Giving birth is one of the most natural human experiences. Yet, it's a roller coaster of physical, hormonal , emotional and mental changes. And even though each pregnancy is unique and distinct , plenty of the consequences are pretty common.
One of these major effects, that blew my mind when I first discovered it, is how a woman's brain shrinks during pregnancy. In fact, researchers performed MRI scans before and after a first pregnancy and found that the gray matter (of the brain) changed in its size and structure. This affects areas controlling social cognition, implements the sense of motherhood and vigilance, and facilitates the connection with the baby . These changes persist for at least 2 years after giving birth. It's not scientifically proven yet if those changes cause memory troubles however it's the case for a lot of women.
Actually , the changes go way further than the brain structure , pregnant women experience an emotional dilemma after giving birth, called postpartum depression. Most women get the baby blues which go away 3 to 5 days later but if it persists for 2 weeks or more it's a serious depression, which is the case of one in 9 mothers. This mental illness can even cause attempts of suicide or killing the newborn. That's why, informing women and their families about such consequences is crucial.
The issue here is that such important informations are not provided to a majority of women. Most of the effects of pregnancy that websites are bombarded by are physical (weight gain, hair loss, stretch marks ..).
Pregnancy should be a choice; a choice based on knowledge and effective informations. Women owe this to the world. Actually, There's 4,3 births per second & 360.000 children are born daily in the world, shocking I know. So many women go through this life-changing experience and all what we're asking for here is enough guidance. As Dr Allison Bryant said:”Women should be as informed as possible about their childbirth options, so they can have a voice in the process, advocate for what they want and make the most informed choice”
Schools need to incorporate more lessons about pregnancy and other health care topics to students. The number of teenage mothers is crazy. In fact in 2017, 194,377 babies were born by women aged 15 to 19 years. Also, we need to normalize asking about our bodies and set our curiosity free in order to understand them.
Another point that I find extremely unfair is how judgemental society can be towards girls who refuse to have kids. When a young lady states this fearlessly they probably will tell her that she will eventually change her mind or that she's a selfish person who doesn't deserve children anyway. That's why it's a high priority to stop telling women what to do with their bodies. Most of the people who comment on such a personal matter don't know how hard and wild a pregnancy can be, and how much of serious changes it may cause.
those same people believe that women are only valuable (for the patriarchal society) if they're connected to someone else : a father, a partner or even a child.
As Clementine Ford said in her amazing book fight like a girl (stay tuned for a book review) : ’’these people are terrorists waging a war against women and our fundamental right to be in charge of our own bodies and destinies, and I will not negotiate with terrorists by operating within their own arbitrary, misogynist set of rules’’
To sum up, women's ( and all human) bodies keep surprising the scientists. Actually, their complexity is the essence of their beauty, we must all embrace them, learn about them, love them and treat them with our own terms.
By Arij Ouechtati
Ressources:
Fight like a girl - clémentine Ford
コメント