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Knowing a new family member on the way, most parent-to-be are often eager to share the good news with their friends and families. Yet, most are often advised to hold back their excitement and announce their pregnancy only after 3 months. Why is there a “taboo” in announcing your pregnancy in your first trimester? Why do we have to wait until three months later?
The traditional reasoning: To avoid offending the God of Baby (Fetal God)
Most elders believe that the God of Baby will be around to protect the mum and baby during the first 100 days of pregnancy. The baby is said to be in a very unstable condition and may leave anytime due to clash or other reasons. If the pregnancy news were announced too early, the God of Baby may get offended and try to harm the baby, causing miscarriage. Thus, it’s best to avoid offending the God of Baby or any clash event during the most unstable period in the first 3 months of pregnancy.
The believers also follow the following taboos under the traditional pregnancy custom: Pregnant ladies should not move house, climb high up, use scisscors/needle/hammer, do heavy housechores, be patted from the back, etc to avoid offending the God of Baby.
Although these taboos may seemed to be superstitious now, most pregnant ladies follow the taboos advised by the elderly at homes to keep them rest assured and of course, for the sake of the safety and health of the baby.
The Scientific Reasoning: First 3 months of pregnancy is the most crucial period
While you may not believe in the tales of God of Baby, it is not illogical to advise against announcing pregnancy in the first 3 months from the medical perspective as well. According to the medical statistics, 50% of matched sperms did not grow into a baby eventually. The first three months of pregnancy is very unstable, with foetus having 1/5 chance of miscarriage due to chromosome or other genes abnormality. Also, 80% of miscarriage cases are reported to happen in the first 3 months of pregnancy. Hence, it’s not too late to wait until after 3 months before announcing your pregnancy.
Thus, from a scientific perspective, this is actually a taboo to prevent any unnecessary disappointment and pressure coming from friends and family members.
While pregnant ladies are generally advised to follow the taboo, some are not hesitant about announcing their pregnancy. The question is, how many pregnant ladies follow the taboos?
Green – Believe, did not tell anyone except husband.
Orange – Believe, did inform close friends and family
Yellow – Did not believe, announce the news immediately
Blue – Others
**Data collected from verywed forum
Having said these, every pregnant lady should be cautious about their daily activities and take extra care in their daily lifestyle to allow a good environment for foetus development. Whether to announce the pregnancy after 3 months or not, it’s best that both parent-to-be reach a consensus before deciding.
What say you? Share it out to find out!
Translated from: 为什么怀孕三个月不能说？这不是迷信的传说！
