04-07-2009, 04:24 PM
Listening to the guys discuss the topic of unexpected pregnancies (without even having watched the show yet) really revealed a new side of them to me. I expect Zane to be somewhat ignorant, Free Beer to be on the moderate side, and I rely on Hot Wings for the rational, logical opinion. It's usually what makes them work.
But with this particular topic, I found all three of their opinions incredibly ignorant of the facts behind pregnancy. They approached this topic with such a closed mind, and exited the discussion having come to the conclusion that the only women who could not know they're pregnant are stupid whores with drinking problems.
This couldn't be farther from the truth. I also used to think that this phenomenon was completely impossible. I had always thought that every pregnancy resulted in significant weight gain, a bulging belly, absence of any menstruation, and crazy 3 a.m. cravings for pretzels and ice cream. This couldn't be further from the reality of pregnancy.
The truth is, every pregnancy is different. If the guys had waited until AFTER they watched the show to criticize it, they might have been surprised to find out that some women gain very little weight, or that depending on where the baby is positioned, the mom might not feel the baby kicking. They also might have understood that sometimes "spotting" can occur during pregnancy, and if pregnancy isn't on mom's radar, she is going to mistake it for her monthly visitor.
The show very clearly addressed the fact that the women were not completely asymptomatic. To the contrary, many of the typical symptoms were very present, but could easily be attributed to other things. One woman's pregnancy presented with swollen feet and legs, but she'd recently started a new job where she was on her feet more than previously. Another experienced weight gain, but she had changed jobs and was around food more often, and attributed her gain to picking at food throughout the day. Yet another was on the pill, but the effectiveness of the pill had been compromised by her having to take antibiotics before going to the dentist, because she has a heart condition. A fourth woman woke up in labor, but thought she had a deep vein thrombosis, because a friend of hers had just recently had a blood clot and that's what her mind was focused on. Another took multiple pregnancy tests, but because she'd taken them too early (yes, there is such a thing), the test didn't detect the pregnancy and resulted in a false negative. The show also showed photos of a few of the women just a month or two before they delivered, and they weren't at all "showing".
The fact remains that no pregnancy is typical. No human body is typical. Pregnant women don't always wake up their husband at 2:45 in the morning, in the middle of a blizzard, to go get them fried chicken with chocolate sauce on top. Some women are naturally irregular, so a missed period isn't going to stand out to them. When all of the stars align just right, a pregnancy can be easily missed.
The myth of the "typical" pregnancy will not help this phenomenon, because as long as the myth is perpetuated, women will continue to believe that because they're not experiencing the signs of the "typical" pregnancy, they can't possibly be pregnant. Because of discussions like the ones had on the radio show yesterday, several mothers and babies will not receive the pre-natal care that they require, and some, as the Discovery Health show illustrated, will sadly die.
Or maybe it's just dumb fat chicks.
But with this particular topic, I found all three of their opinions incredibly ignorant of the facts behind pregnancy. They approached this topic with such a closed mind, and exited the discussion having come to the conclusion that the only women who could not know they're pregnant are stupid whores with drinking problems.
This couldn't be farther from the truth. I also used to think that this phenomenon was completely impossible. I had always thought that every pregnancy resulted in significant weight gain, a bulging belly, absence of any menstruation, and crazy 3 a.m. cravings for pretzels and ice cream. This couldn't be further from the reality of pregnancy.
The truth is, every pregnancy is different. If the guys had waited until AFTER they watched the show to criticize it, they might have been surprised to find out that some women gain very little weight, or that depending on where the baby is positioned, the mom might not feel the baby kicking. They also might have understood that sometimes "spotting" can occur during pregnancy, and if pregnancy isn't on mom's radar, she is going to mistake it for her monthly visitor.
The show very clearly addressed the fact that the women were not completely asymptomatic. To the contrary, many of the typical symptoms were very present, but could easily be attributed to other things. One woman's pregnancy presented with swollen feet and legs, but she'd recently started a new job where she was on her feet more than previously. Another experienced weight gain, but she had changed jobs and was around food more often, and attributed her gain to picking at food throughout the day. Yet another was on the pill, but the effectiveness of the pill had been compromised by her having to take antibiotics before going to the dentist, because she has a heart condition. A fourth woman woke up in labor, but thought she had a deep vein thrombosis, because a friend of hers had just recently had a blood clot and that's what her mind was focused on. Another took multiple pregnancy tests, but because she'd taken them too early (yes, there is such a thing), the test didn't detect the pregnancy and resulted in a false negative. The show also showed photos of a few of the women just a month or two before they delivered, and they weren't at all "showing".
The fact remains that no pregnancy is typical. No human body is typical. Pregnant women don't always wake up their husband at 2:45 in the morning, in the middle of a blizzard, to go get them fried chicken with chocolate sauce on top. Some women are naturally irregular, so a missed period isn't going to stand out to them. When all of the stars align just right, a pregnancy can be easily missed.
The myth of the "typical" pregnancy will not help this phenomenon, because as long as the myth is perpetuated, women will continue to believe that because they're not experiencing the signs of the "typical" pregnancy, they can't possibly be pregnant. Because of discussions like the ones had on the radio show yesterday, several mothers and babies will not receive the pre-natal care that they require, and some, as the Discovery Health show illustrated, will sadly die.
Or maybe it's just dumb fat chicks.