It has recently come to light that many of us have irrational (if totally logical to us) superstitions, both in general and surrounding our pregnancies. Let's share! What have you done/not done the past few months because of superstitions?
I am an incredibly superstitious person. I knock on wood constantly, and I try not to speak in absolutes about the future. I mentioned this on another thread, but I only took my menstrual cup out of my purse last week because after I didn't get my period in October I was worried it would jinx the pregnancy if I took the cup out. I only took it out now because at this point a menstrual cup would not be helpful at all if anything went wrong with the baby.
I am also really hesitant to speak in definitive statements about what is coming next with the pregnancy/baby. I keep saying things like "if all goes well then xyz..." I totally believe that (rational or not!) if I verbalize the assumption that everything will go as planned something will go terribly wrong. This is mostly illogical because I'm an atheist, so I don't know who I'm expecting to pull the strings so things go wrong? I'm not clear on that, but damn if I don't believe it! Thinking about it reminds me of that hilarious Amy Schumer/Bill Nye skit about "the Universe" sending messages/gifts/etc to middle class white ladies.
I'm not superstitious and I'm kind of a twat and like doing things that are "bad luck" to irk people who are... Watch what you post If life were a horror movie, I die first...
The Jewish religion is particularly superstitious. My very religious grandmother actually prefers not to even speak of my pregnancy. If she does speak of my pregnancy she immediately says, "Kina Hora" which is a Yiddish phrase that is supposed to ward off evil spirits from anything that is considered a blessing.
A lot of Jewish people consider having any baby related items in your home prior to the successful delivery of a healthy baby to be unlucky and baby showers are an absolute NO NO!
That being said, I feel comfortable having a nursery set up and purchasing items before baby is here. But here's some things I won't do: 1) I won't call the baby by its intended name; I will only call it "baby." 2) I won't post anything on social media until the baby is born.
I don't know that I would consider it superstitious but when I was in the 2 week wait, my sister was kind enough to unload a gazillion boxes of tampons and pads on me. I almost didn't take them because I thought if I did, I would actually need them. Thankfully, that positive popped up on my pregnancy test a week or so later.
Not my superstition, but my Grandmom doesn't go to baby showers. My sister, my cousin, and I are all having babies within due within a month of each other, and she won't be attending any of the showers. It's absolutely fine with me, but people still ask about whether or not she's coming. Once the baby arrives, she'll be there with gifts and to celebrate.
She told me that she went to one baby shower, almost 70 years ago. I asked if everything turned out ok and she just shook her head. I said, "Well then I don't want you at mine anyway. Your track record is awful." I think she flipped me off. She's sweet.
I find myself being superstitious in weird ways. I avoid reading a lot about things that go wrong during pregnancy because I somehow think that if I'm aware of the possibility, it might happen.
I'm in no way religious. Agnostic at most. So I don't know what kind of boogie man I'm thinking will doom me, but it's hard to get those thoughts out of your head.
@DominiqueU I love your grandma. My dad and his mom are/were both REALLY superstitious, so I think I picked up the habit from them.
@ButterMyBiscuit hah! I would have thought the opposite, that not taking them because I might be pregnant would definitely mean I wasn't pregnant.
@stephweinstein I worked for a Jewish museum for a long time and always particularly enjoyed the superstition, as a very superstitious person myself. My 85 year old coworker and I saw eye to eye on basically everything that was not rational.
I haven't been that superstitious with this pregnancy, but when I was pregnant with DS, I had a bad dream that I'd miscarried while I was at school during the school day. In the dream, I was in the bathroom when I found out and I was wearing solid white underwear. I didn't wear solid white underwear for the rest of the pregnancy, because I was afraid I'd jinx myself.
So there's this boy. He kinda stole my heart. He calls me "Mom"
@oneliloaktree13 I only let myself take one pregnancy test because once I got a positive I was terrified of getting a negative. And I still look at it sometimes. Even now, when I can feel him moving all the time.
@oneliloaktree13 I only let myself take one pregnancy test because once I got a positive I was terrified of getting a negative. And I still look at it sometimes. Even now, when I can feel him moving all the time.
I watched them get darker and darker, only reason I have so many. Plus, good deal on the strips from Amazon.
