סליחה, הבלגתי

אני רוצה בכל זאת להתעכב על הריון, לידה והנקה. כי נדמה לי כי כמו שאני עצמי עשיתי, ישנה נטייה רחבה להבליג עליהם ולא להכיר במכלול ומגוון המאמצים והשינויים והקשיים הגופניים והנפשיים הכרוכים בתהליכים אלה עבור האישה הנושאת בהם.* ושימו לב, לא מדובר רק בקשיים מיידיים; יש גם רשימה אינסופית של תופעות לוואי לתווך ארוך, כשהקלות שביניהן כוללות עששת, פגיעה ביכולת שכלית ודלדול הציצי, והקשות כוללות דיכאון עד כדי פסיכוזה, מוגבלות לצמיתות והחמרה במחלות קיימות כמו אפילפסיה. גם המוות נמצאת שם, כמובן, לא עלינו. אינני יודעת איך להבין את הדברים ברמה של כוונת הבורא. אולי יש כאן אמירה שאימהות היא דבר ענק, יותר זכות יתר מאשר זכות סתם, ואין להיכנס אליה בקלות ראש ואין להתייחס אליה כדבר מובן מאליו. באשר לקשיים שהחברה מתעקשת להעמיס על נשים הרות ואימהות, עליהם אין לסלוח.

 

 

* הנה הרשימה הקצרה:

 

 

Normal, frequent or expectable temporary side effects of pregnancy:

 

 

exhaustion (weariness common from first weeks)

 

altered appetite and senses of taste and smell

 

nausea and vomiting (50% of women, first trimester)

 

heartburn and indigestion

 

constipation

 

weight gain

 

dizziness and light-headedness

 

bloating, swelling, fluid retention

 

hemmorhoids

 

abdominal cramps

 

yeast infections

 

congested, bloody nose

 

acne and mild skin disorders

 

skin discoloration (chloasma, face and abdomen)

 

mild to severe backache and strain

 

increased headaches

 

difficulty sleeping, and discomfort while sleeping

 

increased urination and incontinence

 

bleeding gums

 

pica

 

breast pain and discharge

 

swelling of joints, leg cramps, joint pain

 

difficulty sitting, standing in later pregnancy

 

inability to take regular medications

 

shortness of breath

 

higher blood pressure

 

hair loss

 

tendency to anemia

 

curtailment of ability to participate in some sports and activities

 

infection including from serious and potentially fatal disease

 

(pregnant women are immune suppressed compared with non-pregnant women, and are more susceptible to fungal and certain other diseases)

 

extreme pain on delivery

 

hormonal mood changes, including normal post-partum depression

 

continued post-partum exhaustion and recovery period (exacerbated if a c-section — major surgery — is required, sometimes taking up to a full year to fully recover)

 

Normal, expectable, or frequent PERMANENT side effects of pregnancy:

 

 

 

stretch marks (worse in younger women)

 

loose skin

 

permanent weight gain or redistribution

 

pelvic floor disorder (occurring in as many as 35% of middle-aged former child-bearers and 50% of elderly former child-bearers, associated with urinary and rectal incontinence, discomfort and reduced quality of life — aka prolapsed utuerus, the malady sometimes badly fixed by the transvaginal mesh)

 

changes to breasts

 

varicose veins

 

scarring from episiotomy or c-section

 

other permanent aesthetic changes to the body (all of these are downplayed by women, because the culture values youth and beauty)

 

increased proclivity for hemmorhoids

 

loss of dental and bone calcium (cavities and osteoporosis)

 

higher lifetime risk of developing Altzheimer's

 

newer research indicates microchimeric cells, other bi-directional exchanges of DNA, chromosomes, and other bodily material between fetus and mother (including with "unrelated" gestational surrogates)

 

Occasional complications and side effects:

 

 

 

complications of episiotomy

 

spousal/partner abuse

 

hyperemesis gravidarum

 

temporary and permanent injury to back

 

severe scarring requiring later surgery

 

(especially after additional pregnancies)

 

dropped (prolapsed) uterus (especially after additional pregnancies, and other pelvic floor weaknesses — 11% of women, including cystocele, rectocele, and enterocele)

 

pre-eclampsia (edema and hypertension, the most common complication of pregnancy, associated with eclampsia, and affecting 7 – 10% of pregnancies)

 

eclampsia (convulsions, coma during pregnancy or labor, high risk of death)

 

gestational diabetes

 

placenta previa

 

anemia (which can be life-threatening)

 

thrombocytopenic purpura

 

severe cramping

 

embolism (blood clots)

 

medical disability requiring full bed rest (frequently ordered during part of many pregnancies varying from days to months for health of either mother or baby)

 

diastasis recti, also torn abdominal muscles

 

mitral valve stenosis (most common cardiac complication)

 

serious infection and disease (e.g. increased risk of tuberculosis)

 

hormonal imbalance

 

ectopic pregnancy (risk of death)

 

broken bones (ribcage, "tail bone")

 

hemorrhage and

 

numerous other complications of delivery

 

refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease

 

aggravation of pre-pregnancy diseases and conditions (e.g. epilepsy is present in .5% of pregnant women, and the pregnancy alters drug metabolism and treatment prospects all the while it increases the number and frequency of seizures)

 

severe post-partum depression and psychosis

 

research now indicates a possible link between ovarian cancer and female fertility treatments, including "egg harvesting" from infertile women and donors

 

research also now indicates correlations between lower breast cancer survival rates and proximity in time to onset of cancer of last pregnancy

 

research also indicates a correlation between having six or more pregnancies and a risk of coronary and cardiovascular disease

 

Less common (but serious) complications:

 

 

 

peripartum cardiomyopathy

 

cardiopulmonary arrest

 

magnesium toxicity

 

severe hypoxemia/acidosis

 

massive embolism

 

increased intracranial pressure, brainstem infarction

 

molar pregnancy, gestational trophoblastic disease

 

(like a pregnancy-induced cancer)

 

malignant arrhythmia

 

circulatory collapse

 

placental abruption

 

obstetric fistula

 

More permanent side effects:

 

future infertility

 

permanent disability

 

death.

 

 

 

 

 

From:

 

http://www.thelizlibrary.org/site-index/site-index-frame.html#soulhttp://www.thelizlibrary.org/liz/004.htm