Pregnancy, Parenting & Politics Jeanne M Faulkner

I see that some folks have a serious issue with the political aspect of this podcast. Personally, I love it. The fact is that policy MATTERS— it shapes all aspects of women’s health. I really enjoy hearing the political aspect and what we can do as women, mothers, and feminists to advocate for progress. I actually started listening before I even had plans to become pregnant just because I found the content really relevant and interesting. One of my favorite resources in regards to pregnancy and parenting.

It’s 2021 and I’m just now discovering this podcast even though it started several years ago. I believe that the personal is political—and that includes pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. I was wanting to learn more about these topics from a perspective that took into account not just the personal aspects of these issues, but the systemic as well. Jeanne and her guests address so many important issues that parents in the US have to deal with, like our for-profit healthcare system, our incredibly lacking paid leave policies, and racial inequality in maternal health outcomes. I’m so glad to have discovered this podcast now. I started with the first episode and plan to listen to them all!

Thank you so much for your podcast! I am the mother of a toddler and during my pregnancy with him I felt utterly lost, afraid, and stressed the entire time as a result of all the fear that was driven into me while pregnant. I just listened to your podcast with Daphne and what a relief to know there are other reasonable, informed, and practical women out there! I too had to do my own research to read between the lines of what doctors told me, what books stated as fact, and what blogs and other online sources swore by. Although I am NOT a mathematician, so my handicap was and is very large!

I live in Washington State- known for its liberal leanings. And yet, never have I felt so marginalized, objectified, and scrutinized as when I was pregnant. I had friends, neighbors, and strangers judge me and question me for every little thing. I had a cashier actually question me because I was pregnant and purchasing wine along with the rest of my groceries (for my non-pregnant husband, thank you very much). I literally felt shamed enough to hide my belly while ordering my cappuccino in the drive-through lane, even though my own dr had told me it was perfectly safe to drink a cup of coffee a day while pregnant. I felt ashamed that I struggled to breast feed for several reasons and wasn’t able to stick with it for very long. And yet as I sat crying in the office of the lactation specialist, a few days after delivering, I was chastised for using the pain pills my dr had prescribed me for the very painful c-section I had. Pills that had been proven to be harmless to the baby and were prescribed by doctors.

I was openly criticized for choosing not to deliver my baby “naturally,” although in this age of medical advances, few people choose to go without pain mitigation options in the face of excruciatingly painful circumstances (dental procedures, stitches, vasectomies, etc).

Why is it that society has dictated that women must endure delivery without proven safe pain management, as though it’s some badge of honor? (And sadly other women are the worst fomenters of this notion.) While I did not get to enjoy my hard-earned right to an epidural, I resented the fact that other people (and especially other women and mothers) were telling me that I should try to go without it. And yes, I also resent that I made the “decision” to get a C-Section because my dr advised me that the large size of my baby might result in him getting stuck and then we would have to break his sternum (that’s literally how it was presented to me; who wouldn’t opt for the surgery when presented with that as the alternative?). I was ignorant to what the risks truly were and what my options truly were. And my dr, though well meaning, kind of took the choice away from
me in his process of instilling in me the great fear of bodily harm to my newborn baby.

The entire time during my first pregnancy I felt a victim of the judgement, misinformation, and downright lies that society, the medical industry, and media spread. And the absolute worst thing about it all was that it created loads of unnecessary stress and worry that truly did put my baby at risk, far worse than any cup of coffee, sushi roll, or nail polish ever would!

The next time around I am taking no prisoners, and it’s thanks to people like you, Jeanne, who have helped to arm people like me with the no nonsense facts surrounding pregnancy. I fully intend to enjoy myself on this next go-round and embrace the wonderful side of pregnancy, rather than dwell hopeless on the fear mongering side. Thanks for your podcast and thanks for helping to spread a little common sense.