Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | NXg | Friday Review | Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest |

Mama mia!

MOM’S THE WORD Exchange views online

"Any nice suggestions for boy’s names? We’re thinking of something really traditionally Indian like Bhaumik or Martanda,” asks Anamika. “My two cents worth! How about Advaith? Or Nakula? Or Karna? Best of Luck! Let us know what you decide!” replies Bharathi. Ha! So, you thought expectant mothers sat looking ruefully at their bulging tummies or furiously knitting sweaters for their bundle of joy. You cannot be more wrong.

Meet new-age moms. They are busy sharing a joke, a tip or their nagging worry about morning sickness with other moms — online! And, of course, baby names.

Two websites born in Chennai — www.mothersspace.in and www.chennaimoms.com — are a blessing for them. The one-month-old Mothersspace comprehensively covers everything from getting pregnant (pregnancy tests), through pregnancy (pregnancy calendar), to baby’s arrival (cot or cradle?) and budget (can I afford a baby?).

It even tells daddy how to pamper his lady during pregnancy and after child birth! Find mothers gush “I’m lovin’ it!” in the cleverly-named blog section ‘Mumblings’, and in the interactive platform christened ‘The Crib’, catch them wondering what the natural remedy for stretch marks is.

Managed by Roshni Menon and Shantha Menon, Mothersspace was born when they discovered that there were not many websites to answer queries from mothers and pregnant women.

“Though the website is still nascent, the response has been good,” says Shantha. Roshni says that it gives “women a certain freedom and comfort that meeting a doctor across the table may not”.

It is interesting how www.chennaimoms.com came about. When Bhavani K Raman moved to Chennai from the U.S., she was left hunting for everything from details of ‘good’ schools and paediatricians ‘you could meet at daytime’.

She collated all the information she had gathered over a period of time, and the result is Chennaimoms. So, in addition to throwing light on motherhood and related areas, it offers a vaccine schedule, list of schools, and even a well-thought out provisions list! The members discuss everything from ‘a cyst in the ovary’ to ‘why women wear bangles, toe and nose rings and the mangal sutra’. Their pictures and the constant update on who posted what vaguely remind you of Facebook and Orkut. Talk of social networking sites for moms!

Oh, by the way, the myth busters in Mothersspace are as thought-provoking as they are tongue-in-cheek.

Sample this: “Myth: Everything planted by a pregnant woman will grow well; Truth: This myth revolving around gardening has no basis. Yes, a woman and man’s fertility results in a pregnancy, but this fertility cannot be transferred, especially to plants.”

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail