Family - Pregnancy

Pregnancy and Culture
There are many cultural beliefs surrounding conception and pregnancy. In medieval Europe it was generally believed that babies were conceived by a spirit entering a woman’s naval, and they and many other cultures, including some Eskimos and Australian aboriginal tribes, believed that a baby’s spirit enters the mother the first time she feels it quicken. In contrast Roman Catholics believe that a baby’s spirit enters at conception, which is one of the reasons they are resolutely anti-abortion.

Food Beliefs During Pregnancy
Food beliefs concerning pregnancy are prevalent in most cultures across the world, and are influenced by the beliefs and view of pregnancy as well as medical facts and guidelines. In many Western cultures, for example, some food and drinks are avoided because of the fear of infection or damage to the unborn baby, and these may vary from country to country, such as the consumption of unpasterised dairy products.

The concept of hot and cold is one that is often referred to in pregnancy. This is a fairly alien concept to many people in the UK, but has its roots in Chinese and Eastern medicine. Hot and cold are not references to the actual temperature of the food, but rather the effect the food types have on the body. Generally speaking, ‘hot’ foods are higher in calories and are used to treat pallor and weakness because they provide more energy for activity, but can be generalized as wintery foods that make you feel warm. Cold foods are simply the opposite, being energy light and usually vegetables, raw or lightly cooked. Neutral foods are classified “as the great mainstays, starch staples and ordinary white-fleshed fish” that should be consumed daily. A healthy person maintains a neutral state, eating the traditional neutral cereal, and balancing his or her intake of hot and cold foods.

Like all cultural beliefs, this becomes highlighted during pregnancy, so in China cold foods are avoided in pregnancy for fear of miscarriage, in Bolivia pregnancy is believed to be a ‘hot’ state and so cold foods are avoided, while in Peurto Rico the consumption of hot foods are encouraged to prevent the baby being born with a rash!