is absolutely one of the most important sentences I bring to parenting. I’m always screwing up, because I’m a human being. And it’s such a blissful relief to be able to say “I’m sorry, Noah; it was wrong of me to x; I should have y. Let’s try again” or “Oh crap, buddy, I didn’t [...]
Just some excerpts from my journal this time. 16 December I’m lying down after doing a bunch of dishes, reheating supper, and eating (which was particularly tough tonight), for a few minutes before doing Noah’s bedtime routine. He was hugging me, lying with his head on my hip, and I said “I’d like to feel [...]
As a socialist feminist parent who’s concerned about our environment, I love the commercialism that peaks around the Christmas season and encourages many of our culture’s most careless and brightly! colored! plastic! forms of gender role naturalization and gender policing. It just warms the heart, doesn’t it? There’s been lots of good writing around this theme [...]
from Molly Remer at Talk Birth, “What Really Scares Me: Social Attitudes Towards Women” Perhaps we will reach a point in the future where anything having to do with women and their messy, excess hairy, birthy, butt fatty bodies will be dealt with by professionals. Wearing skirts. from TopHat at The Bee in Your Bonnet, “When to [...]
Welcome to First the Egg, a collection of practical information, links, and cultural criticism. This site is a feminist intervention in our rigidly-gendered culture of childbirth and parenting. It aims to provide a nonsexist space for people who want to learn, reflect, commiserate, or laugh about being pregnant, giving birth, and helping children grow up whole and happy.
Feel free to contact me with ideas or questions at
Have I ever had “ANY unwanted/undesired physical or sexual contact”?
Earlier in this pregnancy, I filled out my “Initial Health History” form for prenatal and birth care. You know: check the box if you’ve experienced severe headaches, diabetes, all sorts of things. After the usual “Emotional abuse,” “Physical abuse,” “Sexual abuse,” I got to this very interesting item: ”ANY unwanted/undesired physical or sexual contact.” And I [...]