|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
plattwaz
Joined: 08 Apr 2005
Location: <Write something dumb here>
|
 Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 8:26 pm Post subject: Strange thoughts about Miscarriages (ie/ babies) |
 |
|
The other day, one of the Korean teachers at my work, sadly, miscarried and lost her baby. She was 2 months into her pregnancy. After offering my condolances I was informed this was the 2nd time in a short while that she had miscarried.
I did some mental calculations, and realized that out of 6 Korean women at my current job, that is the 5th miscarriage in the past 8 months.
Then I counted all of the miscarriages that have happened to Korean colleagues or friends since I've been here (4 years) and the number is about 20.
Now, in the previous 30-odd years of my life, I have only known 4 or 5 women who miscarried once.
Is it just some strange situation whereby every pregnant woman I know loses her baby  or is the rate of miscarriage very very high amongst Korean women? If so, does anyone know why?
I know we have the "custom" of not announcing a pregnancy until after the first triemester, because the risk of miscarriage is high in this time; here in Korea, most of the pregnancies I have been told about, I was told as the woman was only in her first month. Perhaps this is a factor? |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
seoulunitarian
Joined: 06 Jul 2004
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 8:51 pm Post subject: Re: Strange thoughts about Miscarriages (ie/ babies) |
|
|
| plattwaz wrote: |
The other day, one of the Korean teachers at my work, sadly, miscarried and lost her baby. She was 2 months into her pregnancy. After offering my condolances I was informed this was the 2nd time in a short while that she had miscarried.
I did some mental calculations, and realized that out of 6 Korean women at my current job, that is the 5th miscarriage in the past 8 months.
Then I counted all of the miscarriages that have happened to Korean colleagues or friends since I've been here (4 years) and the number is about 20.
Now, in the previous 30-odd years of my life, I have only known 4 or 5 women who miscarried once.
Is it just some strange situation whereby every pregnant woman I know loses her baby or is the rate of miscarriage very very high amongst Korean women? If so, does anyone know why?
I know we have the "custom" of not announcing a pregnancy until after the first triemester, because the risk of miscarriage is high in this time; here in Korea, most of the pregnancies I have been told about, I was told as the woman was only in her first month. Perhaps this is a factor? |
Have you ever considered that they may have had abortions? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
gdimension
Joined: 05 Jul 2005
Location: Jeju
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 9:23 pm Post subject: Re: Strange thoughts about Miscarriages (ie/ babies) |
|
|
| plattwaz wrote: |
The other day, one of the Korean teachers at my work, sadly, miscarried and lost her baby. She was 2 months into her pregnancy. After offering my condolances I was informed this was the 2nd time in a short while that she had miscarried.
I did some mental calculations, and realized that out of 6 Korean women at my current job, that is the 5th miscarriage in the past 8 months.
Then I counted all of the miscarriages that have happened to Korean colleagues or friends since I've been here (4 years) and the number is about 20.
Now, in the previous 30-odd years of my life, I have only known 4 or 5 women who miscarried once.
Is it just some strange situation whereby every pregnant woman I know loses her baby or is the rate of miscarriage very very high amongst Korean women? If so, does anyone know why?
I know we have the "custom" of not announcing a pregnancy until after the first triemester, because the risk of miscarriage is high in this time; here in Korea, most of the pregnancies I have been told about, I was told as the woman was only in her first month. Perhaps this is a factor? |
Just found this on Wikipedia: "Miscarriages occur more often than most people think. About 25% of women will experience one in their lives. Up to 78% of all conceptions may fail [1], in most cases before the woman even knows she is pregnant." |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
peppermint
Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 9:29 pm Post subject: Re: Strange thoughts about Miscarriages (ie/ babies) |
|
|
| seoulunitarian wrote: |
| plattwaz wrote: |
The other day, one of the Korean teachers at my work, sadly, miscarried and lost her baby. She was 2 months into her pregnancy. After offering my condolances I was informed this was the 2nd time in a short while that she had miscarried.
