done at least 5 of those in the last 24 hours. I'll be the group's guinea pig.

[TinyTear]

I think parents and maybe grandparents are ok with buying things, but i won't buy a present for a friend's baby until it's born...

with mine, there was the heartbeat thing - if it's a horse it's a girl, if it's a train it's a boy...

In my case it was a horse and a girl, but a friend of mine with 4 children said she has different things for each genter each time

[Sparrowfarts]

You know you have to do them all at once, don't you Juniper9?

[ZingWantsCake]

I was told that if you carry a boy your hair will grow faster.
but only on your legs!

yes, coz carrying a boy will raise your testosterone levels in your legs. what a load of bollocks!

[ImTooHecsyForYourParty]

I think it's about fear and control.

fear of bad things happening and the need to fool yourself that something that you can do can protect you against these things.

So salute a magpie, don't walk under a ladder, chuck salt over your shoulder, don't put shoes on the table, don't buy baby things...

and fool yourself that by doing so, you are in any way controlling an outcome.

[frogslegs35]

:) this takes me back.

I remember being given a few of these gems of advice while pregnant with my 3 dc. Particular favs were the heartburn = lots of hair
After suffering terribly with all 3, to the point of actually being surprised the path from my throat to stomach wasn't melted/burnt away - 3 dc all had a minimal smattering on their little heads.
Another I got told from good old Great Grandma was don't, under any circumstance, carry heavy bags as this will automatically wrap the cord around the baby's neck AND it's even more dangerous if you carry said heavy bag in the crook of your elbow wtaf Grandma? Same lady also advised me to eat lots of liver and drink guinness everyday with my first :@

Like some others, the only one I've any belief in is the sex to start you off, worked twice for me.

[CostaLady]

Oh, the bloody magpie thing. Why is it that I scoff at the idea that walking under ladders or smashing a mirror might bring me bad luck, yet each time I see a magpie I have to stop myself from saluting the fucker?

[MothershipG]

Juniper9 Cumin tea with a cube of raw potato, was the last thing I tried before DD2 finally decided to put in an appearance, so that must be what works.

I'd already done sex, curry, pineapple, reflexology, raspberry leaf tea; I badly didn't want to be induced!

[charleyturtle]

The crossing of the legs thing I think (but can't really remember it properly) that it is because there is a main artery in your leg so when you cross your legs you squish it a little and it can make you feel faint. Its the same one that runs behind your womb which is why they warn you about sleeping flat on your back because your bump squishes it. I had really low blood pressure when I was pregnant so the doctor gave me lots of advice on how to avoid fainting and those were the ones I remember best.

I guess the guiness thing is because of the high iron content. (because obviously there is no other way to get iron in your diet)

[SonorousBip]

Ah, mine is even better than that.

A lady in the village post office told my aunt, who mentioned that my baby was breech, that I needed to go int othe cupboard under the stairs with a torch...