S07.E04: Episode 4

[Sarah 103]

13 hours ago, Ohmo said:

We've been told that she used to work as a midwife back in the day, but it's difficult for me to buy that because SMJ has always been presented as an infirm, impaired woman in constant need of care and attention.  Playing that out for seven years is boring television, in my opinion.

I've always thought it would be fun to see an episode made up of flashbacks to when the older nurses and nuns were just starting out. I would love to see what Sister Monica Joan was like when she was younger and interacting with patients on a day to day basis. 

10 hours ago, bunnyblue said:

Did Christopher reunite with his horrid ex-wife? Because last episode Trixie told him to go back to his "wife", and tonight Phyllis said he is "effectively married". 

 

3 hours ago, anna0852 said:

I was really hoping that Christopher would indignantly tell Nurse Crane that he was not 'effectively married'. He is most declaratively divorced and can get involved with whomever he chooses.

2 hours ago, izabella said:

I really don't understand why they keep making this point.  I know divorce was more taboo back then, but did they really consider a divorced person to still be "effectively married"?

 

Yes! It's like no understands divorce. I get it was a big deal and a taboo, but they are acting like they have no idea what it means or how it works. The only way this line makes sense is if refers to his daughter. The idea being that because he has a child with his ex-wife he can never be truly free of the ex, because Alexandria will always be in the picture and a part of his life. 

Also, I was okay when the episodes were being cut short to talk about the history of what was in the episode. That made some sense. I'm starting to get a bit annoyed that they are cutting scenes for a set tour. These seem like meh special features on a DVD. The best thing to do would be leave the episode intact and mention the set tours/behind the scenes information as a reason to buy the DVD. 

Edited April 9, 2018 by Sarah 103
adding thoughts.

[BusyOctober]

I don't care enough to check, but so far I feel like this season has a whole batch of new writers who never watched Seasons 1-4.  The characters are not behaving "normally"- specifically Sister Julienne & Dr. Turner.  Sister Julienne has been so  laissez faire. 

Concerned residents of Nonatus House: "Gee, Sister, it's so awful how one of your oldest friends and your Sister in God is so afflicted and frustrated and scared!  First her mind is failing her. Now the poor woman will be blind if she can't be convinced the surgery will help!  Whatever should we do?"

Sister Julienne: "Meh.  Not my circus, not my monkey."

2 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

So true.  I am a huge fan of this series, but, this storyline with Sister Monica Joan is so BIZARRE, ANNOYING AND PATHETIC.  WHY can't they get it right?  Seasons ago, Sister MJ was portrayed to have SUBSTANTIAL dementia.  She was so progressed with it, that she could not be responsible to even answer the phone and take a message.  She even almost died, after wandering away to a an old house and freezing to death.  But, they insist on continuing to allow her to roam around the city unsupervised and even PRETEND that a person with dementia can learn new things.  It's not possible.  Learning Braille? They are ridiculous.  They are portraying Sister MJ as a savant and a little quirky,  when she is actually experiencing loss of brain cells.  I just find it unacceptable for a show that features multiple health care professionals. It's time to let that character go in a dignified fashion, if they can't handle it realistically, imo.  Maybe, they now regret portraying her as having dementia, but, sadly brain damage is not reversible. 

YES!!!! My point exactly.  Did no one from the production team or the continuity team or even the actors ever raise a hand during a table read and say, "Um, I thought Sister MJ was too far gone around the bend?  Didn't she have dementia that lead her to wander off and have her duties reduced significantly? We don't let her see patients, cook or even answer the damn phone! Now we want a mentally unbalanced septuagenarian with dementia and a mile wide streak of stubbornness to slowly go blind??  AND we expect her to learn Braille and how to navigate halls, stairs, the kitchen with a cane??"  I would assume if they had let the poor lady go blind, they would have had to have sent her to a home because there is NO WAY she could have stayed on at Nonatus with dementia AND being blind.

