[dropcap]D[/dropcap]uring the last International Women’s Day, I found it interesting how some men felt they were being “marginalized”. Maybe, today’s young men cannot see through the lens of the past 100 years to realize just how far women had to step up for social, economical and educational equity and now it just looks like women have “too much fuss”. And maybe our culture is far removed from goings-on elsewhere—like parts of Africa where genital mutilation of women still goes on, and in Pakistan where girls are denied the right to education. But some men certainly felt on March 8 that there are far too many days in a year dedicated to women, including Mother’s Day.
Admittedly it was just a few very young men from whom I heard those comments. Still they seemed too many. That these boys consider Mother’s Day as just another celebration of male marginalizing is so unfair, especially to their mothers. Can they even imagine half of the endurance needed to give birth to a baby? Or raise a child? Childbirth and child-bearing are aspects of life that men cannot accomplish; or far less understand, regardless of what science might suggest.
Here, guys, are five out of many things your mother was likely to endure on your behalf:
1. Many mothers will confess that getting a baby out is way more than the two pushes usually seen in the movies. Sometimes it takes well over fifteen for only the baby’s head to fully come out of an already dilated vagina (I’m told my head took about twelve hours).
2. The “pushing” isn’t even the worst part. Some women experience hours, even days, of contractions and dripping after waters break. Contractions are, for some, the most painful part of childbirth and increase in severity over time.
3. During labour, many women have their vaginas sliced to accommodate the baby’s head and shoulders. If it’s not cut, there are different degrees of tearing that occur. Later it has to be stitched back. Those of us with big heads can only imagine the anguish we caused.
4. Many women poop themselves during delivery. Again, something not seen in the movies. Mothers often are unable to control their bodily functions during the pushing process.
5. For weeks after childbirth, women bleed profusely. In this time, a mother is also breastfeeding, and her body tries to recuperate after loss of sleep. The body is under stress and gradually recovers after experiencing dry skin, fatigue, possibly post-partum depression and hair loss, among many other things (all pregnancies are different).
Just these five reasons don’t include a woman’s bodily reconfiguration during the nine months of pregnancy or the years of attempting to provide emotional, physiological, physical and spiritual guidance for her child. Maybe not all mothers try their best, for reasons ranging from irresponsibility to economic status, but schoolteachers can easily inform that it’s a rarity to see fathers represent their children at school.
After their introduction during childbirth, mothers have a world of difficulty to face for the sake of their children. Mother’s Day is not only for children to show their appreciation to a mom but also a small reminder of everything endured from labour pains onward.
The Nobel Prize winner, Sir William Gerald Golding offered this popular quote: “I think women are foolish to pretend they are equal to men; they are far superior and always have been.” That’s a thought to have when childbirth is in the picture!
Happy Mothers Day from us at STAR Publishing!
