To think that GPs shouldn't be promoting this sexist, outdated rubbish?!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Incredibly, this offensive, misogynistic, outdated publication is still being officially endorsed by the Royal College of General Practitioners.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

Yes! It's utter shite isn't it!

I think I replied to your Twitter thread - very glad I got given the actually sensible NHS Scotland Ready Steady Baby book instead. Will definitely be sharing the Pulse article.

I have an otherwise sensible pregnant doctor friend who has been reading all the Emma's diary stuff online and although largely I think it's because of the freebies it just makes me facepalm so hard

I have never read Emma’s Diary before this thread and it is utter bollocks. I can’t bear Emma and Nick the Prick.

We’re not eligible for child benefit but you can download the form online can’t you?

Yep. Government still pays Bounty to distribute them though. Some NHS trusts have stopped allowing them in but too many do.

OT but if you are ineligible to receive CB (we are) it is still worth registering your DC and ticking the box to decline the payments (if you receive them you have to repay via HMRC self-assessment, which is a pain unless you file a tax return anyway). It means your DC will automatically get their NI number a few months before they are 16, and it’s useful evidence if your school or LA requests it when applying for school places.

Ah so this makes sense now! I signed up with Bounty at the hospital in a total tired daze and a few weeks later I was inundated with cold calls with people trying to sell me life insurance as I was now a Mum! Bounty sold my details!

I remember saying to the man on the phone I had to go because my baby was crying and he said "it'll be fine this will only take a few minutes!" I hung up!

It took ages to filter them out in the end!

Brilliant OP.
You do know the link to your Twitter a/c has your name in- unless a pseudonym. Apologies if already pointed out. Haven't RTFT

Have retweeted your brilliant thread. Royal and Chartered colleges should be thinking much more carefully about the messages they are sending out.

My local hospitals still allow Bounty reps on wards because they carried out a survey and women said they were okay with it. Don't know if they told the women in the survey that Bounty's main business is selling your data, not handing out lovely freebies. Bounty certainly don't make that clear.

My favourite is the advice to wash all fruit and vegetables.

Because no one ever does that when they are not pregnant.

Watching

No way - are they still dishing those out?

I forcibly escorted the bounty rep from my ward. Stupid bitch.

It's a load of crap, people will accept any load of crap though for a piddly amount of free samples.

In this day and age why would you even want to bother getting a child benefit form at the cost of giving away your personal details? I applied for child benefit online as I want/need the pension credits and it was pretty straight forward.

ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/news-and-events/news-and-blogs/2018/08/emma-s-diary-fined-140-000-for-selling-personal-information-for-political-campaigning/

I have never seen Emma’s Diary or met the bounty rep, I was all prepared to tell her to jog on too

@NoCureForLove Thanks - I knew that and namechanged deliberately

I don’t recall it and had my last child 14.5 years ago! But yes, from what you say it sounds like complete garbage.

10 years ago with my first pregnancy I received two great books from my midwife - one on pregnancy, and one on first year. They consisted of NHS advice and guidelines. They answered most of my questions. No Emma in there - just straight medical info. Didn't get one with my further pregnancies, so not sure if it was meant for first one only or they stopped it altogether, which would be a great shame.
I did get the Emma's diary though and I do agree - it's ridiculous and useless. The whole idea of 'diary' is idiotic to start with. It's something that is used for teenage programmes. Sorry, I do not need 'Emma' to identify with. Anyway, I saw it more as an adversing magazine - got the vouchers out and chucked the rest in the bin.

fellow GP here - love your username i might have to start calling myself that!

Behave RomanyRoots.

I don't remember getting this thing that sounds horrific.

I can't believe they are still peddling this rubbish. I did not get given packs of rubbish - but I would not have taken them and maybe have blocked from my mind ?

@misiabella You're right to point out it's essentially an advertising magazine - one gets the sense that the dubious medical information is just there to justify the pages and pages of adverts! I suppose first-time parents, in particular, are a good market for stuff because they're excited about having a baby, so the temptation is to buy ALL THE THINGS. My husband has already got two children from his first marriage (who we have 2.5 nights a week) so he has been able to tell me exactly what we need to buy (very little) and what would be a waste of money!

@vinobell waves I am a very sympathetic and compassionate GP when I have to be, but I don't take much crap - and Emma's Diary really is crap!

Oh god the shared parental leave thing has me fuming. Apart from being total bollocks in its own right, the logical extension is what, when a woman is the higher earner she should go back to work sharpish and leave her partner to it?

I wonder if they’d have written ‘but as I’m the higher earner, I’ll be back at work after the mandatory two weeks and after that Nick will be at home.’

Somehow I doubt it.