[Sarah 103]

2 minutes ago, BusyOctober said:

AND we expect her to learn Braille and how to navigate halls, stairs, the kitchen with a cane??"  

I'm surprised they didn't mention a guide dog. It could lead to fun and interesting storylines. Also I love dogs so that may have something to do with it too. 

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, Rap541 said:

I feel like I need to defend the US a little here. Polygamy is *extremely uncommon* and *illegal* even in Utah, the one place where it's rooted deeply. Likewise while some states do allow marriage at an young age, it is not common nor is it smiled upon.

I am not sure on the "smiled upon" part.  States have done nothing to change it....in fact, New Hampshire just recently defeated a bill that would raise the age to 18 where thirteen year-olds are allowed to marry.  Statistically there are hundreds of teens marrying in each state which adds up to some pretty unsettling numbers.  

And while polygamy is technically illegal here there are huge polygamist sects in the west.  They are only prosecuted if they are caught in some other illegal act such as welfare abuse.  Their "tenets" include very young girls being married off to "uncles" who are decades older.  Nothing is being done about that - check out the Escaping Polygamy show.

[GaT]

10 hours ago, bunnyblue said:

Maybe they should shuffle Sister MJ into the background and bring on some new nuns who can contribute some fresh stories to the show.

 

I would love some new nuns, but I don't think they will. The can do a lot more stories with the midwives than the nuns. With nuns there aren't any relationship stories, or addiction stories, or new hairstyles, or weddings, all they can do are things like loss of vocation or dementia, which they've already done. I think they've boxed themselves in with the storylines. 

[SunnyBeBe]

Yes, they missed a potentially good story line about how when a dementia patient needs surgery, especially, eye surgery. For some surgeries, you have to lie flat down for hours AND you cannot touch your eye. You shouldn't bend over, lift much, strain, etc.  People with dementia forget and often they are unable to be cooperative in their aftercare treatment. They can't be relied upon to cooperate and follow instructions, so there is a lot of hands on care and risks.   That's why it's a huge consideration when considering them for surgery.  But, the show totally missed it.  So sad. 

I don't think they forgot about how they wrote for this character, I think they don't care and are just taking creative liberties, to heck with the viewers.  It's irresponsible to me, for a show that prides itself on educating and being so technically correct.  I mean, they have a stove shipped from USA and paint it, to make it perfectly match fShelagh's kitchen cabinets, but, they miss the entire portrayal of a main character?  lol 

[Rap541]

If we're going to argue stats, then read here.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/01/child-marriage-is-rare-in-the-u-s-though-this-varies-by-state/

As for Polgamy - 

Quote

And while polygamy is technically illegal here there are huge polygamist sects in the west.  They are only prosecuted if they are caught in some other illegal act such as welfare abuse.  Their "tenets" include very young girls being married off to "uncles" who are decades older.  Nothing is being done about that - check out the Escaping Polygamy show.

The FLDS, the biggest offender, is 6000-10000 members. They are the largest of the polygamy groups and the ones most commonly understood to marry young girls to older men. While this is an awful problem, it is not a HUGE or COMMON problem in the United States. 

Just because something is legal, that doesn't mean everyone runs out and does it. I mean, abortion and smoking pot are legal, just like getting married at 15 was in my home state - I haven't done any of them. Child marriage is not a common practice in the US, the statistic bear that out, and it's certainly not a welcomed practice. Polgamy is against the law, I live in the southwest and I am well aware of Hilldale and Colorado City's problems with law enforcement... but its at the core, a small group of wackjobs who are being ground down legally. 

[Kohola3]

22 minutes ago, Rap541 said:

If we're going to argue stats, then read here.

 

I have no intention of arguing.  I'm simply saying that the US cannot be held up as a shining example of keeping young girls out of the beds of older men when there is no law nor moral outrage against it.  To me, one case of this is disgusting and 57,000 is horrendous.  But that's just me.

