Most Chinese knows that one should not carry renovation works in a house if a family member is pregnant.
Throughout the ages, the Chinese observed that carrying out renovation works when a family member is pregnant can bring negative consequences for the mother and the unborn child.
Is there a good reason scientific or otherwise for observing this taboo?
I can think of at least a few good reasons even though nobody knows for sure.
A house that is undergoing renovation is not a safe place pregnant or not. Accidents are more likely to happen. The center of gravity is shifted in a pregnant person and the likelihood of falling down is higher. Furthermore, pregnancy makes the ligaments softer and the joints less stable which increases the risk of injury.
During the renovation works, the pregnant person may get involved in moving items about. Some research shows that there is a higher potential of miscarriages in who do strenuous labor.
It is common knowledge that if the pregnant mother smokes, it increases the baby’s risk of fetal injury, premature birth and low birth weight. A renovation environment is dusty and unhealthy much like smoking. While it may not exactly be the same, it is better to take precautionary measures.
Studies suggest that external noise has an effect on babies in the womb. For example, loud noise can cause changes in the baby’s heart rate. In addition, the stress on the mother created by these loud noises can affect the baby indirectly. It appears that the fetus is not protected from physical changes that the mother experiences. This in turn may be transmitted to the baby and affect normal fetal development.
You may be interested to know of a Japanese study of over 1000 births. The study shows evidence of greater proportion of low-weight babies in noisy areas!
What if you must renovate? Is there a way around it?
The answer is quite simple. Simply move the pregnant person to another location during the renovation period. That is all you need to do.
