Repost from @uoftmedicine • Parenthood rarely looks like curated Instagram posts. “There were pictures of glamourous women nursing their babies or wearing full makeup and a pumping bra. They made motherhood look easy but here I was, with spit-up on my shoulder, leaking milk, tears and blood while watching reruns of ‘The Office,’” recalls #TemertyMed’s Dr. Sumedha Arya. After welcoming her first child in December 2021, the fifth-year @uoftmedicine hematology resident struggled to establish her milk supply. Arya tried medication. Then she began triple-feeding — a gruelling, round-the-clock schedule of breastfeeding, pumping and then feeding her newborn the fresh milk. None of it was easy. And no part of it felt intuitive. Nor did her experience live up to any of the stereotypical ideals — that pregnancy, birth and new motherhood should be beautiful, natural and even ethereal. The phenomenon is sometimes called the goddess myth, an impossible standard that defies, now more than ever, the reality of this key period in people’s lives. And this mythology hurts parents and their children. The weight of these expectations can begin even before there’s a positive pregnancy test, says Professor @drtalibogler . When things don’t go as planned, people are often quick to blame themselves. Read the full text of Not-So-Great Expectations in the new issue of #UofTMed magazine. 🎨 : Sid Sharp - #womenshealth #pediatrichealth #obstetrics #familyhealth #fertility