pregnancy police

[bluets]

Let's assert our wills on other people to "protect" them from themselves.
http://www.truth-out.org/the-pregnancy-police-and-citizens-arrest-pregnant-and-nursing-women66902

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

right. I get that. And agree with some of it, but here's what gets me.

1) Mothers who eat junk food and coca-cola for the whole of their pregnancy without batting an eye-lid.
2) Mothers who allow 9 month old babies coca cola in bottles.
3) mothers who will have vaccines during pregnancy and take a raft of drugs like anti-acids and antibiotics because they "trust" their doctors and don't realise that those things damage a baby's immune system for life.
4)Mothers who elect to have a caesarian, because it's convenient.
5) Mothers who elect for formula feed, because it's convenient.

Oh and a whole raft more whines....

And I can just about bet, that all those types of people who I think should be policed, frankly, agree with this post.

So you have a down side of a concept where women tell people that their pregnancy is none of any one elses business, whereas I look at a pregnant woman and think, "What are you doing now, either in ignorance, or deliberately, which could impact, not only on your child, but your future generations?"

Looking around me, yes, I see lots of ignorant women telling other people to mind their own business, when a whole lot of them are ignorant.

Definition of ignorant. Not knowing that you don't know what you should know.

In swanning around in ignorant oblivion and making out that as a pregnant woman, of course, you are doing the right thing, that woman might not even see the elephant in the room.

Of course, when I watch a pregnant woman eating french fries, do-nuts and coca-cola, I never say anything.

Why?

Exactly because of the attitude in that facebook linked post.

If I did walk up and say to her, "Do you realise that loading up with sugar like that, will have an epigenetic effect on your baby's genes, and completely alter the way that baby reacts to food once born, and will set in motion a pathway for life, that is your doing?"..... the blinds would come down, because so many young mothers are so ignorant today that such a concept wouldn't even register in their grey matter.

And their response would be - apart from telling me to eff off, to say that in such a developed country, with mobile phones, and computers with such knowledge abounding, how could donuts, french fries and coca cola be a bad thing.

It's very much a "breath of fresh air" to meet the rare breed of mothers who does actually know what she is doing and why; what she's not doing and why not.

So being older and yes... "wiser" - I read this article and think to myself "True and the author of that truth-out piece needs to write another one on why most pregnant women need to be policed, but there aren't enough people who know enough, to be able to police them. And even if there were, young mothers today, think they know it all...."

[bluets]

"It's very much a "breath of fresh air" to meet the rare breed of mothers who does actually know what she is doing and why; what she's not doing and why not."

so true.

i've got in rolling in my head that our local childbirth ed. center needs a prenatal nutrition program. and that i should be the one to teach it.

actually, what they really need is a preconception health program but i have to dance the fine line between just offering friendly advice and actual real health-impacting knowledge. the latter, of course, is only for MDs to dole out. ;)

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

"It's very much a "breath of fresh air" to meet the rare breed of mothers who does actually know what she is doing and why; what she's not doing and why not."

so true.

i've got in rolling in my head that our local childbirth ed. center needs a prenatal nutrition program. and that i should be the one to teach it.

actually, what they really need is a preconception health program but i have to dance the fine line between just offering friendly advice and actual real health-impacting knowledge. the latter, of course, is only for MDs to dole out. ;)

and they of course are also... ignorant.

Because if they weren't, their mothers wouldn't be eating crap etc, would they?

And if they are not ignorant, and are chosing to remain silent, then they are criminals on top of being ignorant.

[bluets]

most HCP-patient relationships are unequal, with the patient deferring to the HCP. because, in the US anyway, we have a white coat god syndrome. and most OBGYNS will point to the dreadful "What To Expect" series as a guide for their mothers, if they direct them to anything at all. of course those mothers are going to have miserable nutrition, because where else are they going to get guidance? <sarcasm on>oh wait... i know... the USDA - they've got the perfect idea of proper nutrition. that low fat high carb diet, with a side of statins, has been working great for us, hasn't it? <sarcasm off>

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

Yeah, like this: :trainwreck:

[mosquitobite]

I took Tums like crazy while I was pregnant with my son. He's the one with 19 food intolerances. After his birth resulted in a c/s, I had a gallbladder attack 9 days post partum. I directly blamed the Tums. The gallbladder attack was worse than childbirth, imo.

So with DD I decided to find other ways to "cure" the heartburn. I had a tbsp of apple cider vinegar every day. Voila! No heartburn.
She's healthy as can be with no seeming allergies at all.

With both, I labored naturally all the way with no epidural (until I was on the table for the c/s).

I never would have linked the tums to my son's issues until I read this. :( Ignorance is right! Even when you google, page after page says Tums is safe to take while pregnant!