Do you think we have too much knowledge?

[spottie2101]

After reading a thread on here i slept really badly as i was really concious about which side i slept on etc

it got me thinking that do you think we have too much knowledge these days? And is it a bad or good thing?

Is ignorance bliss Or is it better to know the in's and out's of everything?

Would love to hear your thoughts

 

[redgoose]

i think the over-googling is crazy. the OMG i had a twinge so i must go to WebMD is what is silly. Knowledge is good, it's how society progresses. I don't think living with your head in the sand does anyone any favours.

 

[Ellie Mary]

After reading a thread on here i slept really badly as i was really concious about which side i slept on etc

it got me thinking that do you think we have too much knowledge these days? And is it a bad or good thing?

Is ignorance bliss Or is it better to know the in's and out's of everything?

Would love to hear your thoughts

Definitely ignorance is bliss. Speaking as someone who had a high NT measurement at the twelve week scan and has been waiting for the 20 week scan and fetal echocardiogram for 7 long weeks, I wish I'd never had the NT screening in the first place! All I have done is worry non stop for the past 7 weeks.

Agree about the sleeping on your back thing, too. I have been trying to sleep in my side for a week and have slept soooo badly. I wake up after an hour with pains in my hips. Finally, last night I decided that it was better for me to sleep propped up on lots of pillows on my back than not to sleep at all and I feel so much more human now!

We worry about what we eat, drink, breathe in, whether we should exercise or not and then worry that the stress will affect the baby! Aaaagh!

Speaking as a Mum of a 4 1/2 year old, though, the worrying doesn't stop when you give birth. You love this little person from the moment you realise you are pregnant and only want what's best for them.

 

[LovingYou]

i think its good and bad.

If we didn't have all the knowledge, we wouldn't be able to prevent as many problems and such. I think its good because we can diagnose problems like diabetes and pre eclampsia early on.

BUT i think all the knowledge can negatively affect us as well. I know from my personal experience i get paranoid about everything. Did that turkey have listeria? Did i touch raw chicken? Did i squish the baby by sleeping on my belly? Did i play the music too loud? etc etc etc. I think if google didn't exist, pregnant women would be a lot more relaxed lol.

 

[BeachComber]

I think doctors need to have the extra knowledge to save babies lives, but I do NOT think that expectant moms should have to worry over this and that with all the info that is readily available on Google etc.
I think that all this does is cause extra stress for the Mom to be and that is never a good thing.

I too have been freaked out over not sleeping on my side now that I read that thread, and this is baby #4! I never even worried about it with my other babies and they were all fine!

 

[Button#]

I don't think there's such a thing as too much knowledge. I like to know what is going on with my body and understanding all the changes is making this pregnancy all the more exciting. I do think that it's important to be able to disregard a lot of what is written on the internet unless it is from a valid source. As much as I love this site and find it useful it is just people's experiences and not a reliable source of medical information. The plural of anecdote is not data. Obviously in a hormonal state it's easy to be upset or worried by what you read but if in doubt it's best to contact a medical professional and ask rather than go mad with worry over something that may not be important.

 

[booboo42]

i agree that there are heaps of things i wish i didn't know about.

i do feel a responsiblility to find out though as i don't feel that our doctors and mw necessarily know enough about pregnancy or related conditions or take us seriously so i sort of feel i need to "police" my care if that makes sense?

 

[Sealgirl]

I wonder if it was the same thread I read and couldn't sleep last night thinking about it! I kept waking up on my back or on my right side and panicking that I was starving the baby of oxygen.

I think we know too much, but on the other hand, I want to know everything anyway, so its a bit of a catch 22 x

 

[babyroppa]

I had these thoughts earlier in my pregnancy. I was a total mess before my 12 week & 20 week scan because i had read so many stories etc on here & other websites. Admitedly, I could of stopped reading them but im sure most people will agree that once you start, its hard to stop - especially when you have read something you didnt know about.

Anyway, OH was just in a complete bubble of his own before the scans....i was pregnant & that was that, he didnt worry about any of the things that they "could" find or whatever because he wasnt really aware of them. I remember crying one night because i was so stressed about the scan thinking "i wish i could just be like him, but i know too much"

Ive also had countless sleepless nights, finding myself on the "wrong side" or earlier today I was using bleach then thought OMG the baby hasnt kicked since i used it .... and i worry every night that my bath was too hot.

