Have you ever seen my posts that were tagged "I Get Ranty" and wondered what kind of things set me off? You know what? Well - this is one of them!
I receive about 20-50 PR pitches a day. Despite the fact that I managed to get through the 80s and 90s without putting anything up my nose, the Netipot and "saline nasal wash" people seem to have targeted me as prime "saline wash people". Don't ask me why...see previous "I don't put stuff up my nose" comment. That's my big thing...I'm not using a NetiPot...stop asking!
Aside from that, I get some very funky PR pitches
And the other day, I got the Coup de Gras of PR pitches:
On behalf of (deleted by Mind because I am not giving them linkjuice) , I'm sharing the article "You're Pregnant, Have a Drink." A major new study says a little alcohol while you're pregnant is just fine. Kate Tuttle writes on how America's competitive-pregnancy culture has made mothers-to-be perfectionists to a fault. Would you agree that alcohol during pregnancy, in moderated amounts, isn't necessarily unhealthy?
Here's the link: (oh I am SO not sharing that link!)
And here's an excerpt:
"I wouldn’t take this as license to up one’s alcohol intake, of course, but it’s become fairly clear over the past decade that light drinking tends to correlate with better health in almost every area, whether it’s just correlation—such as the theory that drinking encourages socializing and social people live longer, healthier lives—or there’s a causative factor, like red wine’s proven capacity to do good things for your heart
Now - let me be clear- I was NOT the perfect mom-to-be. When I was pregnant with all 3 of my children, it was New Years Eve and I had a glass of champagne. Feel free to report me to CPS...I'll wait
Ok - we done? They aren't knocking on my door because of a 4 oz drink that I had 7 years ago?. You may disapprove of the ¼ cup I had 7 years ago, but there are larger issues. Specifically, my response!
So here was my response:
While I understand that you have a client and you have to report an outreach, I have to ask…..are you kidding me?
You are actually asking Mom Bloggers to say that it is “ok” to drink while pregnant?
I am sure that you can appreciate that bloggers may not be willing to open themselves up to the legal implications of telling their readers to drink booze while pregnant. You might want to pitch OB/GYNs. Good luck with that!
Mindi
So what say you? Was I up on my Moral High Horse a bit too much?
Colleen Hoffman
You are so right!!! GOOD FOR YOU.
angela
sounded about right to me!! good job! I have had natural child birth 4 times... no pain medication... not even a tylenol or competitive brand.. just some grape juice and a rice bag! And maybe someone would say that I needed a drink because of that... haha. Would never consider drinking while pregnant. come on!
Cathy @ Chief Family Officer
Wow, that was a gutsy pitch. I probably would have just hit the delete button, but I'm curious to see if you get a response!
.-= Cathy @ Chief Family Officer´s last blog ..Walgreens this week - 10-10 - 10-16-10 =-.
Anna
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect are 100% preventable if a woman abstains from alcohol while pregnant. The effect of even a small amount of alcohol is unknown so I would ask any pregnant woman why take the chance of damaging the fetus? FAS and FAE are permanent birth defects that a woman can prevent.
Heather
This has got to be a TOTAL joke. Liability wise this is a COMPLETELY STUPID THING TO SUGGEST!!! Have she not heard of Fetal Alcohol syndrome? Give people an inch, they take a mile and sue you for their stupidity...DUH! You go girl!!
Angela
You are 100% correct. With how many risks there are involved with pregnancies today why would anyone want to take a chance with something that can control. We aren't pregnant for 365 a year every year, if you can't go 9 months without a drink you don't need to be a mom. That's my two cents, i'm not perfect mom either but i gave my kids the best i can when i can.
Machelle
Ummm. Wow. I can not believe that they are even trying to pitch that. I would think that was a joke. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a REAL thing and I have seen it first hand working in Social Work. What next? They are going to tell you smoking is ok in moderation and that a smaller baby is easier to push out?
Marilyn
You are so right! Apparently you have better sense than the agency/pitchman does. We readers trust your opinions and recommendations. Keep up the good work.
Darla
WOW, apparently people aren't drinking enough alcohol, in general, during this economic down turn?
Next up: tobacco, keeps the placenta strong.
.-= Darla´s last blog ..Mary Kay BLACK Magnetic Compact =-.
LLk
I'm glad that the "OMG you're going to kill your baby if you have a sip of alcohol" hysteria in the medical community is going away. We're one of the very few Western countries that takes such a strict stance on alcohol during pregnancy.
It's still in poor taste to specifically market alcoholic beverages to pregnant women, though. It reeks of desperation.
MJKeenan
I never bought the hysterical nonsense that is "If you have one drink during your whole pregnancy, say hello to fetal alcohol syndrome!" That's just stupid. And I also don't see the tables turning the other way to say "You can drink as much as you want." That's even more stupid, of course. However, I think common sense would dictate that one drink a month, say, is not going to harm your fetus in the least. It's silly and unproductive to berate pregnant women for having a few drinks during pregnancy.