Episode 262: Pregnancy Folklore & Superstitions Around The World

Welcome to Episode 262: Pregnancy Folklore & Superstitions Around The World! Across history, pregnancy was treated less like a medical condition and more like a supernatural vulnerability. The old beliefs of Appalachia insist that laboring women shouldn’t look outside at night, seek their reflection in a mirror, speak certain names, or even leave clothes hanging outside… because “things” could follow them home after birth. In parts of Eastern Europe, women were considered spiritually “open” after birth. Demons or witches could enter newly opened bodies. Iron and scissors were placed under beds for protection from the evil eye. Jewish postpartum beliefs included hanging amulets near laboring mothers to ward off Lilith from entering through windows at night to steal infants from mothers. Across Scandinavian and Celtic folklore, changelings were of major concern. The fae could steal newborns and replace them with sickly copies. Across the globe, pregnant women were thought to exist in a dangerous liminal state between worlds. Some cultures treated birth as a demonic vulnerability. Others treated it as a profound spiritual power. A woman in labor was believed to stand between worlds. Join us this week as Nat & Aly sample haunted pregnancy rituals and beliefs from around the world! TIME STAMPS 00:00:00 HOOK & INTRO 00:14:08 STORY BEGINS 00:18:41 FIRSTLEAF AD 00:20:35 MIRRORS OPEN PORTALS 00:29:00 BLISSY AD 00:31:00 PREGNANCY BODY HORROR 00:36:18 GOODR AD 00:37:51 UBUME & JAPANESE PREGNANCY RITUALS 00:58:11 TRADITIONAL NAVAJO BELIEFS 01:00:17 CHINESE GHOST MONTH 01:06:00 ICELANDIC ELVES 01:11:00 TOGOLESE PREGNANCY BELIEFS 01:22:10 INUIT TRADITIONS 01:24:28 POSTPARTUM CONFINEMENT 01:38:20 CLOSING THOUGHTS 01:49:00 SECRET PASSWORD AND DONOR SHOUTOUTS! SPONSORS: Wake up with clearer skin, smoother hair, and cooler sleep—use code LGHPOD for an extra 30% off at https://blissy.com/LGHPOD. Go to https://tryfirstleaf.com/haunted to sign up and get 50% off your first box plus free shipping for a year. Head to https://goodr.com/HAUNTED to claim $10 off your first order. —— HOW TO SUPPORT US: Want to learn more about Patreon? Check out this FAQ vid: ⁠https://bit.ly/41KeRDT⁠ Join the Patreon today!⁠ https://patreon.com/letsgethaunted⁠ LGH Link Tree:⁠ https://linktr.ee/letsgethaunted⁠ Buy Our Merch:⁠ https://www.letsgethaunted.com⁠ Check out the photo dump for this week’s episode:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/letsgethaunted⁠ Send us fan mail: PO BOX 1658, Camarillo, CA 93011 Send us your listener stories: ⁠www.letsgethaunted.com⁠ or ⁠LetsGetHauntedPod@gmail.com⁠ Call us: 1-805-253-2441 —— SELF PROMO: Aly's Launching a solo podcast in 2027, follow along here: ⁠⁠https://instagram.com/frightsizedpod⁠⁠ Nat wrote a romance novel, purchase here: Amazon Kindle ⁠⁠https://a.co/78hzQn9⁠⁠ Spotify Audiobook ⁠⁠http://bit.ly/44DuQ90⁠ —— AUDIO/VISUAL CREDITS: STOCK VIDEO ASSETS USED IN THIS EPISODE WERE ALL PURCHASED AND LICENSED VIA ⁠STORYBLOCKS.COM⁠ ALL OTHER AUDIO ASSETS LICENSED AND PURCHASED THROUGH: ⁠https://www.epidemicsound.com/ —— KEYWORDS : pregnancy folklore, pregnancy superstitions, childbirth folklore, birth myths, old wives tales pregnancy, fertility folklore, fertility rituals, pregnancy myths, haunted pregnancy, pregnancy traditions, childbirth superstitions, baby folklore, motherhood folklore, maternal folklore, folklore podcast, paranormal podcast, haunted history, ancient pregnancy beliefs, pregnancy omens, pregnancy rituals, fertility magic, folk magic, folk traditions, birth rituals, pregnancy taboos, baby superstitions, newborn folklore, fairy changelings, changeling babies, evil eye pregnancy, pregnancy and eclipses, pregnancy cravings folklore, gender prediction myths, labor superstitions, birth customs around the world, pregnancy beliefs around the world, strange pregnancy traditions, weird history, women's history, motherhood myths, supernatural pregnancy, spirits and pregnancy, folklore around childbirth, fertility goddess traditions, ancient birth practices, cultural pregnancy beliefs, haunted women, paranormal history, myths and legends, folklore stories, mysterious traditions, Let's Get Haunted, LGH podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices