“Giving birth and being born brings us into the essence of creation, where the human spirit is courageous and bold and the body, a miracle of wisdom.” Harriette Hartigan
It’s a universal fact that we have all come into our first moments of existence inside the body of a woman and as Adrienne Rich says ‘we’re all born of women’. Pregnancy is a wonderful phase because it gives a woman the joy and fulfilment emanating from the sense of bringing a new life into the world. When a woman is pregnant, her body undergoes number of swings and shifts from physical to emotional state of her wellbeing. There’s an umbilical knot between the mother and her baby as anything that affects mothers obliquely affects the child as well. Even suckling infant cannot escape from the slightest of changes in mother’s health as this is an accepted fact and warranted by experience and psychology too. So, the mother should remain physically and emotionally strong and have a cheerful and relaxing attitude during this phase of her womanhood. She should keep close watch of her body, mind, behaviour and psychological environment so that child bears these imprints in her/his life too. Braving all odds and remaining steadfast with a positive attitude in her in a way to keep herself connected to the personhood and inculcating in her the optimistic and hopeful vibes blooming.
Once upon a time, a wise mother was asked about her child why was he crying so much. Sobbing with grief, she bemoaned, “When this child was in my womb, his father really harassed me and made me cry all the time. And this affected my child as well”. That is why among the Arabs, even in the age of proven de-humanised mind-set (Jahaliya) pregnant women were comforted and made adept throughout this period, This anecdotal and experiential wisdom derived from the social exchanges and metaphors used during pregnancy limits the mother-child interaction to a mere dietary and health boundary.
Philosophical Underpinnings of Pregnancy
Simone de Beauvoir, arguing famously in her 1949 book, The Second Sex, that the experiential life of women must be fully integrated within the purview of phenomenology. Beauvoir described pregnancy from the societal point of view as being hostile to women, which is “ensnared by nature,” both “plant and animal”. Hannah Arendt in her book The Human Condition (1958) gave radical ideas on the philosophical basis of pregnancy by taking the opposite view form her former teacher Heidegger whose focus was mainly on Dasein’s ‘being towards death’. Arendt encouraged “natality” as a basic idea for understanding human life. Although all three “fundamental human activities”—labour, work, and action—that make up the basis of her analysis of life are “rooted in natality,” Confining themselves what Beauvoir called “immanence”, mother’s in a certain sense imprisoned in their biological bodies with little hope of evading this alienation in order to reach freedom or “transcendence” . Julia Kristeva argues that unleashing the philosophical wonders of creation, which through labour and pain belong to pregnancy, brings thinking closer to a crucial aspect of life. While investigating the basis of pregnancy, motherhood, female genius and the birth, Kristeva developed a new kind of reconfiguring of ethics called herethics. Nelson Maldonado-Torres while describing the importance of pregnancy in our political and philosophical realms echoes that we can change by culture of “paradigm of war “by paying attention to pregnancy as an important link for enriching our understanding of politics, intersubjectivity and ethics seemingly a better suggestion than most.
Dietary and Work out Charts
Nutrition: A safe, nutritious diet during pregnancy is important to enhance the optimum growth and development of the foetus and physiological changes occurring in the mother. Fundamental precepts of healthy dietary habits during pregnancy include eating foods that contain sufficient amounts of energy as well as macro and micronutrients, maintaining adequate weight gain, adhering to general and pregnancy-specific food safety standards, and preventing consumption of harmful substances. Research has found that if these habits are not embraced, there is an increased chance of negative pregnancy outcomes, including low birth weight, preeclampsia, pre-birth, and neurological diseases. Most women are aware that good nutrition is important during pregnancy, women may lack knowledge of particular dietary recommendations or that they may not have the skills needed to improve their diet. Healthy eating can also be difficult during breastfeeding as women face obstacles such as food avoidance, cravings, diarrhoea, fatigue, tiredness, constipation, haemorrhoids, and heartburn.
Exercise: Pregnancy is a period in women’s lives associated with major physiological and psychological changes that can encourage sedentary behaviour and/or reduced rates of physical exertion. Such habits have been associated with increased risk of gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, high gestational weight gain, and long-term risk of overweight / obesity development, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Researchers collected and re-examined clinical trial data on exercise during pregnancy and whether it plays a role in preterm birth, and found that exercise is safe and does not increase the risk of preterm birth. In addition, women who exercised were less likely to have a C-section than those who did not. The study was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology.
More fat during the pregnancy means a tough ask to work out during this phase so there should be a diligent balance between the two. Water workout — whether it’s swimming laps or doing aqua aerobics— helps relieve discomfort and stress(especially in the third trimester) increases mobility and stamina. The best part of it is no matter which weight category you are in, you’re going to feel weightless in the water. Regular pregnancy exercise improves muscle tone, strength and stamina. Regular exercise also helps keep you healthy through breastfeeding and can boost your ability to cope up with labour complications. It will make it easier for you to get back in shape after your child is born.
Tailpiece
Pregnancy and related hormonal changes can have a significant impact on mothers-to-be and their mental health. It’s common for pregnant women to feel a wide spectrum of feelings, from happiness and anticipation to anxiety and mood swings. Paying attention to some mental and psychological changes before and during pregnancy will help keep the mother and infant safe and healthy. New or soon-to-be mothers and their relatives should be more cautious and aware of arousals of fear, constant depression, or other signs that may recur in her. Lastly pregnancy always cannot be seen in the medicalized lexicon it has more to do with the ‘being’ and ‘freedom’ of a mother and there should be more compassion, emotional support and caring atmosphere around during this period.
Farheen Sabah is a Research Scholar, life sciences