Just a bit of a vent here, and I'm interested to hear what others think..

I have just read a thread about wedding madness (weddings that turn into a major production), and I'm wondering if motherhood is the next life event to become totally commercialised?

I have three children, who are absolutely the best thing that has ever happened to me. When I was pregnant I was a pretty low key kinda expectant lady, we kept the news secret until about 20 weeks (I hardly showed for the first half), and I was blessed to have very straight forward deliveries and healthy babies. Hubby and I were in complete awe of the beauty of new life, and we are very proud parents.

Now, by contrast I have lots of pregnant work mates at the moment. Their pregnancies seem to be the most highly publised events outside of Lady Gaga's tour, or the Olympics! Constant conversation about milestones, scans on Facebook, belly rubbing and they seem to be unable to talk about anything else!! One lady I work with liked to relay the conception story (at work), and refer to her nipples and stretch marks without prompt!!

And OMG, the buying!! Designer nappy bags, multi-function high chairs, strollers that have ipod connectivity (good idea, but isn't it nice to walk with baby and enjoy the quiet, and later chatter to baby and ENGAGE??), baby swaddling clothes that have velcro...and I wonder if some new mommys are forgeting that babies need the most simpe things, and are swept away on a wave of buying and over sharing?

Perhaps I'm just a little old fashioned..please add your thoughts!

I agree that people buy a lot of un-needed baby gear, but see no issue with posting their scans on FB or rubbing their belly's etc. I think talking about pregnancy and birth is normal and healthy. If only more women would share their experiences, others would not be so in the dark when they are pregnant for the first time. I am especially referring to birth experiences... the lack of sharing birth stories has lead to many births being over medicalized and pregnant women fearing it and not believing in their own bodies natural ability to birth. It saddens me so much when I hear women say they know they can't do it and just want a c-section. It is everyone's choice, but our perception as a society is that birth is too hard and too dangerous, and my own birth experience was so amazing I wish that more women would let themselves try. But that is perhaps not what you were talking about.

Growing a life inside you is a pretty big deal, an occupies and changes every aspect of your life...so I don't blame them for talking about it all the time. Not to mention, becoming a parent changes your life in every way imaginable. Marriage is a big deal, but parenthood is HUGE, so I don't even put them in the same category. After I got married, I was me, but married. After I had a baby, I was a mom before every thing else in my life. So while I can agree that people over buy, probably because they are uber excited and baby things are so cute to buy, I don't see a problem with the rest of it. Just my thoughts...

+100

oh, avafox, i don't understand it, either! some things really just don't need to be shared, and certainly not shared to that extent.

and i canNOT wrap my head around the idea of a "push present"




now... please don't think i'm making light of truly unfit mothers, or neglected children, etc, because i'm not. but this sums it all up for me:

I completely agree with jcent on this. Everyone has a different personality and embrace pregnancy differently. You have every right to not share personal things though and you don't have to partake in the conversation if its something you aren't comfortable with.

Oooh! Funny!

Hopefully no-one is reading my original post and thinking I was being mean...certainly I don't feel that way. I ws just having a bit of a vent, and a bit of a giggle now at Dana's post!!

Dana cracks me up!!

I don't really want to hear about other's nipples either Avafox, TMI

I am just very open. Anyone who knows me, knows I am an open book. You could ask me anything and I would most likely tell you. I am just that way. I understand not everyone is comfortable sharing the kinds of things I feel comfortable sharing and that is totally fine.

This is a very interesting thread. What is polite and what is not polite? The world has really changed since my childbearing days.