How many times have you mentioned something to your mom, grandmother, or friend about your pregnancy and they've responded with, “They didn’t even HAVE that when I was pregnant!”?
Lots, I’ll bet. While pregnancy itself hasn’t changed — it’s still about 10 months long and it still ends with having a baby — a lot of what you do during those months is different. It’s not only because of a cultural shift that's occurred during the last 40 years or so, it’s because we know more about how children develop in the womb and what they need to grow and thrive.
Here’s a “then and now” list of some things that have changed quite a bit in the past four or five decades:
Then: A woman would think, “I’m pregnant! I’d better go to the doctor and get a test to be sure.”
Now: You can run to the drug store and buy a test that will actually tell you “Pregnant” or “Not Pregnant.” You’ll know if you’re pregnant less than two weeks after ovulation. Even better, you can use fertility monitors to track your most fertile days.
Then: You may have seen old pictures of pregnant family members sitting around the dining room table, with a glass of wine in front of them, smoking a cigarette. Although it’s hard to imagine now, the effects of smoking on a fetus weren’t widely known until the 1960s, and moderate drinking wasn’t frowned upon either.
Now: Many smokers now quit before becoming pregnant, and most women abstain from drinks while pregnant and breastfeeding.
Then: Women were told to only gain about 15 pounds for a variety of reasons. Many babies had low birth weights during the 1950s-1970s.
Now: The low birth weight rates from years ago led doctors to recommend that women should gain around 20-25 pounds during pregnancy. Women are also prescribed prenatal vitamins the minute they tell their doctor that they may be thinking of having a baby.
Then: Women got morning sickness, often during the first trimester or throughout the course of pregnancy. They used home remedies to curb their symptoms.
Now: Women get morning sickness, often during the first trimester or throughout the course of pregnancy. So, unfortunately, nothing much has changed — women sip ginger tea, carry around dry crackers, and many generally feel miserable 24 hours a day. A medication was re-introduced in the United States last year that reduces the effects of morning sickness, but often causes drowsiness too.
Then: Women would work until they were about five months pregnant (when they really began to show), and then would stay home.
Now: Many women work until they’re ready to have their baby. I remember realizing that I was in the beginning stages of labor while at work when I was pregnant with my second child. I tied up the loose ends at work throughout the day, packed up my computer, and went home to wait for the contractions to become stronger.
Then: There was no way to see a picture of your child while pregnant, or get an accurate idea of development. Ultrasounds weren’t readily available in health care settings until the late 1970s.
Now: Ultrasounds are a part of the routine care a woman receives while pregnant to learn more about her baby’s health and growth. Plus — bonus! — ultrasounds can also tell you if the baby’s a boy or girl.
Then: Women wore extra-large (or men’s) clothing or sewed their own pregnancy clothes.
Now: In the past 15 years, maternity wear has become stylish, celebrating a woman’s body while being designed for maximum comfort both during and after pregnancy.
How about you? Do you have any stories that you’ve heard from family members that remind you just how much pregnancy has changed throughout the years?
