Dec 30

“It Looks Like The House Of The Rising Sun!”

“It looks like the house of the rising sun!” -Birth Doula to laboring mother who took off her hospital gown and exposed her belly which was stretch marked.

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There are 9 comments to this post.

Jane had this to say, Dec 30, 2009 @ 4:58 pm (Quote)

That would be funny if said to the right patient by the right midwife. My own midwives and I traded some rude remarks of a similar nature (initiated by ME, not by them) at times.

Obviously this was said to the wrong mom at the wrong time, here, otherwise it wouldn’t have ended up on this site. You don’t joke with a pregnant woman about her body unless (and possibly even if) she’s made it abundantly clear that it’s fair game to do so.

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Heather P Reply:
December 30th, 2009 at 5:03 pm Heather P(Quote)

This wouldn’t have bothered me either, I wore my stretch marks with pride.

But I can see how it’ve bothered other moms.

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Jill had this to say, Dec 30, 2009 @ 5:14 pm (Quote)

Has it been the ruin of many a poor boy?

Sorry, couldn’t resist. This is actually kinda funny…I’m sure it was NOT to the woman who submitted it though. Like Jane, I could see this comment coming from my midwife’s mouth, but I see her as more of a friend who would be intimate enough to make such wisecracks.

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Mistie had this to say, Dec 30, 2009 @ 5:14 pm (Quote)

agreed, with both comments. I joke about my pregnancy “issues” as well, but not everyone is as lighthearted about their bodies and changes. I personally have stretchmarks that whirl around my belly like how a hurricane looks on doppler. it’s pretty cool really.

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Molly had this to say, Dec 30, 2009 @ 5:22 pm (Quote)

Awww, this ones kinda cute. Im sorry that the labouring mum was offended, but the doula was trying to be funny, not mean.

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heidi had this to say, Dec 30, 2009 @ 5:55 pm (Quote)

i agree, obviously it was not nice for the lady that received the comment but i know i would’ve made the comment about my self even and wouldve laughed about anyone else saying it to me… i have tons of stretch marks from bikini line to bra line because my first and second pregnancies i was flat tummy until 7 months and 6 months respectively and then all of a sudden my belly just exploded in size so my skin didnt get a gradual stretching time… it looks like a little cat had a really fun time using my tummy as a scratching post, lol… i’m just glad they are starting to fade finally…

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Jespren had this to say, Dec 31, 2009 @ 8:02 pm (Quote)

I have very fragile skin that does not have the proper elasticity to it (genetic condition), my skin ‘stretched’ so much during pregnancy some of those stretch marks split and bled, and the marks (scars really) from the pregnancy are so bad they look like burn scars. They were so painful during late pregnancy that I could barely wear clothing. I understand that this could be funny under the right circumstances, but I also get how this could be a really rude remark, sometimes stretch marks HURT, and when your skin is extensively scared by them it can be embaracing (if a stranger saw mine they wouldn’t think ‘oh, stretch marks from pregnancy, they’d think ‘oh good heavens, how did you get burned so badly on your belly!’) Still, I don’t mind them, nor does my husband, even if they are incredibly unsightly!

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Vanessa had this to say, Jan 1, 2010 @ 5:10 pm (Quote)

My OB actually told me it looked like my belly was going to go super nova When I was 35 weeks pregnant with twins. It was funny only because he’s been my OB for 8 years and I also have a sun tattoo’d on my belly that started off the size of a quarter and stopped about the size of a grapefruit…a big grapefruit. The remark made to this woman was not in good judgement.

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