Who knows if its a good or bad thing its certainly caused me a lot more stress than i would of had if i didnt read the internet!!

 

[SabrinaKat]

yes and no.

I had an m/c two years ago at 7-8 wks and for me, the internet was a godsend, because the hospital were terrible and clueless...

this time, I've tried not to look up every single thing on the internet, but have asked advice mainly on this website (and tried to give my 2 cents worth on m/c, underactive thyroid stuff)...I think it's good for ladies like me as my family are all back in the states and the majority of my friends are men (or younger ladies) as I teach in further education. BUT I do agree, sometimes too much info is far too much info!

best wishes

(17wks+4 days because I can't use technology to insert a ticker)

 

[Mb2012]

Lol and here I thought I was the only one. I'm thinking we read the same thread, it took me 3 hours to sleep last night because I was tossing and turning trying to get comfortable on my left side only to wake up on my back this morning, I felt terrible.

Knowledge is good but Google has officially become my worst nightmare, I can't even remember the many nights I've sat up reading horror stories about symptoms I have/diseases I've made myself too paranoid that I have only to find out I'm perfectly fine

 

[mummy2be362]

I'm not listening to anything except what my midwife says is definitely important to do/avoid.

I'll sleep how I want, eat what I feel like (except for the obvious uncooked raw stuff etc), drink a coffee if I want one, drink a can of Coke when I want and my baby is perfectly fine and healthy.

The only thing that I've really changed is not smoking, not drinking energy drinks and eating a bit more fruit and veg than normal.

I'm becoming the grouchiest pregnant woman alive I'm fairly sure..

 

[spottie2101]

I have come to the conclussion i have to sleep where princess wants me to sleep and if that is on the wrong side so be it. She sure lets me know if she wants me to move etc and i need to sleep and find it hard enough getting off, a shattered mum to be is no good to anyone lol

I think we are all our own worse enemys as far as reading too much, im trying to take it all with a pinch of salt but......................... not doing very well!

 

[xPH03N1Xx]

I think knowing when to worry and when not to worry is a good thing. And doctors don't always ask the right questions, and if you dont realise something is happening then how can you inform him? Like swollen hands etc, that could easily be brushed off as just being hot and pregnant, and if you didn't know that was a sign of preaclampsia would you mention it to your doctor??

 

[Kaede351]

I think having the knowledge as a non medical professional is... Not exactly a bad thing... But it does make you more conscious of things, and therefore you are more stressed (or I am anyway lol).

We monitor everything down to the last drop of coffee, because we see websites and research articles that too much is bad for you. But isn't too much of anything bad for you? Shouldn't we monitor our caffiene intake anyway? Don't the majority of us go t-total and try to cut down on smoking as soon as we get our bfp?

But when you think about it, there were hundreds, even thousands of years of ignorance and yet the human race is still here and still going strong! The difference is, is that more children are born prematurely or with disabilities and survive because we have the knowledge to help them.

My point is, that medical professionals are the ones who need the knowledge. We as pregnant mums-to-be only need common sense to know the difference between what is good for you and baby and what is bad for you and baby.

I wish I could forget the things I've read online in research and stuff, I think I'd maybe be much more relaxed if I could!

XxX

 

[Duejan2012]

well i agree with a previous poster that i dont think there is a such thing as too much knowledge. I think it is great what to look out for so on and so forth. But its kinda like this. When i was pregnant with my DD i didnt have internet therefore i never had google or anything. I went along with my pregnancy feeling worrie free and it was amazing.

With this one i have internet now and during first tri worried about everything. Having no symptoms were signs of miscarrage and bla bla bla. But before i would say wow lucky me. I think also what we choose to let bother us is our personal worries. I knew that sleeping on your left was better for baby but i sleep how i want otherwise i wont function. I even read that when your full term if sleeping not on but close to on your belly is the only way you can sleep go for it. Its things like how much caffine you drink and what foods you eat etc that you choose to worrie about on a personal level. We all do what we all think is best for ourselfs and for our babies.

I see on here that alot of people post about something is wrong or they are bleeding who knows what. But the only thing we can do is give yall advise but if its reallly a consern then the docs or midwives are the way to go. Follow your instincts.

 

[steph.]

I was thinking this today. Last night I decided to measure my fundal height and think I am measuring small. Now I am worrying when I have no other reason to worry. I think knowledge is good as I am sure it helps give the LOs the best chance, but I am also sure it causes ALOT of unecessary worrying...