[jschoolgirl]

How did Sister Monica Joan manage to have successful, vision-restoring cataract surgery in 1963 without having to have thick eyeglasses??? Lens implants were not a thing then.

[Kohola3]

2 minutes ago, jschoolgirl said:

How did Sister Monica Joan manage to have successful, vision-restoring cataract surgery in 1963 without having to have thick eyeglasses???

I wondered that as well.  And back then, as I recall, you needed to lie flat with sandbags on either side of your head for 24 hours after the surgery.

[Rap541]

Quote

I'm simply saying that the US cannot be held up as a shining example of keeping young girls out of the beds of older men when there is no law nor moral outrage against it. 

Your definition of "no moral outrage" appears to be at odds with the actual laws against polygamy and the reality that even though that law in New Hampshire was defeated, there was enough outrage for someone to propose it. How is that no law and no moral outrage?

I'm certainly not saying the US is a shining example, just that there isn't daily marriages of 13 year old girls and constant forced polygamous marriages being carried out across huge swatches of the country while we all smile and nod. I've openly expressed that I don't approve and that counts as "no moral outrage", and thats a little irritating.

[Kohola3]

48 minutes ago, Rap541 said:

I've openly expressed that I don't approve

I don't approve either.  But unless I do something to try and change it, just not approving is rather a moot point.  While a bill was introduced, it failed to pass indicating  to me that there is no moral outrage within that populace or it would have passed.  But we will have to agree to disagree.

What the sisters and midwives would be able to do is the question.  The child was married in Pakistan.  Other than taking legal action there really wasn't much.

[caitmcg]

4 hours ago, Rap541 said:

The pica thing seemed totally thrown in there

Totally thrown in there the same way other common, and less common, medical conditions associated with pregnancy have been just "totally thrown in there" over the previous 6 seasons, you mean? I am honestly surprised they'd never featured a pregnant woman with pica before. As others have noted, it's not uncommon. 

[Rap541]

Quote

Totally thrown in there the same way other common, and less common, medical conditions associated with pregnancy have been just "totally thrown in there" over the previous 6 seasons, you mean?

I mean thrown in as in the patient who is supposedly ashamed of the act manages to nosh on coal while walking from the public waiting area into the barely private exam area complete with smearing coal dust all over her face, yeah. This wasn't the best written episode of this show. 

It seems thrown in so that Trixie can have a talk with someone about how good it sometimes feel to give into a craving. 

Edited April 9, 2018 by Rap541

[J-Man]

No recap this week? How are we supposed to know about the scenes that were deleted for the U.S. broadcast?

[caitmcg]

14 minutes ago, J-Man said:

No recap this week? How are we supposed to know about the scenes that were deleted for the U.S. broadcast?

The recap is here. If they don't link it, just click on PreviouslyTV at the top of the page to go to the site home page, and you should see it there.

[jschoolgirl]

From reading the recap, it looks like there were no essential scenes cut as there were last week.

[J-Man]

20 minutes ago, caitmcg said:

The recap is here. If they don't link it, just click on PreviouslyTV at the top of the page to go to the site home page, and you should see it there.

Thank you. It's almost always linked (or at least mentioned) in one or more posts in the thread, so I just assumed there was no recap this week.

[OtterMommy]

2 hours ago, caitmcg said:

]'

?lly thrown in there the same way other common, and less common, medical conditions associated with pregnancy have been just "totally thrown in there" over the previous 6 seasons, you mean? I am honestly surprised they'd never featured a pregnant woman with pica before. As others have noted, it's not uncommon. 

I think it was totally thrown in that it was never really developed and was nothing more than a (not very effective) way to get into Trixie's lapse in recovery.  Actually, every time they showed us the pica mom, I kept wondering who she was and why she was in the show and then, oh yeah, Trixie's drinking (which is just like pica, except that it isn't at all like pica) It was really clunky--they could have done a good story line around pica and they could have found a much better way to bring in Trixie's drinking.  The fact that they coupled those two together baffled me.

