Babies

My cousin's daughter is having a son early in May.  Technology has changed so much since I was pregnant, although ultrasound was in use, it was not as accurate as it is today.   Because I was pregnant with twins I had many ultrasounds over the last few months and we still have a copy of one in the baby photo album.  It looks more like a weather map than a baby picture.  We were told that we had one boy, with the possibility of a second (well, the odds were 50-50, right?) and although I had been hoping for a boy and a girl, we ended up with two boys. 

Despite the advances in technology, there are many things that have stayed the same about pregnancy and childbirth. I think we all want perfect, healthy babies, and to provide the best care possible for them.  We want the healthiest birthing techniques, the least intervention, and to live happily ever after without any problems.  It's hard to imagine life with a baby while you're pregnant with your first child, and impossible to imagine life without a baby once he's arrived. 

I feel sorry for the latest generation of mothers, because there is so much pressure on them.  There are so many studies, so many restrictions on diet and medication that it must be hard to keep everything straight.  Back in the day our mothers didn't know as much as we did, and in my day we knew more but weren't bombarded with as much information as our daughters are.  For many women, this is the most important time in their lives and they want to be sure that they are doing everything that they can.  

Somehow, things seemed much more casual when I was pregnant.  My doctor was a pretty laid back character, who told me to listen to my body and do what it told me to.  He encouraged me to take Tylenol when I was in pain or had a headache, because it would be more stressful on the babies if I just suffered.  I ate whatever I wanted or had appetite for, without worrying about causing birth defects or allergies.  I didn't exercise fanatically or feel guilty because I didn't walk for hours a day.  I took prenatal vitamins, slept as much as I could, and worked until I was 7 months pregnant.  The boys were born at 36 weeks gestation, but after a shaky start they are certainly healthy adults.