It is a rhetorical device, showing us that the baby was a fantasy. You act as though the author doesn't realize she's confessing something ugly about herself. Have you ever read a piece of literature in your life?

1. going off their hormone replacement therapy?

2. realizing that sex is just different now that you're older, and expecting the same realization from their lovers?

No, probably not. I don't know what I'm supposed to think "as a feminist," but I AM a feminist, and I think Americans of both sexes rely way too heavily on prescription drugs to solve their problems. It is truly sick.

BTW, there are natural alternatives to this grossly named designer drug. If you're really interested in helping your body function properly, why not give up the drugs, drink more water, get more exercise, and see a naturopath if you want some gentle healing for what still ails you? That goes for men and women.

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. Which is why I am praying for Edwards even though he is a white male and I am an atheist.

I'm starting to get really freakin' annoyed at all you Obama people getting offended every time someone mentions That Woman's name. She has the money, she has the DNC, she has the Bill, and she could still win pretty easily despite this decisive trouncing. I think that's pathetic. But it's REALITY. If Shapiro failed to say those things, he would be a deluded Obama cheerleader. I'm sure that would feel real nice, but it's not journalism.

can you PLEASE stop repeating that stupid word "hope-mongers"? I think it came out of Obama's mouth originally, but it was self-deprecating. When a journalist applies it to a group of supporters, it sounds nasty.

but this entry seems a little paranoid to me. I think you are being overprotective. I suggest reading on of the AG books. Maybe not great literature, but they feed a love of history and encourage self reliance. And they sure as hell beat "What Would a Princess Do?" or whatever crap Disney is trying to feed toddlers these days. I don't know what, because we don't allow that crap in our house and I don't even look through the Scholastic book catalogue anymore because it's full of ... well, shit.

The AG thing is not unproblematic. They are more expensive, more fragile, and more pre-scripted that a lot of other dolls. But not many, frankly. I find it a little disturbing that you freely let your other daughter indulge in Disney princess stuff and are coming down hard on the AG stuff.

I have three kids; they were born in a hospital, a birth center, and at home, respectively.

I know a lot of home birth mothers, professionals, and advocates, and it's very rare to have to be "rushed" to the hospital. The most common reason to go to the hospital is to *speed up* the birth. My first took 36 hours because of malpositioning, and that's why I ended up stuck full of needles and with a team of friends and midwives standing around me shouting PUSH! PUSH! - the exact birth I did not want - to help me get that baby out vaginally. Once I was at the hospital, I was not permitted to eat or drink, I was pumped full of antibiotics, and I agreed to an epidural so the nurse-midwife could reach through my partially dilated cervix and turn the baby's head with her hand. I know. EW. But I didn't feel a thing, because of the epidural. And that state continued through the birth - hence the need for everyone to stand around watching monitors so they could tell me when I was having contractions and when I should push.

I am so grateful for the hospital intervention, but not all of that stuff was necessary, and I avoided a C-section I didn't need very, very narrowly. And there was one TRULY shocking moment. After I agreed to the epidural, the anesthesiologist came in with the disclaimer form for me to sign. It was horrifying, the number of risks you are taking when you get that medication, including your own and your baby's death. The risk is relatively small for such horrible things, but if you saw the disclaimer before you went into labor, your commitment to natural birth would probably be much stronger.

The most pleasant birth I experienced was at home, in my own bed. After the birth, the midwives threw the bloody stuff in the washer to soak and got me some food from my kitchen. Then everyone quietly went home and my husband and I went to sleep. I wish more women had the choice to have a home birth, or to have a birth center or hospital birth that was more like home birth, without the threat of the epidural, the pitocin, and the C-section hovering over them the whole time. But, women are seen as consumers in this scenario, and in many cases, the hospital is offering them what it thinks they want. Remember, it was feminists who advocated for anesthesia during birth - against the wishes of many in the religious and medical community who thought it was sinful not to 'suffer' through birth. Medicalization is, in itself, neither feminist nor anti-feminist. The feminist position is to demand choices for women, and to respect that different women make different ones.

Finally, I just want to say that after seeing several really cheesy birth documentaries, I am so pleased that some people have put more money and talent into making a high-quality one!