Bubble wrapped mommies - the 1st Batallion of the Pregnancy Police

I've discovered that by being a mom-to-be who is willing to take some risks where the dangers are very remote (ie. having the occasional glass of wine in late pregnancy, continuing to eat sushi and raw oysters from reputable places, indulging in soft cheeses from time to time, etc.), I'm unconventional.

There seems to be a growing contingency of moms-to-be who take a near religous vow against doing anything that might remotely pose ANY risk to their unborn child. They begin their parental sacrifices even before the first diaper is changed...and often they do these things in the face of statistics that clearly demonstrate that what they are doing is unlikely to be of any benefit to their child. They go through their pregnancies suffering from morning sickness out of fear that Dilectin might be Thalidomide in disguise, they refuse to take any cold medication because it might pose a risk and they do not investigate what options might be available to them to ease their suffering, they go through labour without drugs and fiercely resist c-sections, they give up all alcohol, coffee, raw fish and sushi. They refuse to eat anything that isn't organic and they won't go near a manicure/pedicure or hair dye. Moderation is not sufficient in their drive to be the perfect gestator and to give their progeny the absolutely best chance in life - no risk is too small to be avoided. It's amazing that many of these women don't spend their entire pregnancies in a riskless remote biodome.

And for the most part, I couldn't care less about the decisions these women make with respect to their pregnancies and their children-to-be - it is after all, their body and their child and their right to do so. The bit I have a problem with is that many of these women feel a need to look down upon those mothers who refuse to take the same approach to their own pregnancies. They view the women who do not make the same sacrifices or decisions as being lesser moms than themselves - and there is the rub.

Modern day bubble wrapping of children begins in the womb...after all its never too soon to start instilling the sense that the world is a very dangerous place that is to be survived by taking every possible precaution and refusing any experience that might bear some risk.