On this episode of What To Expect, parenting expert Heidi Murkoff talks to comedian and new-ish mom, Amy Schumer, who is characteristically candid and funny about her pregnancy complications, how itâs been parenting in a pandemic, and what motivated her to keep performing stand-up despite everything. They also get into the process of creating her HBO Max docu-series Expecting Amy, which was pure happenstance. She and her husband, chef Chris Fischer, decided to film everything throughout the pregnancy just for fun. âWe just did it with our cell phones or whatever, we didnât really have a plan,â but then she met director and editor Alexander Hammer, who started to shape it into a docu-series, so she went with it. âAll I ever want to do is make people laugh and feel better and less alone.â Of course, she had no idea the twists that awaited her.
Early into her pregnancy, Amy was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition where pregnant women experience severe nausea, vomiting, and dehydration throughout their entire term, instead of the milder and more common morning sickness. The statistics were grave: âOne in three babies donât make it,â she says, âbecause the moms arenât getting the nutrition or the hydration they need.â And many women donât even realize they have it: âThereâs not a lot of research on it, because they donât research womenâs health very much.â The U.S. has an extremely high maternal mortality rate for a developed country, and itâs even higher for women of color. Even with all her privileges and the luxuries she can afford, Amy had an extremely tough battle. âI kept thinking, âWhat are other people doing?ââÂ
She and Chris want more children, so they were looking into surrogacy, but âCovid put everything on holdâŚ.I hope itâs in the cards for us.â They talk about their toddler, Gene, who started walking at ten months and loves the delicious food his professional chef father makes for him (as does Amy, who admits to eating Geneâs leftovers all the time). Heidi asks her about post-partum depression and post-pregnancy sex, and then Amy turns the tables to ask Heidi a question or two about Geneâs diet. Heidiâs advice is so important, Amy says, because other than her, âmovies and stuff are mostly written by white men, so you donât really get the female experienceâŚ.You see a woman throw up once, and then sheâs in overalls painting a barn or something.â Hear their entire fascinating and funny conversation on this episode of What To Expect.
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