BirthMark Blog
Birth and Parenting - So what is safe?
May 23, 2009
Being an expecting or new parent is hard today! Eighteen years ago, when I was expecting my first child, I did plenty of reading. When I had questions, I asked my doctor. If he told me not to worry or I didn’t find it in the book, I stopped worrying. I tried to eat well, exercise, and get my rest. My biggest worry was a fear of my cat’s litter box.
Last year, when I was expecting James, it was a whole different world. There are so many rules for the pregnant woman today! No soft cheeses, no lunchmeats, no sushi. Testing for Strep B. High cesarean rates. VBAC, which was considered safe when I had my twins, is now considered to be dangerous—based on the same body of research. And now there’s the Internet—oh, save us from the Internet! While there is an endless wealth of information available, some of it can be very scary! Give me enough time online, and I can work myself into a full-fledged anxiety attack over an imagined crisis in under 20 minutes.
Having young children is hard, too! The whole world seems to be leaking toxins. There’s lead in the toys, dangerous plastics, questionable vaccines…sometimes it all seems too much. I am thankful to have been though all this before—that despite the fact that I didn’t know any of the rules we have today (and broke most of them), my kids are great. The rules are always changing, but in the end, I think that common sense and moderation are usually the best choices.
Posted by Jackie Kelleher. Post your comments on our Facebook page.
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