Me 28 DH 30 Married May 16th, 2015 EDD July 1st July16 May siggy challenge "May the Force be with you"
Just saw some of the superstitions listed on the Viability Party thread; they make me feel happy I'm not the only one who still checks my toilet paper and keeps tampons in the cabinet. Sigh...pregnancy is such a mind-f*ck sometimes.
So I'm not a crazy superstitious person, but I have kept the 3 pregnancy tests I took. I can't bring myself to throw them away. I also still have tampons in my purse and still check tp for blood every time I go to the bathroom-same with my underwear, even though I know it's just discharge.. Nice to know I'm not alone
Just saw some of the superstitions listed on the Viability Party thread; they make me feel happy I'm not the only one who still checks my toilet paper and keeps tampons in the cabinet. Sigh...pregnancy is such a mind-f*ck sometimes.
Towards the end of pregnancy we will all do a 180 and be hoping to see blood or mucus on the TP as a sign that the mucus plug has come out.
My menstrual cup is still in my purse - even though I should need a new size from here on out. I still have my ONE pregnancy test, still sitting on my desk so I can look at it here. I have to check the toilet paper and underwear every time (except in the middle of the night, lol), and I'm convince that if I don't have at least some readiness for a preemie (like a tiny pack of preemie diapers and onesies) plus having everything done by 34 weeks, I will DEFINITELY have an early baby. Like, as long as I'm prepared for the possibility, it won't actually happen. The best part is, I don't actually think of myself as superstitious typically. I walk under ladders and love black cats and such.
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Me: 33 DH: 32 Married 7/18/15 1st born at 35+4 on 6/6/16 Team green turned BLUE! 2nd born at 38+6 on 8/30/18 Team green turned PINK! Due with #3 on 6/6/20 Team Green
I still have tampons in my hand bag even though I know they wouldn't cut it if I did eventually need them.
I'm being a bit superstitious atm buying a house. I refuse to call it my house, or make any concrete plans until all the checks come back ok. This is even though we've already signed the contract and paid the deposit. I'm just worried that something with the bank or the pest and build will go wrong.
ETA: I also don't participate in the PGAL thread, because it scares me all the ways different women have had loses. I'm happier in my bubble thinking nothing can go wrong once you are out of the first trimester even though I am proof that it can.
ETA2: looks like my house superstition might be right. Just got called by the pest and build inspector and he thinks it has major structural damage and recomends getting an engineer out to check cost. God damn it.
Mine is not pregnancy related....I always refused to store my work address in the navigation system in my car... I was worried that as soon as I did it, I would get fired.
11 years later, I still work at the same place, and they just put me in the advertising campaign lol. Still not gonna do it tho
There are a lot of Chinese superstitions but the one I follow says pregnant women should not use scissors to cut things while pregnant for fear of something happening to baby (I forgot what). Since I am a big couponer, I have made my poor hubby cut all my coupons for me or if he's busy, I resort to tearing it off myself. Corny, I know but I still can't help it!
I find this thread fascinating. I don't have any superstitions. My mom does though. I don't get it, like at all. Never had really. I don't judge any one for them though.
I am definitely not superstitious. I had no clue that people kept their pregnancy tests. Aren't they gross? I kept it for a few days and threw it away. I mean I had peed on it...
@RideNRunMomma Yeah, I don't have any of the stereotypical superstitions, like black cats or ladders. But tons of my own random ones, that all usually come down to me not wanting to ask the Universe to prove me wrong.
I am definitely not superstitious. I had no clue that people kept their pregnancy tests. Aren't they gross? I kept it for a few days and threw it away. I mean I had peed on it...
Haha I thought the same thing! I didn't know it was a thing to save them. I am an unbelievably sentimental person but it never even occurred to me to keep that. I think I looked at it for like five minutes and then tossed it...
I'm mostly not superstitious, with three exceptions:
-I would NEVER say things are quiet at work (I'm a nurse) -I prepare myself for a crazy shift when I'm scheduled to work on a full moon -I knock on wood if I jynx myself (like if I say I've never broken a bone or something)
I'm mostly not superstitious, with three exceptions:
-I would NEVER say things are quiet at work (I'm a nurse) -I prepare myself for a crazy shift when I'm scheduled to work on a full moon -I knock on wood if I jynx myself (like if I say I've never broken a bone or something)
I'm mostly not superstitious, with three exceptions:
-I would NEVER say things are quiet at work (I'm a nurse) -I prepare myself for a crazy shift when I'm scheduled to work on a full moon -I knock on wood if I jynx myself (like if I say I've never broken a bone or something)
Yes! Full moons are awful shifts.