[3 is enough]

So here's a question: What if the infertility was the fault of the husband?  Would he keep on getting newer, younger wives and failing to impregnate them?  Would there be an "aha moment" at some point? 

Just wondering.

[OtterMommy]

10 minutes ago, 3 is enough said:

So here's a question: What if the infertility was the fault of the husband?  Would he keep on getting newer, younger wives and failing to impregnate them?  Would there be an "aha moment" at some point? 

Just wondering.

My guess is no, only because having a wife is expensive and I doubt he could afford more than two--and maybe that's why it took him so long to get a second wife (sorry, I don't quite buy that the families arranged it all with no input from him....)

[Rap541]

Quote

So here's a question: What if the infertility was the fault of the husband?  Would he keep on getting newer, younger wives and failing to impregnate them?  Would there be an "aha moment" at some point? 

It would be understood, yes, but not likely to stop the parade of wives. 

Quote

sorry, I don't quite buy that the families arranged it all with no input from him....)

Agreed. His actual excuse was that the family made him do it, which yeah... pretty sure you weren't raped. 

But the husband's real asshole move in my opinion was never ever mentioning this to his wife for months and months. I doubt Mumtaz would have really gotten past that.

[Ohmo]

6 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

Also, I was okay when the episodes were being cut short to talk about the history of what was in the episode. That made some sense. I'm starting to get a bit annoyed that they are cutting scenes for a set tour. These seem like meh special features on a DVD. The best thing to do would be leave the episode intact and mention the set tours/behind the scenes information as a reason to buy the DVD. 

Yeah, I've looked and to stream the show from Amazon is about $25 for the season, and I'm not entirely certain that's the UK version,  I'm not that enthused about paying $25 for some missing scenes, but I have thought about it.  Are the U.S. versions of the DVD missing the scenes as well?

[txhorns79]

Quote

She even almost died, after wandering away to a an old house and freezing to death.

She almost died after freezing to death? ;)  I totally knew what you meant, but I had to have some fun.  I agree that Sister Monica Joan's characterization is all over the place.  And I was like yeah, "Sister Monica Joan couldn't be trusted to answer the phone, but she's totally going to be able to master Braille!"

Quote

What the sisters and midwives would be able to do is the question.  The child was married in Pakistan.  Other than taking legal action there really wasn't much.

I think unless someone is in actual danger, the sisters and midwives try to refrain from judgment as much as possible.  They are of no use to their patients if there is no trust, and there can't be any trust if the patient feels judged and/or otherwise shamed for their lifestyle.  Mind you, I seriously doubt that Mrs. Gani was going to get over the situation as quickly as they showed her doing, or at all.  Even for the most devout wife, it's a lot to suddenly show up with Mrs. Gani #2 and have her be ready to give birth.  

[Kohola3]

2 hours ago, J-Man said:

It's almost always linked (or at least mentioned) in one or more posts in the thread, so I just assumed there was no recap this week.

Somehow it was posted in Episode 3 instead of 4.

[rhys]

I wonder if that Braille notion of Shelagh's wasn't truly a ploy to get MJ to learn Braile but instead scare her into realizing "oh crap. Maybe I better have surgery." P!us, I'm late to CTM, but if MJ was a medical nun, wouldn't she have known about cataracts, surgery etc? Did she think surgical intervention wasn't appropriate for breech births ? What about moms who were bleeding too much after a birth? Were they just supposed to die or was an emergency hysterectomy OK? My point/question is, how does a person like MJ pick medical procedures vs god's will?

