Lessons and Legends

Sunday, December 16th, 2007

UltraBob and I attended the first and the second of three parenting classes offered by the city last week. Let me tell you, he is going to be a wonderful daddy: He was the only father there both times. Well… to be fair for their husbands, those classes were on weekdays so it must have been difficult for most of the salarymen in Japan to take the days off. The classes covered the progression of a normal pregnancy, nutritional guidance, etc. We also got some healthy recipes and had a chance to try some actual foods. It was nice to hear from experts in the classes although most of what they talked about were things we’d already read in books. At the final class next week, we will learn how to bathe a baby and get to practice with a dummy baby. I’m excited.


Ultrasound pic at six months

I’ve found some Japanese myths/superstitions about pregnancy you might find interesting/weird:

  • If you have a pointy belly or your facial impression becomes bitter, your baby is a boy.

  • If you have a baby boy, your body becomes hairy.

  • Eating lots of abalone makes your baby’s eyes beautiful.

  • Always keeping the bathroom clean brings you a wonderful baby.

  • You should not attend funerals while pregnant.

  • You should not touch water right after delivery.

  • Seeing the scene of a fire makes your baby have a birthmark or makes your delivery difficult.

Of course, none of these are absolutely true, but I can kind of see why people used to say some of these things. Do you have any myths… I mean advice for me !?

UltraGirl

By UltraGirl at 02:49 PM Link to this post here!
7 comment s


  • on December 16th, 2007 11:20 PM Jessica said:

    Those are some pretty interesting myths. I don’t know of any baby myths.

  • on December 17th, 2007 09:49 AM UltraMom said:

    I am trying to leave you a comment but UltraBob keeps skyping me! Those myths are very interesting, but most seem kind of silly to me. I seem to remember some of those myths; sometimes called “old wives tales” from UltraDad’s mother, but can’t recall any in detail. Something about if you carry the baby high it will be one sex and low the other, but can’t remember which is which. She always claimed to know the sex or each of her five children before they were born by that method.
    I d o know you are not supposed to sit in a hot, hottub.(James Brown was right) But that, I think, is medical.
    Yes, I too think UltraBob will be a very good Dad, or at least a very interactive one.

  • on December 17th, 2007 08:30 PM chenoa said:

    I know some old wives’ tales that are similar:
    •If you’re carrying high = girl; low = boy
    •If baby has a high heartbeat = girl; low = boy
    •If mother grows lots of extra hair = girl (so opposite of in Japan, I guess)
    •If mother craves sweets = girl; sour = boy
    •If you hang a ring on a string above your belly and it moves in circles = girl; swings in a straight line = boy
    •There’s also one about which side the baby kicks more on determines the sex (can’t remember which side is which)
    •If you have a lot of heartburn, baby will have lots of hair.
    I don’t really believe in any of them, but it’s kind of fun to try and predict.

  • on December 17th, 2007 10:25 PM Ultrabob said:

    The heartburn = lots of hair thing makes me think maybe we are having a puppy after all.

    So Chenoa are you carrying the baby high, growing lots of extra hair, craving sweets, and swinging strings in circles?

    Please answer in rhyming couplet, no more than 5,000 words.

  • on December 17th, 2007 11:06 PM UltraGirl said:

    These are interesting!  I’ve heard the one “craving sour = boy” here as well.  Recently I felt the first kick, and I think I get kicked on the left side mostly.  As long as I’m carrying a human baby and not a puppy, I don’t care about the sex wink

  • on December 18th, 2007 04:28 PM chenoa said:

    Everyone knows real poetry doesn’t rhyme—except within the cathedrals of one’s own soul.…
    I carried low, average heartbeat, no noticeable hair growth pattern changes, liked both sweets and sours, and the string started out in a straight line and then began circling, no heartburn. Sounds like we are having a baby fence-sitter.
    Are you two finding out the sex or is it a surprise? If it’s a surprise, I admire you—you have more will power than I did.

  • on December 22nd, 2007 09:33 AM Myoung said:

    sorry that I check!
    This is Myoung in Osaka!
    anyway! Omedetou!Omedetou!

    Photo is so nice!
    I didn’t know you get marry before you said you gonna be a father. ^^

    I also think UltraBob will be a very good Dad.
    I am so envy you.
    now you are the real Otona. Cool!