Yeah, ok. As I nurse I agree with the first two. Say it's calm or quiet and watch how quickly that changes. Plus the full moon brings out the crazy.
Just saw some of the superstitions listed on the Viability Party thread; they make me feel happy I'm not the only one who still checks my toilet paper and keeps tampons in the cabinet. Sigh...pregnancy is such a mind-f*ck sometimes.
I still have my digital pregnancy test but I threw the other ones away because they were fading a lot. I keep it in one of those small ziploc bags and it also has a cap on the end.
I am very superstitious as a nurse and will attack anyone who says it's "quiet" and completely agree with the full moon thing (though I don't work evenings or nights anymore).
I was excited to celebrate the viability party though from personal experience I know that at 24 weeks baby still has a lot of cooking to do! My cousin's wife had her baby at 31 weeks due to HELLP syndrome and still 5 years later, baby still has a lot of health issues. When I make it past that point, I will have my own private party!
@benten24@DobbysSock the full moon is a lot to handle as a teacher, I cannot imagine it as a nurse!
@PugsandKisses@benten24@sboston06 I never believed in full moon craziness until I was a nurse. But I've never met a nurse who doesn't believe in it! I have no idea why, but there is truth to it.
@elenabrent that's so funny - my mom (teacher) says the same thing! I thought it was a crazy heath care professional thing but I made a comment to my mom about it and she said all of the teachers at her school believe there's something to the full moon, and that the kids are just OFF when it happens.
I'm Catholic. My H and I had been trying for DD#1 for a while without success, then my co-worker (also Catholic) gave me a St. Anne prayer bracelet which I used and kept in my purse. We got pregnant soon after. When we were ready to try this time, I put the bracelet back in my purse and we got pregnant right away.
For my last pregnancy I checked the TP every time. This time it's about 50%. Only reason for the decrease must be that I am always getting interrupted in the bathroom by my toddler.
I 100% agree with the full moon thing. It was true when I was a bartender and way more so now in healthcare. There have been more than a few times where I walked outside to check and was right! Haha.
Whenever I sneeze and no-one is around, I bless myself. Growing up going to Catholic schools and possibly watching The Exorcist too young, I have a pretty big (likely irrational) fear of being possessed. So when I was randomly reading about the origins of the expression "Bless you," I started saying "Bless me" if no-one was around to do it.
Just found out that apparently I'm superstitious about keeping my pee sticks. I was reading some of these to my fiancé and he just informed me that he may have threw mine out and I nearly cried, even though baby was bashing my uterus in at the time. Turns out he just moved them, but still.
When I first suspected I was pregnant I refused to acknowledge the fact that I might be to anyone. When we picked up pregnancy tests, I went and bought a box of tampons as well even though fiancé insisted I wouldn't need them.
I have my own silly things so that I don't jinx myself, checking the toilet paper and such. I don't believe black cats are evil or anything like that though. The full moon is a thing period even in animal medicine and I swear you can tell when it's coming the week before!
I have to fill out the pre-registration form for my hospital by week 28. I looked at it yesterday and was so afraid to fill in my current address because we are house-hunting. Even if we buy a house today, we won't have closed on it by the time this form is due to be submitted. But I'm so superstitious about house hunting!
Ladies I am the most superstition crazy person I know lol..i knock on wood all the time to where I actually carry on my bra a little peice of wood! I call it my woodena!! Everyone thinks I'm crazy lol yes I am! I slept with this wooden plaque since age 5 and I knock on it when I think of bad things..it's related to anxiety. But I can't carry that around so I carry my woodena..ok also I carry around a tampoon in my purse . I had it in there're since I found out I was preg and I feel if I take it out something will happen . I also won't wear any pair of underwear that I would wear during my period. I know it sounds crazy but it makes me feel better lol. Yes FTM
Re: Superstition!
I am also really hesitant to speak in definitive statements about what is coming next with the pregnancy/baby. I keep saying things like "if all goes well then xyz..." I totally believe that (rational or not!) if I verbalize the assumption that everything will go as planned something will go terribly wrong. This is mostly illogical because I'm an atheist, so I don't know who I'm expecting to pull the strings so things go wrong? I'm not clear on that, but damn if I don't believe it! Thinking about it reminds me of that hilarious Amy Schumer/Bill Nye skit about "the Universe" sending messages/gifts/etc to middle class white ladies.