[Anothermi]

On 4/9/2018 at 8:58 PM, rhys said:

I wonder if that Braille notion of Shelagh's wasn't truly a ploy to get MJ to learn Braile but instead scare her into realizing "oh crap. Maybe I better have surgery." P!us, I'm late to CTM, but if MJ was a medical nun, wouldn't she have known about cataracts, surgery etc? Did she think surgical intervention wasn't appropriate for breech births ? What about moms who were bleeding too much after a birth? Were they just supposed to die or was an emergency hysterectomy OK? My point/question is, how does a person like MJ pick medical procedures vs god's will?

The Nonnatan nuns were "medical" nuns to the extent that it pertained to expectant mothers, birth and children.  They did not need to be generalists, but I suppose there was nothing stopping them from choosing to learn more than that. Especially back when they were the only medically knowledgeable people around.

But I don't think Sister Monica Joan was being portrayed as being ignorant of the surgical procedure, just terrified of being cut. I can totally relate to that. Especially where the eyes are concerned. I'm even suspicious of modern day cataract surgery - despite knowing many people who have had it and suffered no trauma.  The issue for MJ is her own fear of the scalpel. It seems that equating her own fears to the woman astronaut boldly facing her fears was her ticket to overcoming them.

Edited April 11, 2018 by Anothermi

[LittleIggy]

14 hours ago, anna0852 said:

I was really hoping that Christopher would indignantly tell Nurse Crane that he was not 'effectively married'. He is most declaratively divorced and can get involved with whomever he chooses.

Thank you! Is the poor man supposed to not have a love life because of his manipulative ex-wife? The shrink the little girl is seeing needs to talk to her about the meaning of divorce and how her dad has the right to date.

[purist]

I went on a Google search to see if there had been any articles criticising the polygamy/under-age wife storyline, and found only one, in the highly suspect Daily Mail. If anyone else can find something, please post it here.

[AnnieBeez]

The polygamy story line didn't bother me, other than her being 15. The clunky writing did, especially dialogue that sounded like it was written by someone who's never actually heard people speak. 

Also, I'm so over Dr Turner and his furrowed brow and condescending concerned voice. 

[JudyObscure]

It's sad about the Turners.  Shelagh has been one of my favorite characters for many seasons. I was riveted through their love story and her crises of faith; then the son's polio, her tuberculosis, his guilt over the thalidomide tragedy and resultant depression, and finally the fertility problems.  All informative, serious,  well told stories.  Then one day, beginning with the,  "Shelagh gets back into her girdle," story they became a sort of sit-com family and I really don't like them that way quite as much. 

I do have to give credit to the set designers for the Turners' new house, though.

[Primetimer]

And: Sister Monica Joan finally sees the light. (Not the eternal light! Don't freak out!) Allison Lowe Huff takes you through in our latest EPIC OLD-SCHOOL RECAP!

View the full article

[proserpina65]

15 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

And I was like yeah, "Sister Monica Joan couldn't be trusted to answer the phone, but she's totally going to be able to master Braille!"

Shelagh was using the threat of a cane and Braille as a means of convincing Sister Monica Joan to change her mind.  I highly doubt she really thought it was a viable alternative.

[Sarah 103]

17 hours ago, Ohmo said:

Yeah, I've looked and to stream the show from Amazon is about $25 for the season, and I'm not entirely certain that's the UK version,  I'm not that enthused about paying $25 for some missing scenes, but I have thought about it.  Are the U.S. versions of the DVD missing the scenes as well?

The U.S versions of the DVD have all the scenes. They are the full British episodes. 

12 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Thank you! Is the poor man supposed to not have a love life because of his manipulative ex-wife? The shrink the little girl is seeing needs to talk to her about the meaning of divorce and how her dad has the right to date.

The little girl isn't the problem. Her mother/Christopher's ex is the problem. Alexandria at first didn't have a problem with Christopher dating. She liked Trixie and spending time with Trixie. Her mother/Christopher's ex turned Alexandria against Trixie. (It wouldn't be hard to do. Kids that age hope their parents will get back together so her mother easily could have manipulated Alexandria into beleiving that Trixie was the only thing keeping her parents from getting back together. This may not be true at all, but it is something that Alexndria could be convinced of easily). 

