Pamahiin

After I became pregnant last December, I have been deluged with a lot of advice on how to take care of myself and my unborn child from family, friends and even from random people on the street. But the ones I find most amusing are the pamahiin or old wives' tales that are part and parcel of our culture, usually rattled off by our elders, to ward off sickness, evil or merely to ensure having a bright, well-mannered kid.

Here are a few that I've heard of or have been advised of… :)

Lihi. Food cravings or fixation on something (blame it on the darned hormones!) are something a pregnant woman usually has to deal with. My Lola's advice? Avoid looking at ugly things or animals to ensure that I won't have an ugly or deformed baby. And not to eat dark-colored food. Eating puto, for instance, means that my child will be born fair-skinned as opposed to chowing on dinuguan which will result to him being dark-skinned. Hehe… Go figure.

Placenta & Cord. These days, the hospital takes care of disposing the placenta. But when giving birth at home was still the norm, the placenta was buried (with a prayer, of course) to keep evil spirits from getting to it, eating it and thus turning your child bad. Others bury it wrapped in a newspaper so that the baby will grow up intelligent (or with a musical instrument if you want him to be musically-inclined).

It's also been said that a mother should tie & hang all her children's umbilical cords together by a window so that her kids would grow up close and bonded.

Staying Awake. New moms are discouraged from falling asleep immediately after childbirth to keep spirits from swapping her baby with their own.

Good Luck. If the baby was born with his placental sac still intact, the mother should keep it because it will bring good luck.

Visitors can also place coins in the baby's hand and on each side of his pillow when they first visit him for more good luck. (Pwede bills na lang, hehe!)

Usog. Now, the hubby really stands by this belief. Since I'm in Zamboanga right now and will have to travel with our baby to Manila once he comes home, we have to have the baby blessed in Church (in lieu of the actual Baptism which has yet to take place) before he travels. Babies aren't supposed to travel if they haven't been christened yet.

Another way to prevent usog is to have the baby wear one of those black-and-red bracelets, which you can buy from those stalls around Quiapo church or other shrines, or some other blessed emblems to be pinned to the baby's clothes.

And, for added protection, you can allow visiting family and friends to moisten their fingers with their saliva and surreptitiously apply it to the baby's feet (I think on the soles).

Hiccups. If the baby's hiccupping too much, all that's needed to be done is to get a piece of thread from his clothing, wet it with your saliva and place it on the baby's forehead.

First Pillow. One thing that's supposed to guarantee your baby will grow up smart is to use a book (or other reading material) as his pillow. But what's usually done is to find a thin paperback and insert it into his pillowcase with the pillow. (I actually like this one… hopefully my baby grows up loving to read!)

First Solid Feeding. When it's time to start feeding your baby solid food, the first subo given to him should be by someone whose eating habits you'd like the baby to possess. So, pick any hearty eater you know and have him/her do it so the child won't grow up finicky and choosy about food.

First Haircut. Pinoy babies usually get their first haircut on their first birthday. And the first person to make that first snip should be someone who has the qualities you'd like your child to have. The magic is strengthened by keeping that lock of the baby's hair inside a book (a Bible if you want him growing up prayerful and good).

Baptism. They say the reason babies cry when the Holy Water is poured on their heads is because they're being purged of bad spirits (he's actually just shocked from the cold water, hehe!). And for the baby to grow up sociable and confident, the christening gown should be hung some place where guests can see it, or pass by it, during the reception.

Keeping Bad Spirits/Negative Energy Away. Don't position the baby's crib in the center of your home. Never leave him alone. Or, if you have to leave him for a while, place a sharp object, such as a scissor or knife, near him or under his bed.

And kissing a baby's feet supposedly causes the baby to rebel against you when he grows up (but I love kissing baby feet!).

First Birthday. If you want to know what the baby's future passion will be, spread different things that are representative of different interests, out in front of him during his first birthday. After he blows out his birthday candle, watch what he plays with first.

Walking Early. Use your saliva, before you've gargled in the morning, to massage your baby's knees at the beginning of each day. Or get a live frog, slap it on your baby's knees then let the frog go. Gross!!!

Talking. A baby, who hasn't yet learned how to speak, shouldn't be allowed to kiss a doll (because he'll have trouble learning how to talk) or kiss another baby (because they'll both be waiting for each other to learn to talk). And, a mom can feed her baby tongue meat and, errr… female organ meat from pigs to ensure their loquaciousness. :)

First Day in School. Another way to ensure that the child will grow up intelligent is to feed him lugaw (or maybe any other soup) sprinkled and mixed with the ashes of cut-out letters (or numbers if you want a Math whiz) after he comes home from his first day of school. Pwede kayang alphabet soup na lang? :)

I know there are a lot more that I haven't heard of. I'm not a particularly superstitious person but, as my mom says, I've got nothing to lose if I follow some of them. But I'm not about to feed my baby female organ meat from pigs or slap a frog on his knees or any of the really ridiculous ones.