I have mixed emotions about reality TV. I won’t watch Jersey Shore. Just on principle. I love The Little Couple, and enjoyed Little People, Big World. Both of those shows showed (I thought, the Roloffs seemed to slightly disintegrate) healthy relationships and I watched to see what to emulate. I didn’t watch Jon & Kate much because Kate makes my skin crawl, like fingernails on chalk. But one show I LOVE is “I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant.”

I’m a believer. I don’t think I would have guessed I was pregnant with my first baby for many months because the possiblity just never occurred to me. Even then, I never quite grasped what was happening to me. No one told me about labor and I didn’t ask. It occurred to me when I was about 8 months that it was going to hurt getting the baby out….then I thought about other things. I didn’t have anything for the baby. I was completely ignorant and frankly, I’m appalled that the older women around me didn’t take me in hand and help me. I lost weight, so I didn’t look very pregnant. I think they thought I knew what I was doing.

I had that baby 10 minutes after I got to the hospital because I didn’t know I was in labor. I suffered all night long alone–on the couch in confusion while my husband slept. I finally woke him begging him to kill me LOL and he rushed me to the hospital. In retrospect, it was my easiest labor.

I knew better with my two subsequent pregnancies. But I totally relate to women not knowing they’re pregnant. These are my two favorite stories:

1. A woman had a baby and couldn’t lose the baby weight. She dieted, jogged, exercised and worried about getting fat. Couldn’t lose.
Nine months after her baby was born (she was nursing, thought she couldn’t get pregnant) she went with her family to an amusement park. She’d felt sickly for a couple of days but it got worse. She didn’t want to make her parents and siblings and husband go home, so she tried to stick it out. Finally she said she had to go home. Her husband persuaded her to go on one last ride–a roller coaster. She barely made it, got off the ride sicker’n hell and went to the bathroom, where she had her baby, unassisted. A janitor lady came right after and ran screaming for help. Baby and mom did okay.

2. A teenager (18 yrs.) who was sexually active was also a hypochondriac. She was the baby of her family and a bit of a whiner. She gained a little weight, but never felt the kicking or suspected she was pregnant. She went into labor in the middle of the night and woke her mother, who was tired and sick of her daughter’s hypochondria. “Go to bed and you’ll be okay.” She woke her mother again, begging her to take her to the hospital. Her mother shouted at her and told her to go back to sleep. She called her older sister about 6 am. Said sister was getting ready for work and slightly disgusted at her childish, attention-grabbing hypochondriac of a sister. She told her to get a grip, that she had to go to work and couldn’t come get her.

She finally called 911 and fainted during the call. They called back, she got on the phone, with her mother, who’d answered it. Her mother wearily told the 911 operater “My daughter’s a hypochondriac, she’s all right. Don’t send an ambulance.” They told her they had to since the call had been made. She hung up in disgust and walked into her daughter’s room just in time to help deliver her grandbaby. Boy, the shock.

I laughed out loud at that one and Sarah got so mad at me. It ended okay. Geez, she has no sense of humor.

I wonder about this reality TV tendency. I wonder how good it is for society; it certainly indulges the voyeur in all of us. Not sure if it advances our humanity. Like I said, I learned from the Roloffs. I was astounded at their parenting ability. Although I’d have kicked those kids out and made them get a job much earlier. Do you watch reality TV? If so, what’s your favorite? What do you think of the trend.

Oh! I forgot American Idol. LOVE Paul MacDonald. He’s my favorite. Hope he doesn’t win, so he can be free to make his own music.