I used to occasionally see these ginger gummy bear lollies in shops and wonder who in their right mind would buy them. Now I am their greatest fan!! That's right. Ginger gummy bears rock. This is because they are so hot in your mouth that you forget that you are feeling motion/morning sickness in the car/bus/train/couch. And something about ginger being good for nausea.
So I'm doing the pregnant and holding down a full time job thing, with all the obstacles that entails. There are so many potentially awkward situations there I wonder why noone has made a movie about the comical side of morning sickness before....
1) "Good morning, honey, how are you today?"
"Please don't touch my stomach... oh no... BLAAAARGH!!" (insert canned laughter)...
2) "Want some cheese and crackers?"
"I don't ever want to eat or hear about cheese again!!"
"But I thought you were hanging out for cheese yesterday??"
"Oh no... BLAAAARGH! I said don't mention that word!! And I meant it!!" (insert canned laughter)...
3) 9am meeting - why the hell did it have to be so early? Preparation with breakfast consisting only of dry foods (pretzels, crackers, nuts, tiny teddys) eaten in sparrow-sized portions. Nightmare scenario in back of mind involving having to dash out of meeting (where I am the only woman) suddenly but not make it to the bathroom in time, or worse, being sick at the meeting. In reality, all was clear. Phew.
I'm wondering about the dim darker ages, when knowledge about babies would have been conveyed largely by word of mouth... How would one have coped if one didn't have a mother, mother-in-law, sister, friend, auntie etc who could have "diagnosed" your condition and helped you through? I would be freaking out right now if I didn't know what was going on. I'd probably be almost anorexic if I didn't tell myself I should eat.
But right now, I'm greatful for my mother, mother-in-law, Nanna (even tho' she already has 5 great-grandkids) for sharing, caring, telling me stories of "way back when" and friends for sending me useful hints and web links!! You know in the 70's , you had to sew your own maternity clothes? and you had to quit work the moment everyone found out you were obviously up the duff?
2 comments:
I laughed out loud at your sitcom ideas, somehow I saw it with Simpsons characters...
A musing on your qstn re dim darker ages, I reckon once upon a time it would have been unheard of to grow up without a baby sibling on our hip, watching mum or older sister being pregnant and having babies. Also in non-industrialised societies we would all have been experienced in watching / helping animals through pregnancy and birth...So, I suspect that if anything we are more isolated from the nuts and bolts of pregnancy and birth (from an experiential perspective, perhaps we have more theory). Just a thought.
Great that you have network of cool older chicks to draw on so you don't feel alone in the experience.
See you on Sat chickadee!
C-chan suggested out-sourcing my morning sickness. That'd be nice!
J - of course you're right. We are isolated from it all these days, and it would have been hard not to notice what goes on in the lead up to a pregnancy when you shared the same 1-room hut/had 5 other siblings plus neighbours with kids etc around you.
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