Pregnancy
It would have seemed like an innocent enough question.
Standing at the supermarket checkout, struggling slightly with a bulging belly as I hoisted heavy bags into the trolley, with no children in tow: ‘Will this be your first baby?’
The answer should be simple. If a one word response will suffice, I’ll have no problem. No, this is not my first baby, my first pregnancy. It is my seventh.
Continue reading "Invisible loss: What I learned about tragic pregnancy" »
I recently let the world know that I am expecting twins.
I had read the chapter on pregnancy and other people in my new bible, ‘What to expect when expecting,’ by Sharon Mazel and Heidi Murkoff so had braced myself for some inappropriate tummy touching and some well-meaning pregnancy advice.
I thought I was prepared. How wrong can you be?
Continue reading "10 things not to say to a pregnant woman" »
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Louise says:
You dopey buggers, the advertisments on TV going on about ‘no safe level of alcohol’ was put up by the Salvo’s who are reknown teetotallers. Bit stupid to think their message is the absolute truth! Moreover alcohol causes a particular syndrome, of which to date no baby who got it… Read more »
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Mistress D says:
I can’t wait to be pregnant and subject to what everyone else thinks I should do with my body and my baby, mainly because I’ll relish the opportunity to tell people to just shove off. I’ll especially like it because everyone is an expert nowerdays, type something into a search… Read more »
One of the rudest things you can do is tell a parent how to raise their kid. But that’s not the case when it comes to how to bring it into the world in the first place.
Everyone has tips on birth, sometimes insisting their way is the only way to do it. Have candles and incense. Have stirrups and steel. Do it with hot towels. Do it to music. Breathe like this. Think like that. Take drugs. Refuse drugs. Have a Caesarean. Be induced. Make a video.
Then there’s the row over where it’s best to give birth. In a private suite. In a public labour ward. In a birth centre. And, to much ongoing controversy, in the home.
Continue reading "Homebirth wars: this ‘right’ should come with a warning" »
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Chris R says:
@ MidwifeDi…I can’t see a problem with a carefully considered VBAC (vaginal delivery after previous c section) occurring at home. There is some literature as you say suggesting it is relatively safe. I don’t think there are many women who would just go it alone without anyone at home but… Read more »
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Midwife Di says:
Yeah…Chris IDEALLY that is the situation…yes that is the way to get the best stats too. BUT and its a BIG but…the dillema we face is that many women that chose to homebirth (and do so safely) have had dreadful hospital experiences previously and wouldnt set foot back inside a… Read more »
Of the sixty-eight squillion pieces of advice doled out to pregnant women, perhaps the most useless is the message to stop playing competitive sports. While the advice is well intended, it’s completely unrealistic given that pregnancy itself has become a competitive sport.
The sport of pregnancy is complex and not for the faint-hearted. There are a number of fast-changing rules that change depending on the context. First, there are the weight trials. This can take one of two forms. The first form is the competition to see who can put on the least amount of weight during their pregnancy.
My wife Kasey first became aware of this one when she caught up with a former school friend for coffee who breezily confided ‘I only put on 10 kilos when I was pregnant’.
Continue reading "Pregnancy has become a competitive sport" »
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Katey says:
Epidurals leading to mothers not bonding with their babies? What utter, utter hogwash. We have an amazing bond. Always have. No skin to skin contact without natural birth? Rubbish. My babies were given to me the moment they were delivered, one after the other. It was the most amazing moment… Read more »
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Stella says:
Nobody here criticised birth without intervention or anyone who chooses it, Sam. The problem is the assumption that women who wanted or needed intervention somehow gave birth in an inferior way. This argument is happening because women feel ashamed to have used drugs or had a C-section. Their shame is… Read more »
The two greatest experiences of my life occurred in a birthing suite.
The birth of a new baby is an exhilarating experience that produces emotions from deep within your soul.
Yet somehow I think the emotions that child birth produces in woman are even more significant. Obviously pregnancy causes massive physical change but less obvious is the enormous emotional change having a baby ushers in.
Continue reading "Defending the right of Mums to have a safe home birth" »
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Rebecca says:
Thank you Jamie for listening, for researching this topic rather than just going with hearsay, assumptions and the status quo. Thank you for representing the women in your electorate so valiantly. Read more »
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Done it both ways says:
This is a very emotive issue… as all this debate shows. People get very worked up about it - I know I do! But this is no excuse for the ignorant, sexist and uninformed comments from Formersnag, who would perhaps be even better known as Completebigot. Thankyou, Clodia, for your… Read more »
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