Are You Feeling Broody?

I’m feeling broody are you? Maybe it’s because I don’t have any children at home for the first time in five years, or because my best friend is in labour right this second, or because I watched a programme about midwives last night. Who knows? Whatever the reason it’s a weird feeling that has me cooing at small babies in the playground, and surfing idly through the Baby Gap site. So it’s interesting to read that apparently never has there been a worse time to have a baby. Apparently the baby boom, lack of midwives (*more like lack of money to employ more midwives), lack of primary school places and lack of jobs in general make for a ‘bad’ time. In reality I don’t think there is ever a bad time to have a baby you want. I remember pondering baby number 2 thinking (1) we couldn’t afford it and (2) I couldn’t handle even less sleep. Of course, we could handle it and we did afford it (partly because second kids are less expensive on the clothing and equipment front). So I wish they wouldn’t publish these doom and gloom pieces. They don’t help if you’re pregnant or considering getting pregnant. So here’s a story that made me laugh through my broodiness – Professor Ellis Cashmore, expert in Cultural Studies at Staffordshire University told the Daily Mail that he predicts a spike in the number of pregnancies and newborns in Britain next year as a result of 50 Shades of Grey. He said: ‘With the millions of copies it has sold – it makes complete sense to assume that in nine months time we are going see a baby boom.’ So will you be having a 50 Shades baby? And if you’re feeling broody how do you deal with it? Let us know.