I am the 5th of 6 kids, so by the time my mum was expecting me i am guessing she was pretty easy going about the whole pregnancy, i keep meaning to ask does she have any pictures of me when i was just a bump...but 29 years ago with 4 other rug rats running around perhaps posing for photos wasn't top priority!!
I do know that my nan used to make my mum maternity smocks, there were no trips to Isabella Oliver to stock up on jersey wrap dresses, and definitely no Dream Genii pillow to aid a good nights sleep.....was pregnancy easier back then....or are we modern mummies-to-be just pampered princess?? I jest of course, but it does seem that pregnancy in 2011 is given a whole lot of emphasis, when perhaps previous generations just got on with things without the drama?
I receive weekly emails from a pregnancy website keeping me updated on approx how big, how heavy and exactly what stage of development my little bump dweller is at, i have been given books on pregnancy/the birth and caring for the baby from day one through to.....well i don't know how far they take you, i haven't read them all yet!
My point is what happened before we had all of this information to hand? Did new mothers just ad lib? does your maternal instinct really kick in?
For all other aspects of pregnancy there is so much choice, the Menu for choosing your birth method just gets longer, the vitamins you should take, the food you should and shouldn't eat, the exercises you should do, and the subject that comes up time and time again, breastfeeding....the NHS slogan is "breast is best" however this is one subject i am not going to comment on...until i have 1st hand knowledge!
John Lewis even gives you a step by step guide on how to decorate your nursery http://www.johnlewis.com/Magazine/Feature.aspx?Id=320 from black out blinds to babies first wardrobe (did blackout blinds exist when i was a baby? perhaps we had thicker eyelids back then or did my mum give us all baby sunglasses?)
I have so many questions, i think i better get asking. How did you mum get through her pregnancy? Any funny stories? Does you mum / nan / auntie think young women these days are weaklings when it comes to pregnancy ?? Most Mums i have come across during my pregnancy have acknowledged me with an understanding and a special camaraderie.....does this extend the generations, i would love to know
x
Oh my goodness we (Mum Sister Aunty and I) had the same discussion last night, so much information to hand which usually changes 6 months down the line only to scare new mums to think they've been doing it wrong! Showing age here but our Mum only discovered at 7 months she was carrying twins as technology certainly wasn't what it is today! Loving your updates Jo xxx
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