When I was pregnant with Teo I got so pissy about well-meaning people pouncing on me ("don't eat that cheese! your bath is lukewarm, I hope..? oh my god, don't get the red wine vinegrette!") that I started writing a document about the things people try to scare pregnant women with, and an analysis of the real risk.
The only thing I didn't like about her article is that she confuses normal pregnancy queasiness and vomiting with hyperemesis gravidarum. The former is unpleasant; the latter, while very rare, can be life-threatening and usually requires some hospitalization.
The only thing I didn't like about her article is that she confuses normal pregnancy queasiness and vomiting with hyperemesis gravidarum. The former is unpleasant; the latter, while very rare, can be life-threatening and usually requires some hospitalization.
I think she had someone drop this on her, went home and researched and found that out. But it doesn't make things any better until you've researched the odds for yourself...
Poor research throughout, actually. Amnio causes miscarriage in one of two hundred tests-- not at all statistically miniscule. "Cultures without a word for morning sickness" is up there with "the eskimos have a hundred words for snow"-- a popular idea that has not been backed up by anthropological research.
(And I wonder if poor research is at the heart of the problem... Mothers of today feel obligated to take on a HUGE store of modern information, but most lack the intellectual training necessary to analyze, understand, and act on that information. The increase of fear in recent years could be directly related to the greater availibility of information over the internet.)
And I'm going to be reeling from the "red wine vinegrette" weinie for days...
I don't know if this makes any sense, but, at a gut level, it seems to me the writer first and foremost was writing about her feelings. I would feel very presumptuous rebutting that...
I was thinking maybe you might write something on good places for worried mothers to turn to, and include your favorite books and web sites, and doula services in general. Sort of "a previous column made me realize that way too many women are still unnecessarily worried, and don't know when they should and shouldn't be worried" sort of thing.
I don't know if you feel ready for that yet! Maybe write one for the local paper first, or for your LJ?
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The only thing I didn't like about her article is that she confuses normal pregnancy queasiness and vomiting with hyperemesis gravidarum. The former is unpleasant; the latter, while very rare, can be life-threatening and usually requires some hospitalization.
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I think she had someone drop this on her, went home and researched and found that out. But it doesn't make things any better until you've researched the odds for yourself...
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(And I wonder if poor research is at the heart of the problem... Mothers of today feel obligated to take on a HUGE store of modern information, but most lack the intellectual training necessary to analyze, understand, and act on that information. The increase of fear in recent years could be directly related to the greater availibility of information over the internet.)
And I'm going to be reeling from the "red wine vinegrette" weinie for days...
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And the comments just keep getting weirder...
Seriously, this was MSN, wasn't it? Maybe you should write a rebuttal?
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I don't know if this makes any sense, but, at a gut level, it seems to me the writer first and foremost was writing about her feelings.
I would feel very presumptuous rebutting that...
no subject
I was thinking maybe you might write something on good places for worried mothers to turn to, and include your favorite books and web sites, and doula services in general. Sort of "a previous column made me realize that way too many women are still unnecessarily worried, and don't know when they should and shouldn't be worried" sort of thing.
I don't know if you feel ready for that yet! Maybe write one for the local paper first, or for your LJ?