On a walk through our neighborhood early in this pregnancy, right as I realized I really was pregnant, I was hit hard with a profound gratitude for my lifelong easy access to effective contraception. I am not being flippant. This is no joke about nausea, or dark humor about feeling ambivalent with regard to my [...]
Too wiped out for excerpts, people: you’ll just have to trust me and click through. They’re great, so do. at An Honest Mom, “On Female Characters in Children’s Books” and “On Girls, Women and Dads in Picture Books” at The Pursuit of Harpyness (from Anna J. Cook), “What’s Missing from Sex Education?” at Public Health Doula, “Another [...]
from Amanda Steen at NPR’s The Baby Project, “Birth: In the Comfort of Home” (a 20-year-old journalist’s account of witnessing a homebirth) What I can say, is that I definitely felt encouraged by one of Shannon’s midwives, Erin Fullam, who said to Linda and me, “People talk about how painful contractions are because they’re so [...]
And Baby Makes More: Known Donors, Queer Parents, and Our Unexpected Families is a collection of twenty-two personal essays that deal–from many different angles and in many different ways–with the experience of creating a family with the help of a known donor. Mostly sperm, a little egg thrown in for good measure. (Well, I mean [...]
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 [...]