PREGNANCY, CHILDBIRTH AND parenthood are profound life events for new mothers, inevitably shifting their once “self-centred” living to one that is intended for the efficacious development of the infant and for fruitful parent-child bonding.
There is much to say about the changes a woman goes through during a pregnancy. Going into mum-mode is not easy. Physiologically, the body braces for a flood of hormones that induce the size of brain neurons in some regions, and make structural changes in others. This is how the maternal circuit is set up, to regulate responses to stimuli or threats, and to magnify the ability to empathise and multitask.
Biologically, however, bewilderment sets in; stretch marks and skin pigmentations suddenly appear. Loss of hair and sometimes, even minds too are reported. With each childbirth, a woman’s body loses a little bit of its elasticity but this also is a humbling reminder of women’s ability to create and sustain Life within them.
