Moving Through Pregnancy
Bing
1975
Well, almost my mama’s pregnancy. Talk about a dated pregnancy book! My favorite passage:
Look at that vaccuum! No wonder Judith was worried about her posture. These days we have upright machines that are lighter weight. Heck, buy the woman a Roomba! And, by the way, who vaccuums their house dressed to the nines like Judith?
Submitted by Holly
26 responses so far ↓
Jenne // July 2, 2009 at 11:01 pm |
Love it! Old books can be so amusing.
Jason Lawor // July 3, 2009 at 3:14 am |
Every woman should read this book. Should be mandatory. “somebody has to clean the house and do all kinds of boring chores.” And its should be my prego wife.
Pete, Joliet, IL // July 3, 2009 at 2:02 pm |
Fortunately for the mother-to-be, the room was completely empty of any furniture that had to be moved aside in order to vacuum.
Shannon // July 3, 2009 at 6:25 pm |
I love the vaccum, my mom had one just like it, she got it as a wedding present in the 60’s and now my sister uses it. They just don’t make vaccums that last like that anymore!
Jennifer DeJonghe // July 5, 2009 at 11:42 pm |
Oh that cracks me up. My mother was pregnant with me in 1975. Hope she had good posture while vacuuming…
rosemerrie // July 6, 2009 at 2:33 pm |
Even though your liberated it’s still your job to do all the chores in the house. Lol!
Jeannie // July 6, 2009 at 4:14 pm |
** chuckle ** That part might as well have been written in 1905, not ‘75. And I agree: who would dress to the nines to do homemaking?
Andrea // July 7, 2009 at 2:16 am |
Vacuuming in Black – not something even a goth should attempt.
Negrita // July 7, 2009 at 10:40 am |
LOL That’s too funny! I’m only 36 but my mother-in-law gave me a vacuum just like that when I was pregnant with my first child! I should’ve taken a photo before sending it to Goodwill (and after using it for at least three years).
Nicole // July 7, 2009 at 11:58 am |
So hysterical I think I might be having contractions, and I haven’t been preggers for 13 years. Someone should make a maternity tshirt with this image on it and the text on the back.
Jack // July 8, 2009 at 2:08 pm |
“With all due respect to the liberation of women, someone has to clean the house and do all kinds of boring chores” — and by that, I mean you, ye liberated mother. I’ve got beers to drink and misogynist wisecracks to make!
marykelly48 // July 8, 2009 at 2:20 pm |
Yes, ALB fans, Jack is my kid. I am surprised he is willing to admit this to the world…
Mary
Suzanne // July 9, 2009 at 2:32 pm |
I got this book from the library in 1980 when I was pregnant… it was bad even then. [ BTW, those were pretty much the only off-the-rack maternity styles available at the time--except for the double-knit slacks, of course!]
Steve D. // July 11, 2009 at 3:34 pm |
You consider that “dressed to the nines”? She’s wearing an everyday, knee-length maternity dress, lace-up shoes, and a casual hairstyle. Have we really turned into such a nation of slobs that that is considered dressed to the nines?
hb // July 11, 2009 at 8:16 pm |
I inherited one of those vacuums from my mom. It works great: vastly better than my upright. And the nickle chrome trim is a hoot.
Br'er Bear // July 12, 2009 at 1:25 pm |
I found this site from Andrew Sullivan. The very weird coincidence is that I actually know Judith – and the baby she is pregnant with is one of my best friends. Random!
Jen // July 13, 2009 at 1:52 pm |
My mom still has this book, she had forgotten she owned it still. When I had my second baby, she brought it out as a joke. I have to wonder if some of the baby books I own now will be laughed at being obsolete in 30 years from now.
gokinsmen // July 13, 2009 at 4:33 pm |
LOL @ “With all due respect…”
Kim // July 21, 2009 at 2:43 pm |
June Cleaver always wore pearls, even when vacuuming. Don’t you?
Sara // July 23, 2009 at 1:11 pm |
Is it me, or does the cover font and titling graphics look exactly like the Choose Your Own Adventure paperbacks?
The Beautiful Kind // July 24, 2009 at 1:39 pm |
That pic is SOO depressing, like Addams Family/Shining/Suzie Homemaker/Rosemary’s Baby combo.
deang // August 11, 2009 at 9:23 pm |
They had lightweight, upright vacuum cleaners back then, too, but the one she’s using is a top-of-the-line Electrolux canister vacuum from the era. We had one just like it growing up.
LoveMyMom // August 14, 2009 at 3:31 pm |
My mom loves her vac of this type and finally got a new one only because she became infirm and this solid sucker became too cumbersome. Her posture is still good at age 73, though.
Eliza // August 19, 2009 at 2:32 pm |
Actually, the saddest thing about this is my parents still used a vacuum like that until quite recently (and they’re only in their 50s.)
minnaloushe // September 22, 2009 at 3:44 pm |
I’d love to see the “casual suit” that Steve D. wears to mow the grass…. Yes – for cleaning – a dress and pearls is dressed to the nines…. maybe you don’t appreciate how sweat-making vacuuming is – no matter your posture…
Steve D. // September 22, 2009 at 4:52 pm |
I have vacuumed often, but have never broken out into a sweat (if you break out in a sweat, you’re moving that thing too fast), and would never compare vacuuming to mowing the lawn. And a suit is by definition not casual, but a dress can be formal or casual. She in the photo is wearing a casual dress and casual shoes. She is wearing a necklace, but the photo is too small to say what kind.