Five Things a Pregnant Nigerian Woman was Not Allowed to Do in the Old Days

Getting pregnant as a Nigerian married woman is one of the greatest achievements that you as a woman can achieve according to the Nigerian culture. Giving birth to boys is also an added advantage that would make your husband take you more seriously and consider you as the root that keeps the family tree standing.

There were certain things that pregnant women were not advised to do and some of these things include:

Eat Slimy Food

Pregnant women were not allowed to eat slimy food, because back in the old days, it was believed that pregnant women who eat slimy food would end up having children with "cerebral palsy" Many pregnant women avoided slimy food and some would not even sit in the midst of people eating slimy food.

Staying Out In The Sun

Pregnant women were never allowed to stay out in the sun for too long because it was believed that women who stay out in the sweltering sun could end up giving birth to an albino. Pregnant women who had to go out in the hot sun were provided with a wrapper to cover their heads.

Do Not Pray To Have Twins

In some Nigerian cultures, giving birth to twins was considered a taboo! When parents prayed for their daughters, they said things like "you will be fruitful and one by one, you will fill up your husband's home with children" Twins, in the old days were thrown into the evil forest or drowned in the river. It was believed that it is unnatural to give birth to twins and that they bring evil to the land. A missionary named Mary Slessor abolished the killing of twins in Nigeria. So thanks to her, pregnant Nigerian women are free to dream of having twins.

Do Not Walk Around At Night

Pregnant women were advised against going out at night because evil spirits could possess her unborn child. Most cultures in Nigeria believe that the night was meant for spirits to roam and carry out their spiritual business. They also believe that evil spirits might possess and cause the child to turn out evil in order to bring his or her parents sorrow instead of joy.

The evil spirits are also thought to cause a child to be born with certain handicaps that could make the child grow up to become a miserable adult.

Most pregnant women were advised to walk around with a safety-pin pinned to their blouse. This is done in order to stop the evil spirits from possessing their unborn child.

Do Not Tell People You Are Pregnant

At the start of their pregnancy, Nigerian women (even till this day) are advised never to tell people that they are expecting, because it is believed that certain people might not be thrilled about your pregnancy and would do anything (including spiritual attack) to make sure you miscarry.

In this day and age some women still practise some of these old rules because they are afraid that if they don't, something terrible might happen to their babies. It is amazing what fear can cause humans to subject themselves to.