Maternity; The Western and Chinese Traditions.

All over the world, when a woman becomes pregnant, they are customarily expected to act in a certain way and observe local traditions. Customary maternity practices will differ depending on what part of the world you are in, but the most visible differences come from the maternity customs practiced in the West and those that are observed in China. Here are some of the major differences.

Western Maternity Practices

Maternity practices in the west are generally based on large amounts of medical and scientific research as to what is best for mother and child. In terms of these practices, modern western traditions are approximately 200 years old having their roots in the early 1800’s when the modern medical profession began. As such western parents take a rational and logical approach to the whole issue of pregnancy, and tend to follow their doctor’s orders to the letter.

While there are no hard and fast rules pertaining to a western pregnancy it is expected that the mother should eat correctly, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and avoid tobacco and alcohol. A western pregnancy is exemplified by regularly visiting the doctor, receiving comprehensive check ups, and basically ensuring that both mother and child are in good health. Overall western maternity practices make extensive use of all the modern technology available, this included prenatal tests for genetic defects, and ensuring that the child’s development is progressing as expected.

The most common complaint that pregnant women in the west have when pregnant is “morning sickness”(also known as Nausea, Vomiting of Pregnancy or Emesis Gravidarum). Morning sickness is a phenomenon that is experienced by approximately 50 to 95% of all women during their pregnancy and is displayed with symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Although NVP can occur at any point during the day it is most common when a pregnant woman wakes up from a night of sleep, ergo the name, morning sickness.

A developing theory in regards to unborn child development in the west is that by reading aloud to the fetus, and playing classical music (Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach) will have a positive impact on the child’s neural development and essentially make the baby smarter. This has not been conclusively proven by science but is still a popular theory and many expectant mothers in the west will spend their evenings at home reading Shakespeare and Dickens aloud while listening to Mozart.

During western pregnancies it is common for the expectant mother to have a party for the unborn child. These parties are referred to as “baby showers” and typically close friends and relatives will gather to celebrate the new life and give the parents gifts that will be useful when the baby is born. Baby showers have no medical significance, but are considered an important aspect of any western pregnancy, and can be likened to a bridal shower for when a woman gets married.

In terms of the western ideals of keeping both mother and child healthy, these will typically follow the normal standards of modern healthy living. Western pregnancy traditions will not change dramatically from country to country although currently there is an ongoing debate in regards to the circumcision of male children and whether this actually causes more harm than good. Traditionally circumcision was important in times when genital hygiene was not rigorously practiced and, especially in tropical locations, infections of the foreskin were common. Nowadays there is a strong argument the circumcision is no longer medically necessary leading to a departure from this once standard tradition.

Traditional Chinese Maternity Practices.

In contrast with the very tame, unchanging, and scientifically based maternity practices in the west, Chinese traditions, especially to someone who has not experienced them before, can seem rather strange. Chinese pregnancy traditions start when a couple is first married with the husband carrying his wife over a pan of burning coals when entering their home for the first time. This is meant to ensure that when the woman does fall pregnant she will pass through her labor successfully. The roots of this tradition date back to times where there was a high chance of death while in childbirth, however, according to modern science there is no reliable basis that this practice actually increases the woman’s chance of surviving the birth.

Once pregnant an expectant mother, according to Chinese traditions, must guard her thoughts against anything negative or hurtful as it is believed that everything experienced by a mother will have an effect on the unborn child. With this in mind it is expected that a pregnant Chinese woman will read beautiful stories and poetry (not necessarily aloud), not look at contrasting colors, sit on crooked mats (this will affect the child’s balance), loose her temper (this will cause the child to have a bad outlook on life), or gossip. Sexual activities are forbidden during a Chinese pregnancy as this, it is believed, can potentially have a severe and lasting impact on the child and cause them to be social outcasts for their future lives.

Food plays a very important part in any Chinese pregnancy and there are many ancient taboos in regards to what an expectant mother may or may not eat. If foods are not prepared properly it is believed that they can cause the child to have a poor social disposition and by eating light colored foods a mother can cause her child to have a lighter complexion (in traditional Chinese social structures this is important because field workers and peasants often have a darker complexion than anyone else in society due to the fact that they spend so much of their time in the sun). Spicy foods are believed to cause heart problems, and cold foods can affect the child’s brain. Seafood, it is thought, (especially shellfish that are not properly prepared) can cause birthmarks or harelip (cleft pallet), and other cosmetic deformities. Overall the stringent conditions attached to food have their roots in a time where disease was rife and food was not properly cleaned and cooked. Essentially all taboos relating to food are a safety measure against disease.

It is traditional for Chinese women to drink a strong herbal potion during their pregnancy (usually one containing willow bark), this has been noted to have some extremely beneficial anesthetic effects and is similar in idea to the pain relieving medications given to western mothers. Traditionally women are expected not to fear the labor and birthing process as this was customarily considered “the career” or sole function, of women in Chinese society.

Overall both Chinese and Western practices, while having the potential to be drastically different and rooted in conflicting cultural ideals and social mores, have the same interests at heart; the protection of both the mother and the child and the successful completion of the birthing process. In the modern world we have the ability to understand more about the way that different cultures react to maternity and the reasons for these reactions. This gives women all over the world new options for how they approach their pregnancy and give them a higher chance of having a healthy and happy baby.

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August 20, 2007 | Filed Under Health Issues 

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