The Pressures of Being a "Perfect Mom" & Information Overwhelm - with Dr. Margaret Quinlan

Has this ever happened to you?

You’re in the grocery store checkout line, pregnant, and a random stranger decides it’s okay to touch your belly.

Or

You encounter someone who has absolutely no medical training at all, but who is a self-proclaimed expert in something they passionately argue is crucial to the health of your family, even though doctors think it’s backward.

Or

No matter what choice you make in caring for yourself or your family, there is always someone in your life who gives you the side eye or makes a comment that leaves you feeling like you’re doing it wrong.

Well, you’re not alone.

And not only are you not alone right now—you’re experiencing challenges that mothers have faced for 100 years or more.

That’s the subject of You’re Doing It Wrong: Mothering, Media, and Medical Expertise, co-authored by Bethany Johnson and my guest in this episode, Dr. Margaret Quinlan.

And in our conversation, we covered a range of topics from her book, touching on issues that affect every mom out there, including: 

• Why the pressure of living up to “good mom” standards is so universal
• How the source of parenting information has changed over the past 100 years
• The subtle ways we put pressure on women even before they get pregnant
• How the words we use to describe issues that arise in pregnancy & delivery can place unnecessary feelings of blame on mothers
• How pregnancy is a “performance” in today’s society
• The fact that so much advice and care has long been directed toward white, cis, middle and upper class women throughout history—and how that impacts people who don’t fit those labels
• The rise of “lay experts,” and how anyone who is confident can present themselves as a self-described expert
• How to navigate the abundance of lay experts on social media and online
• What doctors should be doing to better help parents get good information and care

Take a listen, then post a screenshot of your podcast player to your Instagram Story & tag me @zendocsteve!