25 Pregnancy Beliefs From Around the World

Women in Turkey are encouraged not to look at bears, monkeys, and camels while pregnant.

Pregnant women in Japan are urged to use positive thinking, imagery, and listen to music.

It is thought in China that pregant women should avoid using glue or other adhesives, as it may cause birthing complications. Also, hammering nails is thought to cause deformity in the fetus.

In the Orthodox Jewish culture, many women do not prepare for their babies (nurseries, showers), or reveal the baby's name in advance for fear of tempting the angel of death.

Some pregnant women in the Hispanic/Latino culture believe that unsatisfied pregnancy cravings may cause birth marks.

To prepare for birth in the Jamaican culture, some believe that an open Bible needs to be present in the room where the mother is going to give birth.

In the Korean culture, there is an order of people that women must tell they are pregnant. She must tell the mother-in-law first. Then she tells her husband and then her own mother.

Balinese mamas-to-be avoid eating octopus, as it is believed that doing so brings difficult deliveries.

Pregnant women in Guatemala, particularly those of Mayan descent, may stay at home throughout the entire nine months of their gestation out of fear of exposure to illness, evil spirits, or the ill will of others.

Pregnant women avoid inflating balloons or blowing bubbles with gum while pregnant to prevent premature rupturing of the membranes.

Pregnant women were once advised not to enter graveyards in Ireland. If they did, their child would starve and be weak. Also, if a woman twisted her foot on a grave, her baby was thought to be born with a clubfoot.

Some Italians believe that once a woman begins telling people she is pregnant, she must tell everyone else right away. It's thought that if she doesn't, the baby will never speak, or won't speak for a very long time!

In Russia, people used to believe that childbirth would be easy if both the woman and her husband revealed the names of all of their previous lovers.

In Portugal, some believe that pets, such as cats or dogs, should be kept away from a pregnant woman to avoid having a hairy baby.

It is believed by some in the UK that the baby's heart rate can predict the sex. A faster heart rate means the woman is carrying a girl, and a slower one means it's a boy.

An ancient belief of the Orkney Islands, an archipelago of islands in northern Scotland, is that pregnant women should sleep with knives and the Bible under her bed to ward off evil spirits.

In Mongolia, some believe that two pregnant women should never touch each other, as it can switch the baby's sex.

The Akamba people of Kenya believe that a pregnant woman should not see a dead body, because the spirit of the dead can endanger the pregnancy.

In Germany, the government offices keep a list of "accepted names" that parents must adhere to when registering the name of their child. Parents must give a compelling reason if they want to give their child an unusual name. The government policy is intended to stop potential ridicule of a child with a name that's too different.

Some in Malta believe that if a woman had rain on her wedding day, the birth of her first child will be an easy one.

In Brazil, pregnant women are treated like princesses, always being ushered to the front of any line so they don't have to wait.

(Sounds a lot like New York City. Said no one ever.)

Some mamas-to-be in Sri Lanka are forbidden from eating mangos, vinegar, and pineapple during the first three months of their pregnancy out of fear of miscarriage.

Women in India believe that pregnancy is a "hot state" and try not to eat hot or spicy foods to avoid becoming overheated. They gravitate toward more cooling foods, such as milk products, fruits, and vegetables.

In Cuba, pregnant women won't let anyone they don't know or trust touch their pregnant belly.

Many people in Switzerland believe it's bad luck to tell anyone the name you choose for your child before the birth.