Being a 36 y/o grandmother in waiting is nothing to be proud of, if anything it shows you raised your kids wrong. 

This is so common in the area around my hometown in southern Illinois. My cousin had her first baby at age 14. That baby had his first at age 17. And that baby had their first at age 15. My 48 year old cousin is a fucking great grandma.

Out of wedlock? My, my, how lackadaisical the party of family values has become.

the first post-birth shit is one of the most harrowing moments in a young mother’s life

Some of the old Jezebel magic here.

Like you, I also read all the pregnancy and childbirth books I could get my hands on. After giving birth, my takeaway was that it is so medically fraught for many women because each experience is unique. What is painful or scary for one woman may not be for another. Regardless of how much doctors know about pregnancy,…

When I went to the hospital with concerns while pregnant they basically wouldn’t let me leave until my stats were 100% normal again. They were also in touch with my doctor the whole time keeping her up-to-date on what was going on and having her weigh in with the on-call doctor on their plan of action. I am in the US…

This was great, thanks. What got me with breastfeeding was that there was almost no freedom for almost a full year. Sure, i could spend a few hours away from my baby or even go out ( once i went away for an overnight for a casual softball tournament)! But inevitably, the fun ends early as my breasts became so sore…

I 100% agree with the article. It’s all super valid. I also haven’t had a pregnancy but I teach reproductive system to students so I’ve experienced the two extremes: students who have no idea and rose colored classes and students who are ready to drop their birthing horror stories.
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One major reason…

I come from a very troubled background. I was born the year that the Supreme Court legalized birth control in Griswold v. Connecticut. My mother never wanted children and experienced 7 pregnancies. She aborted the first herself. The second was stillborn after a beating from my father. The third had a clubfoot. The…

And 10 years after having my son, I finally realized why the celebrities were “too posh to push” and had cesareans. Natural childbirth is hell on the bladder control.

It's funny, I can go on and on about the joy of motherhood but because I was born before birth control to parents who never wanted children, I fully supported my children's decisions not to have children.  I really wanted grandkids but that's a terrible situation to put a child in.  So I settled for grandkitties.  I…

I think that there is truth to that idea that you forget the pain when you hold your child. I remember begging for pain relief (I had natural childbirth) I remember how much the episiotomy hurt. I remember times that breastfeeding was agonizing. And yet, looking back, it was nothing compared to the love that I felt…

When my wife was pregnant with our only child it was night and day depending on where we went. Normally we went to a large hospital about a half hour away that had exceptional maternity care and they treated her like you’d think they should - a pregnant woman who needs care. However there were some concerns and…

I had no idea I would be in pain AFTER I gave birth... I figured it would be fuzzy slippers and I’d be running around like normal maybe a day or two afterwards. I remember a week of extreme cramping, pain, and weakness... and anger that my partner could go to the store whenever he wanted and I could barely get out of…

I’ve never given birth (and never wanted to) in part because I’m well aware of the horror stories around pregnancy, birth, and post birth. And I’m always really surprised that birthing folks are caught so off guard by them.

I would by lying if I said that part of the reason I decided not to have children is because the idea of this happening to my body is so inherently petrifying. No amount of Cute Baby Promise could get me to sign on for this. Fuck no. And that is an okay choice! 

Most of what’s brought up here could be covered by stating the simple truth that every pregnancy and newborn is unique. That may come across as being trite, but it’s true from what I can tell.

FANTASTIC article, and so agreed. I was also the type who researched EVERYTHING I could about pregnancy before I gave birth, because I wanted to know what could happen - and still, there were things I learned that I never found out in my months and months of obsessively researching.  I have high blood pressure now…

Since my pregnancy, I have had to wake up every night to pee.  My son is now 12.