Blog Posts by Being Pregnant

Here's some nauseating news that's less surprising than it should be: A recent study found that a woman who is breastfeeding may be judged as less competent. But it's not just breastfeeding that negatively affects people's perceptions of a woman's ability. Women were ranked lower in perceived competence when evaluators thought they were pregnant, too. And a woman doesn't even have to wait to reproduce to experience this kind of bias. It can happen every month, when she has her period. According to a 2002 study, "a woman who is (perceived as) menstruating is viewed as less competent and is liked less than a woman who is not thought to be menstruating."

While pregnancy, motherhood, and even menstruation have been well studied and are known to negatively affect how competent a woman is thought to be, this study is among the first to look at how breastfeeding changes people's attitudes toward women. The authors wanted to see whether breastfeeding would create the same kind of bias as other signs of female reproductive function (pregnancy, menstruation). They were also interested in whether this had anything to do with the breast as a sexual object.

Related: Postpartum jumpsuit: Must-have or heck no?

Here's what they learned, and how they learned it:

Read More »from Why Nursing Mothers Are Seen as Less Competent (Pregnant Women, Too!)

Facebook has arbitrarily deleted more breastfeeding photos. You know America can't take it when breasts are viewed in their primary, non-sexual role.

America wants balloon boobs! Bring on the freakishly gigantic, in-your-face Pamela Anderson knockers! Pay Carmen Electra more money for a calendar featuring her enormous rack! Let us create more sad stories like Heidi Montag, classic victim of boob-mania.

But boobs that are functioning the way the good lord intended? Obscene!

Read More »from No Nipple! Facebook Deletes More Pregnancy Photos

I have learned just how vile, and truly toxic monthly due date groups can be. I'm not even really sure why I still frequent them through my pregnancies, but during this pregnancy, I embraced them and thought things would be different -- of course I was wrong … again.

In the past two weeks, women have been going into premature labor and giving birth prematurely left and right on my due-in-May board, including two sets of twins -- which is understandable -- but then you have all these singleton babies between 32 and 36 weeks gestation, most in the NICU -- which leaves a group of women on the board pissed off they are still pregnant and truly jealous that other women are having their babies.

Read More »from Pregnant Ladies: Is 34 Weeks the New 36 Weeks?

If you're about to have a baby - especially if it's your first - you will be in for a rough week or two (or six). Newborns are so unpredictable, and they don't (unfortunately) come with manuals. Your only goal in these early days is to survive, minute to minute.

I literally remember emailing a friend in tears during my first week or two, confessing how overwhelmed and uncertain I felt. She told me, "Just get through the next 10 minutes. And then the next 10. And this, too, shall pass."

In the meantime, though, if you can prepare in advance, you'll have some tools to get you through the first week. And sometimes, being prepared can make all the difference.

Related: 9 postpartum recovery issues no one likes to talk about

Read More »from Top 5 Things You Need in Your First Postpartum Week

Most couples find out their baby's gender when that second trimester ultrasound rolls around, but over the years, multiple new ways and theories have been developed to determine the sex of a child.

In fact, ultrasounds to determine the sex of a baby didn't become standard until the late '80s and early '90s!

Here are three alternative ways to find out what your baby's sex is (maybe)!

Read More »from Before There Were Ultrasounds ... 3 Not-So-Trustworthy Ways to Find Out Your Baby's Sex

I have no idea when this was film was shot, but it's incredible.

It's a black and white film from France (I'm pretty sure) in which a woman, who looks like Marilyn Monroe, is visibly euphoric during the birth of her baby. What's remarkable to me is just how little activity there is in this film.

Mom is very calm, but more importantly the birthing assistants -- a man (possibly the father and/or a doctor) and midwives (or maybe nurses) -- are not freaking out or doing much at all.

At the very end the man helps the baby onto mom's chest. There's no suctioning, episiotomy, pulling on the head…the baby just comes out. Voila!

Related: You won't believe what she's seen! Real stories from a Certified Professional Midwife

Since most of us are pumped full of imagery of births as medical emergencies or otherwise terrifying, screaming nightmares I think it really helps to see that there are other possibilities.

For more about this incredible video, visit Babble.

Read More »from Wow! Watch a French Woman Give Birth With...Joy!?

Minus the minor yet annoying aches and pains of pregnancy, there are a lot of things I miss about my non-pregnant self and -- of course -- lifestyle. It's certainly not enough to rush my daughter out before she is ready, but it is enough to stop and daydream about as she tries to make a break for it … out of the escape hatch she thinks exists in my rib cage.

Since we were taken off guard and surprised by this pregnancy, I wasn't ready to give up some of my favorite things -- and the girlish figure I had been working hard on getting back since I clung to a good 20 pounds from my second pregnancy. I had joined the gym, started Zumba, all that fun stuff … then BAM! Little Miss A had totally different plans for us.

Read More »from 5 Things I'm Looking Forward to After Pregnancy

I recently talked to a Certified Professional Midwife about her experience with home births. Due to the current climate, with many still unsupportive of home birth, she's asked not to be identified but supplied a brief bio below.

In this interview, I propose a variety of scenarios to her: what if…? And she explains when (and in some cases, how often) she has run into this scenario during her 40-year career as a midwife, as well as what the outcomes were. I've read plenty of studies and talked to midwives at length and I was still surprised by some of the amazing stories she told me!

Read More »from You Won't Believe What She's Seen! Real Life Stories from a Certified Professional Midwife