The Edition: No. 310
Feb 1, 2022
“Banning books is a vocation of the simple minded. It makes them feel useful.” // My 11th grade German teacher
+ How to heal our national exhaustion.
+ This cute swimsuit has me thinking about beaches and Mai-Tais.
+ American workers deserve salary transparency.
+ Spring has arrived at Ann Taylor. I rushed to buy this blouse at 30% off.
+ 13 travel influencers on their biggest travel mistakes.
+ I’ll keep pumping Grande Lash until you all have Hilary Rhoda-brows.
+ Disengaged at work? You need an accountability buddy.
+ I bought this sale-priced Barefoot Dreams blanket at Rack’s V-Day shop.
+ How the Internet is failing moms-to-be.
+ Court Outfit. Black Riding Jacket + Black Wool Pants + Silky Blouse
+ Stretches to heal what sitting all day does to your body.
+ Loving this peplum, printed Lane Bryant blouse. So pretty.
+ Talbot’s does Valentine’s right. This striped, heart-print sweater is perfect.
+ The 5-step method for giving two weeks’ notice.
+ This Good American square neck top is one of my favorites. (Inclusive sizing.)
Long Read. The Moral Calculations of a Billionaire — a fascinating look at a self-made billionaire, who plans to give most of it away, and doesn’t understand why he’s so despised.
This is Hazelnut Praline Paste. Unless you have an allergy, stop what you are doing and order the ingredients. It’s great on toast. It’s great in coffee. You can drizzle it on ice cream. Or just pull out a spoon and eat it from the jar. I won’t judge.
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I was pregnant with my first in 2020. I deliberately decided not to use any tracking apps. It was not because of the fear of disinformation but reading the article made me glad I never used it.
I had a great obgyn and my insurance provided me a ‘mentor’ person who would call me periodically and I was allowed to contact at any time with any questions (she was a nurse with 20 years experience). I tried not to read blogs and other random community posts. I feel like that contributed a lot to me feeling pretty positive throughout.
Maybe I’ve been following you too long, but I saw that Ann Taylor blouse earlier today and thought, “I bet Abra would like that. I bet she features it.” Like I would for a real-life friend lol. I’m not gonna lie it’s sitting in my cart!
That’s funny because I think the same things, too, about different clothes I see. And before I opened that Amazon swimsuit link, I knew it was going to have tie shoulder straps. It does feel like I can guess what Abra would like…just like a friend! 🙂
Pregnancy apps, websites, and most books are trash. Disinformation, arguments, drama and anxiety spirals.
I went in to my pregnancy in 2018 with a history of infertility and miscarriages, and was high risk. So I needed low stress.
I found it easiest to have one book, Pregnancy 411, which is really simple and clear and doesn’t go into the weeds with every obscure scary thing that might happen.
My registry was based off a spreadsheet my sister in law sent of what she found helpful. Then I updated the spreadsheet and sent it along to the next pregnant friend.
I enjoyed the weekly emails from BabyCenter telling me what sort of produce I was gestating that week, but beyond that I ignored the apps and websites. I remember logging in and thinking everyone in there was plumb crazy.
I like your reasonable approach! An equally reasonable follow-up to the Expecting 411 book is Baby 411- just the facts, no spin, super practical information.
In general, looking for advice on the internet can be kind of a nightmare.
There are people who want to help, but there are also people who get a rush out of nit-picking and fault-finding, and the negativity will drown out the good stuff.
The Wired article on pregnancy apps is interesting. I agree that they are a terrible place to turn for medical advice and are designed to make money on you (/ your anxieties) above anything else. But I’ve actually found internet communities in general to be really supportive and informative. I’m 8 months pregnant now, and have found certain subReddits in particular really helpful in understanding certain test results, determining between certain products for babies, getting tips on how to advocate for yourself within the medical system and more. Just flagging this in case the article dissuades anyone from seeking support where they need it and may be able to find it!
I think it really really depends on what site you use and what you are looking for. When I was pregnant a few years ago, my baby was breach, I looked on a message board for advice and half an hour later my husband took my phone away because I was crying so hard – every entry was either women without breach babies shaming women with breach babies or giving horrifically unsafe advice, or women with breach babies having meltdowns. It was… not good.
How could anyone rationally blame the mother for having a breach baby????
just here to say that “opening line” quote made me chuckle in the best way. THANK YOU FOR THAT!!!