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Is it bad to watch horror films while pregnant? SUPERSTITIONS

17 replies

LDNmummy · 29/07/2011 22:16

My mum just shouted (yes SHOUTED) at me for watching Paranormal Activity 2.

Obviously I saw no issue with it, but she is very superstitious and thinks it will have some affect on the baby Hmm

She shouted "switch it off, switch it off!" as if something seriously wrong was going to happen.

Anyone else encountered this or similar superstitions?

OP posts:
EdithWeston · 29/07/2011 22:19

Not really - but I really wouldn't recommend "Alien" whilst PG!

notlettingthefearshow · 29/07/2011 22:22

I've never heard of that superstition! I have been told off in general for watching horror films (I am somewhat susceptible to nightmares) but not heard of any reason why it's bad in pregnancy!

HidingInTheUndergrowth · 30/07/2011 11:13

I think your mum is being a bit Hmm

But then last night I watched a film with a particularly scary birth and evil baby in it, which with hindsight really wasn't a great idea :o

mumwithdice · 30/07/2011 11:17

Well, I wouldn't recommend watching Rosemary's Baby Grin! Having said that, I was in the middle of reading The Midwich Cuckoos when I went for one of DD's scans.

She's fine . . .except those golden eyes are a bit odd Wink

Seriously, though, I think it's related to the old medieval superstition that if a mother sees something unpleasant, her baby will look like said unpleasant thing.

LaWeasel · 30/07/2011 11:23

Erm nope!

I did go totally off them though, and haven't really fancied them ever since.

ghosteditor · 30/07/2011 11:34

This is a very old superstition which states that what a pregnant women experiences can imprint on the baby - was prevalent in the middle ages right up to the Victorian era (and obviously beyond). It's utter rubbish, of course...

Oeisha · 30/07/2011 11:49

Utter bollocks. She wouldn't stop you watching a Disney film just because they're awful, saccarine, nauseating pap.

NotJustKangaskhan · 30/07/2011 12:02

As others have said, it comes from the concept that what a pregnant woman does with imprint on the baby. The idea is found in a lot of cultures, actually, even these days - a lot of people will say things like there baby/child likes X food because their mum ate a lot of it when pregnant or people who try to play a particular type of music while pregnant in hopes of making the baby a fan. I haven't heard it against horror movies, but I do know of women who try to do more good deeds/give more to charity/go to holy sites while pregnant in hopes of passing on good traits to their child.

milkyways · 30/07/2011 13:50

My sister told me not to watch horror films whilst pregnant with DD...it was really hard because I love horror films, and I did try to watch happy things to keep myself positive and happy! Anyway, I don't get time to watch horrors these days with this pregnancy - we've had Tangled in the DVD player for the past 2 months now thanks to DD :D

TBH, Paranormal Activity 2 isn't even scary. It's just like watching CCTV footage for an hour. Part 1 was the scary one!

annekins · 31/07/2011 06:56

While I don't think it's bad to watch scary films, I have to say that I'm a lot for sensitive to things now, and there are a lot of things that I won't watch, mainly as I do think they'll make me physically sick and give me nightmares. This pregnancy thing is very bizarre sometimes!

Thanks for the reminder about Alien...DH has bought the blu-ray box set and is planning a marathon this weekend..though I don't think Beauty and the Beast will be an acceptable alternative.

VagueThrowaway20 · 31/05/2020 01:27

Ok so I know this is a very old thread (and I am also not a parent nor am I expecting, and I am only 15) but while it is true that the whole ‘expecting mother seeing unpleasant things will make her child unpleasant’ is completely false, it is true that watching Horror/Thriller films during pregnancy is absolutely not recommended, as your stress response is unsafe for the unborn baby. Hope this helps anyone who also stumbled across this thread!

CoolNoMore · 31/05/2020 01:49

Continued stress may cause issues, if at a high level (sudden bereavement, homelessness, other Big Things). Watching a 90 minute film that makes you jump a few times is not a problem.

MRSSGS · 31/05/2020 07:00

Depends on how you react to it, if it upsets you, triggers anxiety then it will have an effect on the baby but if your just jumping and not really scared then no I can't see it doing any harm at all. Would only like doing exercise for a short period then your heart rate would go back to normal. It's if your heart rate is elevated for long periods xx

Persipan · 31/05/2020 08:11

My mum wouldn't watch Rosemary's Baby while she was pregnant with me... but her name was Rosemary!

bee222 · 31/05/2020 09:06

it is true that watching Horror/Thriller films during pregnancy is absolutely not recommended

Ok, first of all - this is bollocks. I dealt with the stress and upset of one of my best friends taking his own life whilst I was pregnant. Baby was fine. What do you think causes more stress? That, or a silly little horror film? Stress is bad for babies, not jump scares from a film.

Also, genuinely interested to know why a 15 year old, who is not pregnant, has come onto a forum for pregnant women to revive a 9 year old thread to perpetuate pregnancy myths?

Chl00 · 31/05/2020 09:54

I’ve heard that you shouldn’t make a pregnant woman jump/ scare them because it can be bad so maybe that’s why.. I’m not sure how true it is though

CoolNoMore · 31/05/2020 11:42

@bee222 is it worth getting this thread deleted? It's such bollocks info and the chances are someone will read it and panic.

Very, very sorry about your friend. Suicide is so grim.

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