What to Expect When You're Expecting....1949

When I was 5 or 6 weeks pregnant with Wyatt Randy's grandparents moved into an apartment and held a family moving sale. With a stack of Grandma's linens I found a little book that was very interesting to me - You and Your Baby: A Guide for Prenatal Care. Published in 1949, Grandma had this book for her pregnancy with Randy's dad and the four that followed.

I thought I'd share a few excerpts during this pregnancy for some good laughs. Let's just say a few things have changed since then. If you're a guy reading this....sorry.

Signs of Pregnancy

Missing her monthly period is often the first sign that cause a woman to suspect she is pregnant. However, there may be less obvious signs that point in that direction. She may feel unusually cheerful...[and it goes on but I'll skip the graphic parts]...It may seem strange to her that, even at this point, the doctor cannot say positively whether or not she is pregnant.* (The footnote) There are laboratory tests such as the so-called "rabbit test" that are highly reliable for diagnosing pregnancy. However, these are expensive and unnecessary except in an unusual situation. ...Not until about the fifth month does the heart beat of the baby become audible. This reassuring sound is of course the proof-positive that a baby is on the way.

Oh, how thankful I am for the $11 pack of 3 prego tests. And by 15 weeks, I have had two sonos and heard the baby's heartbeat three times (154 last time, for those of you who are superstitious on the heartbeat/gender). I'm grateful for the major medical advances since 1949!