To think that GPs shouldn't be promoting this sexist, outdated rubbish?!

[NotTheNiceLadyDoctor]

I've namechanged for this, for reasons that will become obvious!

I'm a GP in the Midlands. I'm also currently 23 weeks pregnant with my first child. When I had my booking appointment with my midwife back in July, she gave me a big pack of stuff, which included Emma's Diary. For those of you who haven't had the grim experience of reading this particular publication, it's a booklet which mixes medical information about pregnancy with the fictionalised pregnancy diary of an idiot called Emma. The diary is peppered with all kinds of offensive comments and attitudes. The diary section normalises unhealthy attitudes towards weight gain and body image, and promotes pregnancy breast growth as a happy perk because it'll make men fancy you more, rather than because your boobs are preparing to feed a baby. Emma becomes so forgetful at work that she can barely do her job and wishes she'd gone on maternity leave as early as legally possible. It also promotes very dated attitudes about gender and relationships.

If you don't have a copy to hand, my Twitter thread last month gives a flavour of the kind of crap Emma's Diary is filled with: twitter.com/DrHFRyan/status/1025280307015168000

Incredibly, this offensive, misogynistic, outdated publication is still being officially endorsed by the Royal College of General Practitioners. I have a huge, huge problem with this as a GP. I don't think that family doctors should be normalising these kinds of attitudes about pregnancy, body image, and gender roles.

Personally, I'd like nothing more than for Emma's Diary to fall off the face of the earth, but as a compromise, I'd feel a lot happier if the Royal College of GPs wasn't associated with it in any way. Can I please ask you to sign my petition if you feel the same way?

www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-rcgp-endorsing-emmas-diary.html

If you happen to be a doctor - I know there are a few of us on here! - you can also read my blog for Pulse magazine on the subject: www.pulsetoday.co.uk/views/blogs/dr-heather-ryan/a-right-royal-mess-why-is-rcgp-still-endorsing-emmas-diary/20037467.article

(To be clear, I am very much speaking in my personal capacity here, and not as a representative of my GP surgery or any of the organisations I'm involved with.)

Nearly 18 years ago I glanced through it briefly and binned it.

Whilst tongue in cheek, during the working day we have a gp with time on hands to Mnet.

Day off? On annual leave? Sick leave? Maternity leave? Career break? Between jobs?

And the twitter feed is awesome!

Christ, enough with the GP bashing. I wasn't aware they had to work 24/7. They might - perish the thought - have a day off? Be on annual leave? Work part-time? MN at their desk for 5 minutes whilst necking a sandwich?

with so many cuts we need things like this.

We need balanced, sensible information that treats us like the adults we are, not this claptrap.

I bet even Nick's friends call him "Nick the Prick".

The midwife seemed so surprised when I politely but with much silent profanity declined anything Bounty or Emma's Diary-related 2nd time around.

RomanyRoots that's because he's sat in his surgery posting on mumsnet. His wife just thinks he's busy working...

Whilst tongue in cheek, during the working day we have a gp with time on hands to Mnet

Lunch break? Works part time? On maternity leave? On sick leave?

The petition appears to require employment details

Annual leave?

I had one of these in 2005, can't say I read it though. I thought it was all online now!
Are they still being given inside the bounty packs where you are? Unless I'm mistaken, the company pays £££ to be allowed to con, misinform and harass new mothers in the maternity ward and beyond.

It was twaddle 18 years ago when I had my DS. I think it may have even been around 25 years back when DD was born.

Don't get me started on Bounty - I am going to have "NO BOUNTY REPS" in capital letters in my birth plan!

Evil, evil organisation. Mine came bustling in and on seeing no baby, only a pic of her in NNICU “I’ll come back to do the photos when she looks better without all the tubes and stuff”

I told her only to do that if she enjoyed being repeatedly punched in the face. She said there was no need for me to be so aggressive. I told her when she was 3 days PP with a baby firghting for life in NNICU, then she could come back and talk to me about aggression. I then lodged a complaint with the ward and with Bounty.

I have a baby a toddler and was given Emma's diary both times. I thought Nick was total twat and the gender stereotyping was ridiculous. Will sign!

I refused it today. Midwife seemed very suprised.

I'm a GP and we certainly don't promote any of this kind of rubbish in our practice. Unfortunately we have no jurisdiction over what the midwife does - she's not employed by us and is supplied by the local maternity unit.

As for RCGP endorsement - I left this useless organisation years ago. It's a waste of £400 a year.

I had my first baby in 1993 and it was outdated crap then.
Can't believe it is still being given out.

Thanks to those who have defended GPs. I work as a GP part-time, and spend a couple of days a week doing various freelance bits of writing and medical education. I don't work in my surgery on Fridays. Very few GPs work 5 days a week. A standard GP working day is 10 hours long, and often includes an hour or two of admin tagged on at the end.

I hate Emma’s diary, misogynist bullshit and tbh there’s a lot of woman who can’t even come close to her lifestyle. It made me feel shit so I threw it away and complained about it.

Why do we put up with this sort of shite?

Thank you for the petition and the twitter thread, OP.

We deserve better - pregnant women are not fucking idiots, please stop treating as such.

Signed!

I am overwhelmed by all the support - thank you! So pleased to see that the nest of vipers disapproves of Emma!

Unless I'm mistaken, the company pays £££ to be allowed to con, misinform and harass new mothers in the maternity ward and beyond.

Oh, it’s worse than that. HMRC pays THEM to distribute the child benefit forms.

I don’t understand why they couldn’t be handed out by registrars along with the BC when a birth is registered.

Just read your twitter thread and loved most of it, but was this one really necessary:

If, unlike Emma, you actually intend to keep working after your baby's birth, you may not be eligible for Child Benefit. This also applies if you've had the wit to marry someone with a decent income, rather than the feckless Nick.

Did you really need to suggest that people who don't earn over £50k are feckless, and that women should marry high earners in a thread about gender stereotyping?!