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 [...]
from Dinosaur Comics, just some dinosaurs discussing routine newborn eye ointment (with a tip of the hat to Rebecca at Public Health Doula) from Analía R. Stormo, Nikki A. Hawkins, Crystale Purvis Cooper, and Mona Saraiya in The Archives of Internal Medicine, “The Pelvic Exam as a Screening Tool: Practices of US Physicians“–Unfortunately, the full [...]
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 [...]
It seems like a lot of stuff about talking with children (of various ages) about sex and sexuality has been coming across my radar lately. Here are a few interesting pieces: from Meika Loe at Ms. Magazine Blog, “How To Model Healthy Sexuality for Our Daughters” from Tinamarie Bernard at AlterNet, “Can America’s Attitude Towards [...]
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.
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links for thought, January 2012 (bodily autonomy edition)
from Alice Bradley at Finslippy, “On Being an Object, and Then Not Being an Object” There were other incidents, too; so many incidents. Every one underscored the message that I wasn’t safe, that I deserved whatever was coming to me, because I was young and a woman and that was how it was and also [...]