Finally, an anecdote to the fearmongers
☆
☆
☆
☆
☆
“Thank you so much for your podcast! I am the mother of a toddler and during my pregnancy with him I felt utterly lost, afraid, and stressed the entire time as a result of all the fear that was driven into me while pregnant. I just listened to your podcast with Daphne and what a relief to know there are other reasonable, informed, and practical women out there! I too had to do my own research to read between the lines of what doctors told me, what books stated as fact, and what blogs and other online sources swore by. Although I am NOT a mathematician, so my handicap was and is very large!
I live in Washington State- known for its liberal leanings. And yet, never have I felt so marginalized, objectified, and scrutinized as when I was pregnant. I had friends, neighbors, and strangers judge me and question me for every little thing. I had a cashier actually question me because I was pregnant and purchasing wine along with the rest of my groceries (for my non-pregnant husband, thank you very much). I literally felt shamed enough to hide my belly while ordering my cappuccino in the drive-through lane, even though my own dr had told me it was perfectly safe to drink a cup of coffee a day while pregnant. I felt ashamed that I struggled to breast feed for several reasons and wasn’t able to stick with it for very long. And yet as I sat crying in the office of the lactation specialist, a few days after delivering, I was chastised for using the pain pills my dr had prescribed me for the very painful c-section I had. Pills that had been proven to be harmless to the baby and were prescribed by doctors.
I was openly criticized for choosing not to deliver my baby “naturally,” although in this age of medical advances, few people choose to go without pain mitigation options in the face of excruciatingly painful circumstances (dental procedures, stitches, vasectomies, etc).
Why is it that society has dictated that women must endure delivery without proven safe pain management, as though it’s some badge of honor? (And sadly other women are the worst fomenters of this notion.) While I did not get to enjoy my hard-earned right to an epidural, I resented the fact that other people (and especially other women and mothers) were telling me that I should try to go without it. And yes, I also resent that I made the “decision” to get a C-Section because my dr advised me that the large size of my baby might result in him getting stuck and then we would have to break his sternum (that’s literally how it was presented to me; who wouldn’t opt for the surgery when presented with that as the alternative?). I was ignorant to what the risks truly were and what my options truly were. And my dr, though well meaning, kind of took the choice away from
me in his process of instilling in me the great fear of bodily harm to my newborn baby.
The entire time during my first pregnancy I felt a victim of the judgement, misinformation, and downright lies that society, the medical industry, and media spread. And the absolute worst thing about it all was that it created loads of unnecessary stress and worry that truly did put my baby at risk, far worse than any cup of coffee, sushi roll, or nail polish ever would!
The next time around I am taking no prisoners, and it’s thanks to people like you, Jeanne, who have helped to arm people like me with the no nonsense facts surrounding pregnancy. I fully intend to enjoy myself on this next go-round and embrace the wonderful side of pregnancy, rather than dwell hopeless on the fear mongering side. Thanks for your podcast and thanks for helping to spread a little common sense.”
los dss via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/09/19
More reviews of Pregnancy, Parenting & Politics
☆
☆
☆
☆
☆
“My husband and I have not started trying yet but will be in the next month or so. This podcast for me has been some great food for thought on areas I'd like to look into further. I really like the experts Jeanne has on each podcast to give you info from the trenches so to speak. I haven't...”Read full review »
arrrrriba via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
05/06/16
☆
☆
☆
☆
☆
“I thought this would be more about pregnancy and/or birth but seems she talks a lot about politics. Everyone has their own views on politics but I am trying to prepare for a baby and get insight and strength on having a baby and I was little taken back on how much she try’s to enforce her views...”Read full review »
kariissaxp via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
12/16/20
☆
☆
☆
☆
☆
“Great to hear information that is no nonsense and easily laid out. Highly recommend to ease your stress surrounding parenthood.”
kaijabella via Apple Podcasts ·
Canada ·
10/10/19
Do you host a podcast?
Track your ranks and reviews from Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more.
See hourly chart positions and more than 30 days of history.
Get Chartable Analytics »
See hourly chart positions and more than 30 days of history.
Listen now
Links
Genres
Do you host a podcast?
Track your ranks and reviews from Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more.
See hourly chart positions and more than 30 days of history.
Get Chartable Analytics »
See hourly chart positions and more than 30 days of history.
