After my baby was born, I became a target for grifters. I thought I’d be better prepared | Ariel Bogle
The healthcare system's focus is largely on the birth itself. Then if you're lucky and your baby is healthy, you're set adrift in social media feeds full of parenting influencers
They put a button in my hand after I had my baby. A miraculous little object, it summoned a midwife to the room at any hour. At first I resisted it out of politeness, but the reassurance of these women with their casual competence was irresistible. A question about a rash, a latch, a baby that seemed to hate the ugly plastic bassinet they placed her in? I pressed the button again and again.
That lasted four days. On the fifth day, we were home. Now, instead of the buzzer, my smartphone rarely left my hand. Any parent of a newborn knows the in-between feeling that comes from feeding a baby every few hours around the clock. I scrolled social media feeds - now clogged with newborn content - through the night.
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