No more horror stories!
I am mounting a campaign against women who relay their birth stories to innocent "first-timers". First-timers are women who are pregnant with their first child. I don't know why we mummies forget how much we hated being the recipient of an unsolicited and unwanted graphically detailed accounts of another woman's delivery. I know it is easy to forget what our minds were like before we had children. But try to remember, you were most likely very competant in your line of work. You were happy to be pregnant and excited about starting your own family. You were getting baby's room just right, probably embarking on major home renovations too. So busy! So many tasks to complete before that unmoveable deadline.
And yet, instead of other women sharing your happiness, they off-load their traumas onto you! I remember sitting in the lunch room at work, eating my cheese and vegemite sandwich (my craving of choice) politely listening to three female colleagues share their gruesome stories from breaking waters to episiotomies. Who needs morning sickness to feel nausea! It was so gross!
Not only are pregnant women forced to be victims of gory stories but we are also threatened. How many times did you hear "you wait...". That's right. "you wait until your are sleep deprived/get mastitis/stretch marks/nappy brain etc." And so these threats continue right through until you have a child. You may be asked if your baby is sleeping well and before you reply "Yes" they will launch into "you wait until they start teething" or more commonly "You wait until you have 2 kids!".
Being on the brink of Motherhood is a very beautiful, special time for all women. Yes, it can be a little nerve wrecking but mainly a very loving time. I believe that we should nuture this and offer positive accounts from our wisdom. Let's share the love, after all, we wouldn't change being a mummy for the world.