"Make me a Mom" radio contest

[Warby]

A local radio station is sponsoring a contest. Here is the link: https://www.ampradiocalgary.com/index.asp?mn=11&id=1180&cc=4

But basically, they take five couples who want to have a baby. They all take a pregnancy test on day one to prove they are not pregnant. And then whoever gets pregnant first gets the prizes, including
-$10 000 cash
-$1000 gift card to Walmart
-$2000 gift card to Toys R Us
-$1000 gift card to Gymboree
-one year's supply of Starbucks coffee ($1000 gift card)
-$2000 worth of jewelry

What do you think? Is such a contest in good taste, or is there something wrong here?

 

[smokey]

My concern is how much it may encourage a pregnancy that isn't thought through or planned properly and being too spur of the moment just to win.
Anything from the woman having a lack of vitamins and minerals (folic acid is something that ideally should be taken a few months before conceiving) to not being sure of possible hereditary problems that in a normal planned case may be investigated into beforehand right up to an actual unwanted pregnancy (there are stupid enough people out there that would get pregnant just to win rather then winning being a bonus of wanting a baby).
Also it possibly could encourage woman just sleeping around or not telling a partner either short or long term what she is attempting to do.
It does make a bit of a mockery of the whole ttc, there are plenty of reasons to want a baby and winning a competition shouldn't be one of them.
I wouldn't say it was in bad taste but certainly irresponsible

 

[staralfur]

Who thinks this stuff up? If nothing else it's a really strange contest. TBH I'd be embarrassed to say that's how I was conceived!

 

[juicyfruity]

no starbucks coffee if you DO fall pregnant!! caffeine! also pregnancy is tretcherous early on, misscarriages happen even if you do win

 

[smokey]

no starbucks coffee if you DO fall pregnant!! caffeine! also pregnancy is tretcherous early on, misscarriages happen even if you do win

Thats a good point, why give coffee as a prize for becoming pregnant?
I thought at first it was a case of the winner was the first to be pregnant and have a baby but looking at the rules it is literaly just first to concieve within the month or first thereafter if no one is pregnant in that month.

That really raises even more concerns to me about the potential for doing it just to win then after winning having the pregnancy "stoped".

 

[Foogirl]

no starbucks coffee if you DO fall pregnant!! caffeine! also pregnancy is tretcherous early on, misscarriages happen even if you do win

Starbucks sell more than coffee. They also do decaffinated.

 

[Sarahkka]

It's kind of just really... odd?
I don't really understand how this is supposed to be a contest.
Assuming that everyone is healthy, fertile, and cycling regularly, isn't this really just a matter of who ovulates first from the start of the contest?
How is that exciting or even interesting, much less somehow deserving of heaps of prizes?
It wouldn't have me tuning in.

 

[Warby]

While having a baby is exciting and miraculous to the expecting couple and to their circle of loved ones, it is also a pretty normal thing to have happen. I don't see why I should follow along to see which random couple gets pregnant first.

 

[smokey]

Out of interest what do people find worse? This comp or the one that was run a while back where the prize was ivf treatment.

It didnt run long anyway as one couple won it after the third pregnancy test, not much of a fair competition really seen as at the point of the first test to show no ones pregnant uet technicaly one couple could have already concieved but by a few days where as another may be waiting to ovulate or just starting a cycle.
Its not a fair playing feild unless every woman has the same cycle ie 28 days and on the same day at the start.

I do find the little caption of "baby may not be exactly as shown" funny though

 

[Sarahkka]

I assume that to get sponsors like that they must have been pretty sure that the contest would pique interest and increase audience?
I wonder if it actually did?

 

[smokey]

Probably not many as the comp only started on the 13th with testing on 13th and 16th to prove they where not pregnant but won less then a week later so chances are the couple was already pregnant just not showing on a test yet