h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

As a mother of four, I would like to stress that pregnancy is not an illness. Had anyone suggested "looking after" me during any of my pregnancies, I would have felt patronised and irritated. I was a normal healthy human being going through a normal healthy human experience.

While I have every sympathy with those who suffer from morning sickness, aches and pains, cravings, etc., I'm sure I cannot be the only woman to go through pregnancy with no effects other than a growing bump

While it's important to learn about pregnancy and birth, it's also important not to become overwhelmed by your situation and to concentrate on being yourself rather than a walking incubator

Partners should be loving and caring *all* of the time, otherwise why be together, let alone creating a family?

Obviously, there is apprehension about the birth (or absolute terror about the first, in my case), but it's all over pretty quickly and you have a *BABY* as reward for all your hard work!

*excitedly looking forward to birth of grandchild #2 in nine weeks time!*

I couldn't agree more and yet (whilst employment rights, etc. are gradually improving) society itself seems to be treating pregnant women more & more as if they are ill. I think it has definately got worse in the last twenty years or so - when my mum had me, she ate what she like, drank moderately and followed her own judgement about most of it. Now there seems to be a huge list of things you should or shouldn't do even from before you get pregnant, plus everyone seems to want to give you advice, tell you what you can eat, etc. It's as if because less women are breeding in the Western world, everyone (& his wife) now feels they should be involved in your pregnancy.

People have been doing this for centuries - yet in the last ten years or so, attitudes seem to have become overly controlling. Are people just worried about being sued or too well read?

Interestingly a French friend of my husband's informed me that they don't have all the dietary prescriptions that English (& I assume US) pregnant ladies get landed on them.

Just to add my

"People have been doing this for centuries - yet in the last ten years or so, attitudes seem to have become overly controlling. Are people just worried about being sued or too well read?"
- Grace K

I agree with you, and what about the birth itself? It seems to me that this natural function has been taken over with the same 'overly controlling' attitude. Home birth is a swear word (well, ok make that swear words... ) to most doctors these days, well in the UK anyway.
The thing that makes me *really* concerned are these 'celebrity mothers' who have elected caeserians because it is more 'convenient'.

I agree - in fact the UK medical profession's preference for caesarians is the thing that scares me most about pregnancy. Sure, in an emergency it's a life saving procedure but it seems to be happening more often than that. Personally, the idea of major invasive surgery (how can that be convenient?) followed the recovery process, is not what you need when you're supposed to bonding with a new child and need to be as physically fit as possible. I sometimes wonder if it's due to men wanting to get involved or if people don't like the idea of a yucky 'normal' birth!

I could get all uber-feminist here and start saying that the use of caeserians in non-essential situations could reflect the desire of men/patriarchy to become involved with/ rule over the mystery of birth...

or I could just say that a lot of women fear the birth process due to our culture typically alienating women from their bodies and their power, therefore resulting in some pregnant women wanting the 'easy way out' ("too posh to push"??) due to fear, disgust, or the desire not to 'ruin' their perineum.