I did some mental calculations, and realized that out of 6 Korean women at my current job, that is the 5th miscarriage in the past 8 months.
Then I counted all of the miscarriages that have happened to Korean colleagues or friends since I've been here (4 years) and the number is about 20.
Now, in the previous 30-odd years of my life, I have only known 4 or 5 women who miscarried once.
Is it just some strange situation whereby every pregnant woman I know loses her baby or is the rate of miscarriage very very high amongst Korean women? If so, does anyone know why?
I know we have the "custom" of not announcing a pregnancy until after the first triemester, because the risk of miscarriage is high in this time; here in Korea, most of the pregnancies I have been told about, I was told as the woman was only in her first month. Perhaps this is a factor? |
Have you ever considered that they may have had abortions? |
If they were even considering getting an abortion, surely they wouldn't go about telling their co workers they were pregnant, would they? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
seoulunitarian
Joined: 06 Jul 2004
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 9:46 pm Post subject: Re: Strange thoughts about Miscarriages (ie/ babies) |
|
|
| peppermint wrote: |
| seoulunitarian wrote: |
| plattwaz wrote: |
The other day, one of the Korean teachers at my work, sadly, miscarried and lost her baby. She was 2 months into her pregnancy. After offering my condolances I was informed this was the 2nd time in a short while that she had miscarried.
I did some mental calculations, and realized that out of 6 Korean women at my current job, that is the 5th miscarriage in the past 8 months.
Then I counted all of the miscarriages that have happened to Korean colleagues or friends since I've been here (4 years) and the number is about 20.
Now, in the previous 30-odd years of my life, I have only known 4 or 5 women who miscarried once.
Is it just some strange situation whereby every pregnant woman I know loses her baby or is the rate of miscarriage very very high amongst Korean women? If so, does anyone know why?
I know we have the "custom" of not announcing a pregnancy until after the first triemester, because the risk of miscarriage is high in this time; here in Korea, most of the pregnancies I have been told about, I was told as the woman was only in her first month. Perhaps this is a factor? |
Have you ever considered that they may have had abortions? |
If they were even considering getting an abortion, surely they wouldn't go about telling their co workers they were pregnant, would they? |
Probably not. However, word gets around in many other ways in Korea. It was just a thought. I'm not claiming omniscience of the situation. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
billybrobby
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:51 pm Post subject: |
|
|
i don't wanna sound crude or heartless, but sometimes i honestly wonder how koreans give birth at all considering the average thinness of their hips.
edit-- i guess the babies are thin too. that must help. hehehe |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
periwinkle
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:56 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| God, that seems really high to me, too. How awful. Do you live near a nuclear waste dump or something?? Methinks Erin Brockovich should do some investigating in your area... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
betchay
Joined: 23 Aug 2005
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:41 am Post subject: |
|
|
| from what i know, pregnant women here don't take pre-natal vitamins... i don't know if it makes any difference... also, you don't get to talk to the doctors about pre-natal care if you go to big hospitals... they are busy attending to 7-10 patients/30 minutes... i noticed this when i went with my sister-in-law in the hospital for her checkup... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
plattwaz
Joined: 08 Apr 2005
Location: <Write something dumb here>
|
| Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:49 am Post subject: Re: Strange thoughts about Miscarriages (ie/ babies) |
|
|
| seoulunitarian wrote: |
Have you ever considered that they may have had abortions? |
Yes I know abortion rates are high here, but I'm talking women who are celebrating their pregnancies, telling everyone about it and are happy about the birth. Then, they are off work for a week and come back looking like their world has been ripped out from beneath them (and rightully so). Soooooo, I doubt they are abortions.
I've not lived in the same area, so it isn't environmental.
I guess the only possible answer that I can think of is that the difference between here and where I come from, is that we tend to keep it on the quiet for the first trimester.....whereas Koreans don't..... |
|
| Back to top |
| |
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