[sigmaforce86]

On 4/9/2018 at 1:23 PM, Sarah 103 said:

I've always thought it would be fun to see an episode made up of flashbacks to when the older nurses and nuns were just starting out. I would love to see what Sister Monica Joan was like when she was younger and interacting with patients on a day to day basis. 

That's a great idea.  From current pictures of Judy Parfitt she could play SMJ 20 or so years younger easily.  They could focus on that or they could do several looks over the years with other actresses playing her younger.  But I like the idea of seeing her another way.  It would be fun if they did a flashback to Nurse Valeries birth.  That was already a sweet moment when Valerie first arrived a Nonnatus and SMJ recognized her.

I hate that Trixie relapsed but it's a good storyline to get her off the show for a bit and honestly from some of the scenes in this episode it's time.  They're barely able to hide that bump now.  Phyllis was also perfect even if she did say too much to Christopher.  But honestly she never gave away secrets she just told him to tread lightly.  Didn't like the polygamy story much; I wish they had touched a little more on the second wife's age and status.  Remembering in the S1E1 they talked about when Conchita first came to England with her husband and questions were asked about her age and marriage.,  As SMJ put it the impediments were "swept away" but at least the questions were asked.  Now some 20 years later this 15yo, pregnant child accompanied by an already married man twice her age seems to just enter the country and that's that?  Maybe it's hard to get in the mindset of the era for certain stories but this one was difficult to reconcile.

[MissLucas]

17 minutes ago, sigmaforce86 said:

Remembering in the S1E1 they talked about when Conchita first came to England with her husband and questions were asked about her age and marriage.,  As SMJ put it the impediments were "swept away" but at least the questions were asked.  Now some 20 years later this 15yo, pregnant child accompanied by an already married man twice her age seems to just enter the country and that's that?  Maybe it's hard to get in the mindset of the era for certain stories but this one was difficult to reconcile.

Oh, I had forgotten about Conchita! Thanks for bringing her up.

[GaT]

On 4/9/2018 at 11:36 AM, Kohola3 said:

I wondered that as well.  And back then, as I recall, you needed to lie flat with sandbags on either side of your head for 24 hours after the surgery.

I was wondering about that, was the scene at the end after she had the surgery? They didn't make that clear enough, why didn't they show her reading something either with or without the magnifying glass so we would know? If it was supposed to be after, it seems really strange to me that they wouldn't have shown more about her having it & her recovery.

[OtterMommy]

It's time to move away from the topic of polygamy in the US.  While discussing the situation depicted in this episode was fine, off-topic discussion should be moved to the small talk thread.

[Clanstarling]

On 4/9/2018 at 4:36 AM, JudyObscure said:

I was okay with the sister Monica Joan story until, just after Fred had managed to talk her into the surgery, she goes to Sister Julienne and say she 's decided to have the surgery and be brave like the woman astronaut ... and sister Julienne says , "Your cataract surgery is nothing like that woman going into space!"  What the heck?  Way to slap down all Fred's hard work.  It's a wonder Sister Monica Joan didn't say, "Oh right.  Nevermind."  This writing is going down hill every week.

That was strange. I had the same reaction.

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, GaT said:

I was wondering about that, was the scene at the end after she had the surgery? They didn't make that clear enough, why didn't they show her reading something either with or without the magnifying glass so we would know? If it was supposed to be after, it seems really strange to me that they wouldn't have shown more about her having it & her recovery.

It was subtle, but she was enjoying the sights and smiling happily. Cataracts had literally dimmed her world, so I think they went with her joy of seeing all the nice bright colors. I, for one, am just as happy we didn't see surgery and recovery.

