Asian pregnancy superstition

From keeping a dagger under your bed to avoiding a full moon, we look at pregnancy beliefs from across the globe. It's believed evils spirits can steal a baby from the womb, so she should only ever let close family members near her, guarding her bump fiercely from strangers. One strange tradition relates to the humble bed, which is an important symbol of fertility in China - sharp objects, such as needles or scissors, are forbidden on or near the bed, as it signals the cutting of the umbilical cord or could lead to birth defects. On the flipside, a dagger is permitted under the bed - that's used to ward off evil spirits who may linger around an unborn child.

The ethnic Chinese in both neighbours share a common culture and historical heritage. In September , large crowds of people flocked to the Bukit Minyak Industrial area near Bukit Mertajam , seeking good luck from a piece of granite. Nearby residents claimed the stone had been worshipped for several years, then abandoned. The number of people visiting the area increased as word started to spread; some came from as far as Kuala Lumpur. Local residents erected temporary stalls selling prayer paraphernalia, flowers, fruits and holy water with which to bathe the stone.

Debunking this old-wives tale, it turns out that scientific research studies point to the beneficial effects of eating watermelon during pregnancy. These benefits include: swelling reduction, muscle cramp relief, heartburn relief, boosting in energy levels. Therefore washing your hair would be the same as watching your fortunes go down the drain — not a good thing to begin the year with.

All over the world, pregnant women are bombarded with opinions about what to eat and what to avoid. All too often, sound advice gets lost in a stew of badly-reported science and old wives' tales. For women in Korea, pregnancy tastes of seaweed soup. In South Africa, many Zulu women are given Isihlambezo, a herbal concoction that can include anything from daisies and milkweed to dried hyrax urine.