To think that GPs shouldn't be promoting this sexist, outdated rubbish?!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Incredibly, this offensive, misogynistic, outdated publication is still being officially endorsed by the Royal College of General Practitioners.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.)

But how else do you find out which vegetable your baby's current size/weight is compared to??

I hate both Bounty and Emma's diary. When I went to hospital after having my son 8 years ago (home birth) the Bounty woman came into my room and told me if I didn't fill out her form o wouldn't be allowed to claim child benefits so I laughed until she left. I do agree with OP though about healthcare professionals seeming acceptance of nonsense. This time around I was given a leaflet on breastfeeding in my local area and places I can go in public near me. Nowhere on this leaflet does it mention Equalities Act 2010 or that you can feed ANYWHERE, but mentions around 6 or 7 shop cafe areas that have baby changing. This has been produced by local maternity services and distributed by midwives. Petition signed.

I never made it to a postnatal Ward (3 hour discharge straight from delivery suite with both) so luckily never encountered Bounty reps!

@margaretcavendish I agree that comment was ill-judged. Somebody pointed that out at the time and I acknowledged my error then. If I get called out on stuff, I tend to leave it online (with the apology in the thread) rather than deleting it and pretending it never happened, but I agree it is a nasty comment which is not in keeping with the rest of the thread.

@perfectlyposed I've been using the Ovia and Babycentre apps to keep track of which bizarre animal or vegetable my baby compares with each week!

Fair enough and thank you for the nice reply - I hadn't clicked to see replies as I was following the thread, so missed you acknowledging that at the time, sorry. As I said, in general I think your thread is great, and you're so right about the infantilisation of pregnant women in this and so much other pregnancy advice.

Still as shit as it was 20 odd years ago I see! Emma is drippy as fuck but Nick is a prize prick! What kind of messages are these? being pregnant makes you fat ladies but at least your man will think it's "dead sexy" that your tits are bigger. Fuck that shit

I've never heard of this but if I didn't see the pics I'd think it was a joke thread. That diary is fucking awful and sends out some really dodgy messages.

Surely it was outdated at the time it was written?!

I wonder how does Bounty etc stand after GDPR?

Thanks thanks for that information. Wow, it really is shocking. If I hadn't experienced it myself nor read about it on here, I don't think I'd believe it. That salespeople are given free rein to wander about on maternity wards pressuring and ripping off women when most are too knackered to put up much of a fight. I didn't feel very dignified trying to get rid of one bounty woman when I had both boobs out and just wanted to be left alone hence why I'd drawn the curtains round the bed. The first time it happened, I actually thought it was a medical professional and was perplexed as to why they were offering to flog photos.

Bounty and Emma's sodding Diary have been peddling rubbish since dinosaurs roamed the earth. It's about time they were called out on it. The Royal college of gps are numpties for allowing their name to be associated with daftie Emma. I expect they get a wodge of cash for it.

I’ve just read your entire twitter feed, hilarious!! I remember the Emma’s diary magazine but I never actually read it! Wish I had now, all those facts I missed out on!!

Ugh - it's so infantilising. I'm sure it has got worse since I got Emm's diary 16 years ago. Your Twitter thread is hilarious though. I wish you were my GP.

Signed!

the Bounty woman came into my room and told me if I didn't fill out her form o wouldn't be allowed to claim child benefits so I laughed until she left.

She tried this with me. I worked for Child Benefit at the time and asked her for her name and her manager's name "for reporting purposes". She didn't come back to my room

When I had DD, it was a different hospital and different Bounty rep. I'd had no sleep for nearly 48hrs so the midwife sat with me while I fed DD because I was in exhausted tears, once I was finished she swaddled her up, put her to bed and rocked the little plastic cot until DD was asleep then - as if she hadn't done enough already - she tucked me up in bed, closed the blinds, and hung a do not disturb sign on the door so I could get some sleep. Ten minutes later in comes the Bounty woman, moves DD's cot, flicks the light on, parks up her laptop trolley, and starts rummaging around with her sample bags and camera. I told her it said on the door not to disturb "that's only for visitors, I'm staff dearie" then she picked DD up and it woke her. That was when I told her to get the fuck out.

Never come across this diary or a bounty rep... is it a regional thing?

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

YY

I remember reading this and feeling so shitty I drank through ttc, my husband didn't earn more than me it was all a load of bollox

@anitagreen I conceived on honeymoon. I was on an all-inclusive cruise. My favourite drink was a bright blue cocktail which contained five units of alcohol 😂

@katinkka - same, my eldest is 18 and it really hasnt changed! so YES @NotTheNiceLadyDoctor I will sign the petition

I remember telling my husband what shite Emma's Diary was 12 years ago when I had dd1. He's a GP and agrees with you OP!!

I'm a bit sad to have missed out on this magnificent epic with my two pregnancies. On the other hand I might have laughed hard enough to pee myself, which wouldn't have been a good look...

Romany did you perchance write Emma's Diary? You seem awfully keen to slate OP and not address its issues...

Petition signed.

I found sodding Emma and her annoying diary patronising, and also upsetting in a different way. I had what turned out to be a high risk pregnancy after prior three miscarriages, so I didn't really need some leaflet where getting a bit fat and going off sex were presented as the biggest worries of pregnancy.

Oh and hi to all those other posters who unwittingly conceived whilst on boozy holidays. Honeymoon babies are frequently steeped in alcohol.....

I've just looked at the online version of Emma's Diary. I'm 23 weeks pregnant, so I clicked on that page. Under a prominent "Approved by the RCGP" banner, I learn I may suffer from "carpel tunnel syndrome" (sic). If they can't even get the spelling of "carpal" right, it doesn't exactly inspire confidence!