Pregnant in Shanghai

Ha-ha! Bet you all opened this one up thinking I would have some big announcement. Nope, we are not pregnant, trying, or even thinking about another one so put your mind at ease. But, a lot of my friends here are pregnant (both Chinese and Western) and it has really brought to light some interesting cultural differences I'd like to share.

Let's start with what you can eat in drink while pregnant. In the US, we know to stay away from certain cheeses and seafood. Well, in China they say to stay away from watermelon (but nobody could tell me why) and do not drink anything cold.

I know the ladies out there may be wondering about maternity fashion in China. It's ugly, I gotta tell you. Picture 1970's tent tops and really unflattering overalls. The Chinese think it's bad for the baby if you wear tight clothes around your belly. But the best part is that most of the maternity tops here contain a special shield that supposedly protects the mom to be from radiation. Radiation caused by cell phones, computers, and fax machines. In fact, my Chinese friends were in shock that I sat in front of a computer for the entire 9 months of both of my pregnancies without protecting myself from the radiation! "And nothing is wrong with your kids?" they ask? "It's debatable but in general, no- they are fine" I respond. I find it funny that they are so concerned with protecting themselves against radiation yet they are breathing in poisonous air and showering in chlorine saturated water everyday.


Want to find out what you are having? Unless you hold a foreign passport, too bad for you. They will not tell the mother the sex of her unborn child here. Since they can only have one kid, too many ladies opt out if it's a girl- know what I mean? Nice.


Ok, so you make it through your 9 months, give birth, and now what? In the US, you are in and out of the hospital in 2 days and back on your feet asap. Here, you are in the hospital for a week with a routine birth and even longer with a c-section. Next, the new mom is not supposed to get out of bed for 30 days after giving birth! But wait- there's more. The Chinese also believe that a woman should not shower for 30 days after birth- eww! They think the water is dirty so you can get infected (probably true, now that I think about it).


That's what I've learned so far but as my friends get closer to their due dates, I am sure I will have more to share.