#25 Taking Stock

FACT OF THE DAY: A surprising amount of you are superstitious and interested in hyenas....

 

I have been blogging intermittently for about a year now, and have written a grand total of 24 posts.

 

Like most bloggers I enjoy looking at the stats to see what people are reading and where these people come from. There is something quite amazing and exciting to log in and and see that at that very moment someone over in the Philippines or Australia is reading my blog.

 

So what do the stats tell me you interested in? The top three posts in terms of reader numbers are;

 

#20 Pregnancy superstitions around the world (a clear winner)

http://pregnancyandchildbirtharoundtheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/20-pregnancy-superstitions.html

 

#5 Getting a flat stomach after birth

http://pregnancyandchildbirtharoundtheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/getting-flat-stomach-after-birth.html

 

#15 Pity the hyena mother (an unexpected hit!)

http://pregnancyandchildbirtharoundtheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/15-pity-hyena-mother.html

 

 

If I could find some material about superstitious hyenas getting their shape back maybe that would really hit the spot!

 

 

Other popular posts include:

 

#1 Pregnant or breastfeeding for 30 years, my very first post   http://pregnancyandchildbirtharoundtheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/pregnant-or-breastfeeding-for-30-years.html,

 

#11 Would you have an affair to get pregnant? http://pregnancyandchildbirtharoundtheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/11-would-you-have-affair-to-get.html 

 

#23 Nipple stimulation in childbirth - does it work? A recently added post seems to be gaining popularity http://pregnancyandchildbirtharoundtheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/24-nipple-stimulation-in-childbirth.html

 

 

I can also tell you that people are not as interested as I thought they might be in;

 

#9 Grass Hut Ceseareans http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7294192603725858081#editor/target=post;postID=7141900427892493707 (which I personally think is fascinating (!) about Cesearean type operation being performed in the Uganda in 1879 before it was done successfully in Europe) or

 

#19 Stress and Infertility http://pregnancyandchildbirtharoundtheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/19-stress-infertility.html which is about remedies for infertility found in other cultures which may deal with the stress of infertility.

 

In terms of the readers, the vast majority of you come from the UK and the USA, however, lots of readers also come from Canada, India, The Philippines, Australia and Malaysia. All countries where English is spoken widely - maybe all bloggers writing in English will find that these are the main places where their blogs are read.

 

Thanks for comments and following so far, its always nice to get feedback on what you think.

 

So I will keep writing, I hope you keep reading!

 

 

#19 Stress & Infertility

So my question is, do any of these infertility rituals actually work?

Religious or spiritual rituals, often aimed at banishing an evil presence which is preventing conception from happening, are a very common approach to solving infertility in many non-Western cultures.

#18 She put a spell on me

FACT OF THE DAY: Spells and sorcery are common explanations for infertility in some African cultures. Women unable to have children are often accused of being witches themselves.

Today, I am staying on the witchcraft theme – shame it’s not Hallowe’en.

Last post I shared a 2009 Gallop poll which shows the amazingly high number of people who believe in witchcraft in various African countries. Of the 18,000 people polled in 18 countries, on average 55% said they believed in witchcraft.

Given the high prevalence of these beliefs, I guess it’s not surprising that witchcraft comes to mind for women who are having difficulty getting pregnant. Maybe it’s only one step further from us saying we feel so unlucky, or even ‘cursed’ in the same situation.

#13 How much sex is enough?

FACT OF THE DAY: Having sex just once cannot make a baby according to some cultures - they believe that a couple needs to have sex repeatedly over a number of days or even weeks to create a foetus

Ok so before you get too excited, you may have gathered that we're talking conception here, rather than satisfaction...

Here I will be describing the “keep having sex every day until you’re sure you’re pregnant” approach, as followed by quite a number of cultures around the world.

#11 Would you have an affair to get pregnant?

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FACT OF THE DAY: Without infertility treatment, in some cultures sleeping with someone else may be the only way to get pregnant. 

At first glance, sleeping with another man to get pregnant seems pretty extreme behaviour, doesn’t it?   However, imagine yourself in a scenario where the following is true;

1. Your marriage is an arranged marriage, rather than a love marriage

2. If you don’t get pregnant, it is very likely your husband will either divorce you or take a second wife

3. Having children and being a mother is literally the only acceptable way of life; not having children will mean you are a social outcast

4. Although women are generally blamed for infertility, you know your husband is the reason you aren't getting pregnant

5. There is no available infertility treatment for men

Under these circumstances what ‘resourceful’ woman wouldn’t consider the possibility of finding an alternative man to father her child!?