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?

[juniper9]

Well I tried 'doing the rude' last night and ended up leaking some unknown clear water all over the bed. Rang triage and they said to go in.

Ended up in a delivery room, about to be induced by the obstetrician, when I asked her to actually check my waters had gone. Apparently they're still intact and that was my 'back waters' my back has water?!

So I'm adding eating rice, having a nap, muesli, doing the washing and hiccuping to my list now. It's getting quite hard to co-ordinate them all.

I hope you all appreciate my dedication to exploring these myths. It has nothing to do with being sick of being pregnant; I'm doing it for the MN collective. In the name of science.

[juniper9]

I don't understand how people can be superstitious / believe old wives' tales and yet claim to be atheist. If you believe that something is controlling life's events, then you believe in something 'higher', surely?

[kinkyfuckery]

Oh yes, all the old wives tales pointed towards me carrying boys with both of my DC. Their penises obviously fell off in-utero, poor willi-less boys

[Dobbiesmum]

Anyway a good old shag in the hope of getting labour going is more pleasant than other ways!

I'm fairly certain that it's possible for people to have a good understanding of the way the world works but still have a sneaking respect for old superstitions. I'm also fairly certain (and hopeful) that the majority of people don't get so nastily patronising to loved ones who hold with these beliefs in real life. I assume you feel superior to those people who hold religious beliefs as well?
This has annoyed me more than I thought it would. The arrogant nasty tone in some replies are pretty breathtaking!

[Dobbiesmum]

Juniper it'll be hind waters, mine came out first all 3 times (after sex. So there!).

[drmelons]

I will start a new old wives tale......
Drinking tequila makes you pregnant!

Well it certainly did in my experience anyway!

[garlicbaguette]

Dobbies, these stories are about adults interfering in other people's lives. That isn't a pleasant thing to do to a person, even when the interferer believes they have good scientific cause. When they're doing it on the basis of some old gobshite that possibly made sense 300 years ago, it's even harder to shrug off gracefully.

The real miracle, to me, is that most of us do manage a degree of grace!

Some of them really are dangerous, too. What about all the people who still believe you can't get pregnant the first time you have sex, if you have sex standing up, if you douche with vinegar afterwards, and so on? There are a lot of very young mothers who've found out the hard way ...

Folklore is responsible for elephants being killed for their tusks, tigers for their teeth, monkeys being eaten alive, and a host more atrocities. In South Africa, folklore says men can rid themselves of disease by having sex with a virgin :( It's not all harmless shite and I reject it all.

[garlicbaguette]

Drmelons, that must be true, it happens so often

[juniper9]

garlicbaguette the belief in some African cultures is that you're born with luck, and so a younger person has more luck. A virgin, in particular, is luckier, so a young virgin is the best way to secure luck. Therefore, if you have sex with them, it will clear your VD.

There was a horrific case a few years ago about a mother who left her newborn in the care of two AIDS sufferers, knowing what was going to happen.

[nickelbabe]

in general superstition, I always say to a single magpie "morning Mr Magpie how's your wife?"
I was thinking about this on monday when i saw a single magpie and decided not to say it. then as i passed him, I thought how fucking rude of me to refuse to say hello to this magpie, what's he done?!

so I turned round and said it to him.

[nickelbabe]

the arms above head thing:
I get low blood pressure, so not clever anyway, but UI was bellydancing right until the week before i gave birth - lots of arm raising. and DD's cord was wrapped round her neck twice.

so nur

[nickelbabe]

AKiss
ohh, that might be true - my tooth had to be repaired when i was pg.
and it got a crack down the front
nothing at all to do with the fact it had been broken by a toasted sandwich 9 years before and i decided to get it repaired properly while it was free oh no

[Dobbiesmum]

I totally agree that it can cause distress LaQueen it was more the tone of some posts that was getting to me (granted I've had a bit of a 'do' recently with someone about my own fairly unsuperstitious beliefs which may have coloured my view somewhat, sorry if I sounded snitty ).

I think I've actually been misunderstanding what old wives tales are. I've always assumed that they are connected to folklore, the black cat being unlucky type thing rather than what people are talking about here. I am, in a word, a dick..
Fwiw I googled the sugar water thing, the amount of forums I've had a look at where parents are being advised to give it to babies by HCP's is bizarre. It seems to be given for colic, constipation and the hiccups! Never heard of it being given to keep a baby warm though, what's wrong with a blanket?
Am now slinking off into the distance feeling an utter numpty...

[CruCru]

Re the lifting washing above your head - my trainer wouldn't let me lift weights above my shoulders. Partly because of sudden changes in blood pressure and partly because my stomach muscles were being separated, making it harder for me to rely on my core to safely lift (I think).

Lifting sopping washing is very heavy, not hanging up loads of sheets just before you give birth would have been sensible once.

[juniper9]

I struggled to lift the washing machine above my head too

[ShowOfHands]

Zing, I'm not being arrogant. I'm not telling anybody what did or didn't start labour. I simply don't know. What I'm saying is that you cannot categorically say what started labour, nobody can because they don't actually know how labour starts. We do know that in every conceivable trial or test carried out, sex has shown no cause and effect link to labour starting. What you're talking about re prostaglandins in sperm is theory only. There are prostaglandins in semen just as you'll find a specific enzyme in pineapple which is also associated with the beginning of labour. But we know they aren't found in significant enough quantities to make any difference. And as far as the theory is concerned, the prostaglandins you find in semen are far more likely to have an effect on you if ingested orally and interestingly, research has shown that a slightly higher percentage of people have started labour after ingesting them orally than after sex but still absolutely no evidence whatsoever to suggest anything other than coincidence.

So no, I'm not being smug, I'm being honest and realistic. I'm not saying people don't have sex and then have babies some time afterwards. I'm saying people have sex all the way through pregnancy with no ill effects, people have sex right at the end all the time and no labour. And research tells us that it doesn't work as well as logic. It's the time old MN adage of anecdotes not equalling data.

And I'm aware of the research. My friend did a PhD in it and I helped her out quite a lot!

Sorry you think I'm being arrogant. I'm not. I truly see no harm in people believing what they want about their own bodies. They may even be right. As I said in my earlier post, what I don't like is that all the old wives' tales (which is all they are as science has found no basis for them) being used to tell pregnant women or any women what to do. I know too many women who have ended up thoroughly demoralised, sore and unhappy because they've been told categorically that x has been found to start labour and you should do it when it simply isn't true.

[GroupieGirl]

Drmelons what a crock of shit. Everyone know it's cider.

[DaleyBump]

Shit. I'm getting married on the 5th of November. I'm due on the 30th. I'm not going to my wedding, am I?

[AndHarry]

My favourite ridiculous 'tip' was when I was pg with DS and not-so-DSIL was Very Concerned because I was eating poppyseed bread and so DS would be born with a heroin addiction

[purrpurr]

Daley you like a deadline huh?

Juniper, seconding the hiccups. I hiccuped at random like a drunk tramp at the start of my labour.

[ZingWantsCake]

andharry

ah for getting that wrong! there's opium in poppyseeds, not herion - do correct them!

[AdaProgrammer]

I think "Gain a child, lose a tooth" must have some basis in fact, otherwise why would we be given free dental treatment during pregnancy? Mind you, I lost a tooth despite the free treatment.