Paranoia Uncalled For...PUFFF

Now every pregnant woman, especially pregnant "Indian" women are subjected to various degrees of torture related to advice, paranoia and guilt related to their pregnancy.

Whether it is what you wear, what you eat, where you go and what you do - every older woman has something to say about what is the 'right' thing to do now.

Fact being all these "wise" women have been through either one or two or three pregnancies maximum and any pregnant woman with a practical mind knows that each pregnancy is very different from the other.

The only people who really have experience and have seen 100's of women pregnant are gynacs and midwives. Midwives are not so big in the city - so that leaves you with gynacs only.

Recently I've met pregnant women that eat 'kesar' four times a day, drink 3 liters of milk, wear only white clothes, stopped working in the 5th month even though they have a normal pregnancy and basically behave like they are ill or have a disease.

Off course, pregnancy demands special care but today, unlike maybe 25 years ago, there is a myriad of information available. Good books and a selected few authentic websites are great for everyone. So if my mother followed silly advice when she was pregnant, I don't really blame her, because she didn't know any better BUT TODAY when women do stupid things, I blame only them. There are good doctors out there, informative prenatal classes, and good books, so no excuse.

Sometimes when people tell me certain things, I really wonder if they really think I don't care enough about my baby?

Fact being is that I care the most.

Fact being that when they pester you, they don't realize they are hassling the mother, and when the mother gets worked up, it affects the baby.

Im 2/3rd down my journey of pregnancy and I know the finale is yet to come (and be there for life!) but I know one thing already... being in touch with your body, understanding what you need and giving yourself what you need at the right time is the most important thing. And the only people who can help you with this is you yourself and your doctor, and nobody else.

So for all the pregnant women there, I have to end this post with a couple of wise words :)

I have no advice for You, because nobody knows you and your baby better than you.