Wellesley Underground

I’m always frustrated whenever I see articles in the press telling pregnant women (or really women in general) what they should or shouldn’t do. This debate manifests itself most strongly in the pro-choice/pro-life debacle, but also the negative attention a pregnant woman gets if she has even a sip of alcohol, or a cigarette. (see Kate Hudson - http://hollywooddame.com/2011/04/04/kate-hudson-drinking-while-pregnant-pic/)  Science has shown that minimal amounts of alcohol are not de-facto dangerous for the fetus, especially during later stages of pregnancy — and yet, the media goes wild. 

The science of a developing fetus is not well understood, so I like reading scientific reports on this sort of medical research… However, a recent article (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13119545) suggested that there was a direct link between the diet of a pregnant of a pregnant woman, and the chances that her child may develop obesity later in life. Specifically, more carbs during pregnancy ==> fat kids. One of my friends is currently pregnant and I struggled with how to send this article to her. On one hand, I thought she’d find it interesting. On the other, I didn’t want to suggest that she should be living life in any “certain” way. 

Yay research for studying this….but a big fat UGH for what this means for women everywhere. OMG I saw a pregnant woman order DESSERT at dinner! How DARE she! How do we encourage this sort of research which can help women everywhere make decisions, but also change society not to go wild over the same research and judge such a personal decision….

Thoughts?