Why It Sucks to be Pregnant In America

In general, most of us think that we are fortunate to be pregnant now and not, say, a hundred years ago or, god forbid, a thousand years ago. We think that modern medicine is necessary to prevent all of the many things that will inevitably go wrong during labor. Modern medicine saves women and children from harm, right?

Not necessarily. There is no evidence to support that a hospital birth is safer than a home birth, as Chris Kresser has noted on his blog.

Modern medicine and modern medical procedures do save lives but they also take them and take their quality as well which is, in my opinion, worse.

I’d have to say that the number one reason it sucks to be pregnant in America is that home births are disdained and hospital births revered.

But wait, there’s more, and I’ve got a pretty good sense for it at the moment. Since I’m pregnant and all. Quite pregnant.

While I am now super excited to meet the baby, I am no longer super excited to be pregnant. My thoughts have moved from how to best take care of this baby inside me, to getting this baby the heck out of me. I’m not negative like this all the time. Quite the contrary actually, but I was too active yesterday, didn’t get enough sleep last night, and didn’t eat enough food today. My body is paying for it and my mind is rebelling.

Reasons Why Pregnancy in America Sucks

(in no particular order)

1. Our jobs require us to sit in chairs. Sitting in chairs is painful on the back. Sitting on rocks, balance balls, or the floor is better but it isn’t an option for many pregnant women.
2. Our jobs (mine included) require us to type all freaking day long. Repetitive motion, exceedingly hot weather, and pregnancy are a perfect brew for carpal tunnel syndrome, something women from other cultures are not likely to experience.
3. Unhealthy food choices are in your face everytime you go to the store – or anywhere for that matter. In general, pregnant women give in constantly and, for those of us who don’t, we fight the urge each and every time we walk through the isles. (Hey, it’s not like I don’t like sweet stuff, I just fight to avoid it every time I go to the store!)
4. Pregnant women are something of a novelty in our culture. While this can get us to the front of the line at the comedy club it often means our delicate state is underestimated.
5. We have tiny little family units, rather than communities of people around to help, and moms are generally considered the caregivers no matter if they work 9-5. Not so big of a deal with a first child but can lead to severe fatigue with subsequent children.
6. In the United States of America, a.k.a. No Vacation Nation, women generally don’t get paid maternity leave. And for many of us our husbands barely get a day or two off. So our kids go to daycare and grow up without their mommies.
7. Breastfeeding is not an expectation; it is an option. “Are you going to breastfeed?” is just about one of the most ridiculous questions I’ve ever heard.
8. Invasive and/or under-researched procedures are offered at every turn. Doctors give anywhere between 3 to 10 ultrasounds to a pregnant woman. Are they safe? Who really knows. But they’ll do them regardless.

“Ultrasound is a form of energy—sound waves vibrating at approximately a hundred times the frequency of normal sound—and the waves can affect tissue in a variety of ways. Heat is one effect. In addition, although ultrasound itself does not produce audible noise, secondary vibrations can produce noises as loud as 100 decibels, causing fetuses to move. Other effects, still poorly understood, include tiny bubbles in tissue (a process known as cavitation), sheering forces within tissues, induced flows within fluids, and creation of minute quantities of toxic chemicals.” From AskQuestions.org.

9. Doctors prescribe drugs, not nutrition, to pregnant women. Anti-biotics for a UTI? How bout unsweetened cranberry juice, a sugar-free diet, and no processed foods? Infection is a sign of bad health and bad nutrition, which should be tackled when trying to grow a baby from scratch.
10. The cesarean section rate in the United States is 33% and the infant mortality rate is higher than it is in 40 other nations.

The list can go on and on. Please add what you think makes it suck to be pregnant in America! And thanks for sympathizing!