MOTHERHOOD
The Shoddy Science Behind Most Pregnancy Advice
We fail moms with ill-informed guidance and moralizing
The moment I found out I was pregnant, I was hungover. While epic evenings of drinking were mostly behind me (after I hit 30, my hangovers had morphed into cruel, multi-day affairs), the previous night had been a rare, fun exception. I was sleeping it off, my heavy breathing interrupted by the ring of my cell phone.
The night before, my husband and I had martinis at our house before heading to our favorite neighborhood restaurant for a pizza with anchovies and pickled peppers. I’d lost a pregnancy a couple of months prior, and a big part of our grieving process had been to give ourselves a break from focusing on anything baby-related. So, embracing our ability to act spontaneously, we ended up having a big night out like the ones we used to have when we were first getting to know each other and falling in love. Conversation, laughter, and affection (also cocktails and wine) flowed in the familiar, easy way that they had not in the weeks following my miscarriage. After dinner, we decided not to go home. We went to a ’90s R&B night at a club; I drank tequila and danced to Mariah Carey.
When my doctor called with the news the next morning, it felt as though my barely conscious brain…
