Nigerian Myths: Myths About Pregnant Women

Photo credit: Maternitynest, Nigeria

Nigerians are a group of people with interesting and rather unbelievable beliefs. There are loads of myths in Nigeria which might seem true, wise or ridiculous. I am going to point out some Nigerian myths concerning pregnant women

• Pregant women MUST never set their eyes on masquerades: There is a belief which is held by majority of ancient Nigerians that pregnant women must not set their eyes on masquerades so as to avoid giving birth to a child that looks like a masquerade

• The Myth of Wearing Safety Pins: As a young girl, I had always wondered why most of the pregnant women around me attached safety pins to their clothes. After a few years, I discovered that the technique was used to supposedly drive away the demons who are always lurking in the air. Weird, uhn?

• Wearing stones with wrappers: Another Nigerian myth about pregnancy involves attacking stones to the wrapper of a pregnant woman. The woman in question would have yl carry the stones together with the weight of the baby. It is believed to reduce labour pains

• Time Limitation: It is believed by the inhabitants of some tribes in Nigeria, that a pregnant woman MUST never go out from 2pm-4pm and in the midnight. This is to prevent demons from entering the womb

• A Pregnant Woman Should Never Eat Snails: Nigerians believe that pregnant women shouldn't eat snails in order to avoid giving birth to an imbecile.

• A Pregnant Woman Should Never Eat A Lizard: It is also believed that a pregnant woman should avoid eat lizards. If she does, her baby's head would supposedly take the shape of a lizard's head

  These myths are slowly going into extinction as a result of the new generation. Still, we should try to revisit them, maybe even for a good laugh, as some of them seem bizarre and out of this world 😂