Fresh Air Having A Child In The Digital Age
35 snips
May 8, 2025 
In this engaging conversation, journalist Amanda Hess, author of Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age, reveals the deep impact of technology on her experience of pregnancy after learning her child had an abnormality. Hess discusses the emotional rollercoaster of navigating pregnancy apps and online forums, while critiquing their unrealistic portrayals of motherhood. She also addresses the inequalities in access to reproductive technologies and the implications of surveillance in parenting, emphasizing the need for genuine human connections amidst digital chaos.
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Waiting for Ultrasound News
- Amanda Hess describes waiting for the ultrasound results with fears fueled by her pregnancy experiences.
- She mentally searched the internet for stories of lucky outcomes among abnormal ultrasound cases.
The Weight of Maternal Blame
- Medical language and technology contribute to maternal blame and guilt during pregnancy complications.
- Historical ideas like maternal impression linger subtly, intensifying judgment on pregnant women's bodies.
Isolation in Apps and Real-Life Meeting
- Hess found pregnancy apps excluded abnormal pregnancies, deepening isolation.
- Meeting her son in person dissolved fears shaped by internet portrayals of disability.
