Pregnant Women Concerns: A Global Look at Expecting
Have you ever wondered what moms-to-be across the globe pull out of their fridge at night to satisfy a pregnancy craving? Do you think that all pregnant women are concerned about spider veins, stretch marks, and sagging breasts? While pregnancy is a very universal condition experienced by most women around the world, different countries have notably unique questions and concerns when it comes to pregnancy. New York Times contributor Seth Stephens-Davidowitz combed through Google search data and made a very interesting infographic about the desires, wishes, and fears of pregnant women in different countries based on the most common search engine questions. His findings truly paint a picture of how pregnancy is experienced globally.
What do you think the United States, Australia, Britain, and South Africa have in common when it comes to filling in this Google search: “How to ____ during pregnancy”? If you guessed “preventing stretch marks” or “avoiding stretch marks”—you’re right! Turns out that pregnant women from the listed countries are more body conscious than moms-to-be from India or Nigeria; this specific “how to” question does not appear once in either country’s top 5 most searched lists. The United States, Australia, and Britain mention stretch marks twice in their most popular searches lists while South African women focus more on morning sickness and sleep. Across the board, the question of a couple’s sexual relationship appears in the top 5 most searched lists. It’s clear that husbands and wives around the world value their personal relationships and put emphasis on maintaining physical contact throughout pregnancy.
The other popular search engine question Stephens-Davidowitz analyzed was “Can pregnant women ___?” The answers that appear in his infographic are much more indicative of how individual cultures perceive pregnancy in terms of what foods, pain medications, and activities are popular for the country as a whole. For example, Spain’s number one fill-in-the-blank to this query is “Can pregnant women eat paté?” This goose-liver delicacy is not nearly as popular in the United States or Britain, but interestingly both the US and UK mention shrimp (“prawns” is the UK term used) as a potential worry for pregnant women.
What are some other worries pregnant women have? Nigeria wonders if pregnant women can drink cold water, Mexico is concerned that expecting moms can’t wear high heels, and Singapore isn’t sure if moms-to-be can eat ice cream! I’m sure moms in every nation can reassure Singapore that ice cream is a pregnant mom go-to for cravings at any hour. For the complete list of Stephens-Davidowitz’s findings, click here.
Do you have any common worries that come from a country different than your own? Let us know what some of your own Google searches were for while you were pregnant, moms!
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