The Jewish religion is particularly superstitious. My very religious grandmother actually prefers not to even speak of my pregnancy. If she does speak of my pregnancy she immediately says, "Kina Hora" which is a Yiddish phrase that is supposed to ward off evil spirits from anything that is considered a blessing.
A lot of Jewish people consider having any baby related items in your home prior to the successful delivery of a healthy baby to be unlucky and baby showers are an absolute NO NO!
That being said, I feel comfortable having a nursery set up and purchasing items before baby is here. But here's some things I won't do: 1) I won't call the baby by its intended name; I will only call it "baby." 2) I won't post anything on social media until the baby is born.
Married: October 23, 2010
DS: 8/7/2013
#2 EDD: 6/29/2016, C Section: 6/22/2016
July BMB May Signature Challenge
She told me that she went to one baby shower, almost 70 years ago. I asked if everything turned out ok and she just shook her head. I said, "Well then I don't want you at mine anyway. Your track record is awful." I think she flipped me off. She's sweet.
I find myself being superstitious in weird ways. I avoid reading a lot about things that go wrong during pregnancy because I somehow think that if I'm aware of the possibility, it might happen.
I'm in no way religious. Agnostic at most. So I don't know what kind of boogie man I'm thinking will doom me, but it's hard to get those thoughts out of your head.
@ButterMyBiscuit hah! I would have thought the opposite, that not taking them because I might be pregnant would definitely mean I wasn't pregnant.
@stephweinstein I worked for a Jewish museum for a long time and always particularly enjoyed the superstition, as a very superstitious person myself. My 85 year old coworker and I saw eye to eye on basically everything that was not rational.
So there's this boy. He kinda stole my heart. He calls me "Mom"
Voted "Mom of the Year" 2012 Sweetpea Mom Awards
Married May 16th, 2015
EDD July 1st
July16 May siggy challenge "May the Force be with you"
Married May 16th, 2015
EDD July 1st
July16 May siggy challenge "May the Force be with you"
Married: October 23, 2010
DS: 8/7/2013
#2 EDD: 6/29/2016, C Section: 6/22/2016
DH: 32
Married 7/18/15
1st born at 35+4 on 6/6/16
Team green turned BLUE!
2nd born at 38+6 on 8/30/18
Team green turned PINK!
Due with #3 on 6/6/20 Team Green
I still have tampons in my hand bag even though I know they wouldn't cut it if I did eventually need them.
I'm being a bit superstitious atm buying a house. I refuse to call it my house, or make any concrete plans until all the checks come back ok. This is even though we've already signed the contract and paid the deposit. I'm just worried that something with the bank or the pest and build will go wrong.
ETA: I also don't participate in the PGAL thread, because it scares me all the ways different women have had loses. I'm happier in my bubble thinking nothing can go wrong once you are out of the first trimester even though I am proof that it can.
ETA2: looks like my house superstition might be right. Just got called by the pest and build inspector and he thinks it has major structural damage and recomends getting an engineer out to check cost. God damn it.
Little boy due July 31st 2016
11 years later, I still work at the same place, and they just put me in the advertising campaign lol. Still not gonna do it tho
I don't judge any one for them though.
-I would NEVER say things are quiet at work (I'm a nurse)
-I prepare myself for a crazy shift when I'm scheduled to work on a full moon
-I knock on wood if I jynx myself (like if I say I've never broken a bone or something)
Plus the full moon brings out the crazy.
I am very superstitious as a nurse and will attack anyone who says it's "quiet" and completely agree with the full moon thing (though I don't work evenings or nights anymore).
I was excited to celebrate the viability party though from personal experience I know that at 24 weeks baby still has a lot of cooking to do! My cousin's wife had her baby at 31 weeks due to HELLP syndrome and still 5 years later, baby still has a lot of health issues. When I make it past that point, I will have my own private party!
@elenabrent that's so funny - my mom (teacher) says the same thing! I thought it was a crazy heath care professional thing but I made a comment to my mom about it and she said all of the teachers at her school believe there's something to the full moon, and that the kids are just OFF when it happens.
When I first suspected I was pregnant I refused to acknowledge the fact that I might be to anyone. When we picked up pregnancy tests, I went and bought a box of tampons as well even though fiancé insisted I wouldn't need them.