[Sarah 103]

7 hours ago, sigmaforce86 said:

That's a great idea.  From current pictures of Judy Parfitt she could play SMJ 20 or so years younger easily.  They could focus on that or they could do several looks over the years with other actresses playing her younger.  But I like the idea of seeing her another way.  It would be fun if they did a flashback to Nurse Valeries birth.  That was already a sweet moment when Valerie first arrived a Nonnatus and SMJ recognized her.

That would be a great idea and I loved that scene from the first time I saw it.  I've often wonderded who it was stranger for, Sister Monica Joan or Valerie. 

[AnnieBeez]

5 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

It was subtle, but she was enjoying the sights and smiling happily. Cataracts had literally dimmed her world, so I think they went with her joy of seeing all the nice bright colors. I, for one, am just as happy we didn't see surgery and recovery.

I kept looking at her eyes. They didn't look like she had cataracts. And certainly not enough that she couldn't identify roses. I guess putting clouded contact lenses in her eyes wasn't an option.   

[catrice2]

On 4/9/2018 at 11:33 AM, doodlebug said:

Eating starch and clay are pretty common cravings in pregnancy in some women. It is linked to iron deficiency and anemia and it would be easy to imagine that many of the women living in Poplar at that time had insufficient iron in their diets.  This has been known for a while, I was kind of surprised that none of the midwives suggested checking her blood count or giving her an iron supplement.

Surely  it is not just about pregnancy.  My mother's friend ate it all the time.  I can almost remember the brand....it came in a box.  I thought it was so strange....and no she was not pregnant. 

[LittleIggy]

11 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

The U.S versions of the DVD have all the scenes. They are the full British episodes. 

The little girl isn't the problem. Her mother/Christopher's ex is the problem. Alexandria at first didn't have a problem with Christopher dating. She liked Trixie and spending time with Trixie. Her mother/Christopher's ex turned Alexandria against Trixie. (It wouldn't be hard to do. Kids that age hope their parents will get back together so her mother easily could have manipulated Alexandria into beleiving that Trixie was the only thing keeping her parents from getting back together. This may not be true at all, but it is something that Alexndria could be convinced of easily). 

I know the little girl is being manipulated by the ex. I just think that the shrink could talk to her about that.

[Kohola3]

7 hours ago, catrice2 said:

Surely  it is not just about pregnancy. 

No, it's not.  But it sometimes crops up in pregnant women but goes away after birth.

There are both physiological reasons (such as iron deficiency anemia) and psychological conditions in which pica is a symptom.

Edited April 11, 2018 by Kohola3

[steff13]

On ‎4‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 10:51 PM, howiveaddict said:

I was hoping the Pakistani woman would divorce her husband.

Me, too.  That whole situation made me angry.  That poor woman. 

[Ohwell]

19 hours ago, catrice2 said:

Surely  it is not just about pregnancy.  My mother's friend ate it all the time.  I can almost remember the brand....it came in a box.  I thought it was so strange....and no she was not pregnant. 

Was it Argo starch?  That's what my aunt and her friends ate.

[catrice2]

2 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Was it Argo starch?  That's what my aunt and her friends ate.

You got it!  If i  am not mistaken it was yellow with blue writing?  Funny the things you remember!  She also had all these cats....obviously she was not my favorite person to visit! 

[magemaud]

Oh, so they were eating cornstarch, which is used as a thickener in foods. I thought you meant they were eating laundry starch! 

edited to add: well, what do you know. Just did some research and found both cornstarch AND laundry starch eating as well as clay are all common manifestations of pica associated with anemia

Edited April 12, 2018 by magemaud

[Ohwell]

11 hours ago, catrice2 said:

You got it!  If i  am not mistaken it was yellow with blue writing?  Funny the things you remember!  She also had all these cats....obviously she was not my favorite person to visit! 

Ahh, so your mother's friend's taste was a little more "refined" if she ate the cooking starch.  My aunt ate the Argo laundry starch, the same that she washed clothes with.  The box was blue with white lettering.