One common belief was that if the mother longed for a particular food it was an indication that the child itself wanted it and if the mother didn't fill this craving the child would be born with a birth mark that would resemble that food. One example given was that of a little boy who was born with the red mark of a strawberry on his forehead. His mother during her pregnancy craved these berries and she wasn't able to get any. Another story tells of how one woman's husband walked fifteen miles in the dead of winter to get her a bottle of bakeapple jam.
Mother getting a fright during pregnancy
It was also believed that if the woman got a fright during her pregnancy the baby would be born with a defect. One story which originated in Argentia was about a mother's baby who was born with one hand missing. It was said that she got a fright when another child rushed in and told her that one of her children had chopped off his hand. The shock that she encountered was believed to cause her baby's abnormality.
Other superstitions surrounding pregnancy
"Mocking is catching" was a common expression in the communities of the Placentia area and had special significance for an expectant woman. It refers to the belief that if you made fun of someone who was deformed in some way your child might be born the same way. A story is told of how one woman used to scorn a little retarded boy who used to pretend that he was driving an imaginary automobile. After she had her own child she discovered that it was retarded in the same way as that little boy.
The belief that "you should never downtrod anyone less fortunate than yourself" was very important. There was this one woman who used to go over to a neighbour's house when there was a thunder and lightening storm because she was afraid. The neighbour started getting annoyed with her and her children, so one day she remarked to one of her friends "there comes that woman and her dirty bunch of 'litter-bons' (little pigs) again." When this woman had a child of her own one of its feet was shaped like that of a pig.
It was also believed that if a woman was impatient or irritable, during her pregnancy, the baby would dominant these traits.
1Placentia Historical Society. (1973). Opportunities for Youth Summer Project '73.
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This Page is part of a Historical and Cultural Web Site created by students of Laval High School, Placentia, NFLD (A0B 2Y0) .Updated Jan/2000 |
