It's been a really really long time since I've had any sort of motivation to write. Guess that happens when your brain starts getting sucked out by your uterus (ha). I've got about 5 weeks to go, though it feels like this is going to be ongoing for the rest of my life. In a way, it is. I mean, minus the obvious of there being an infant in the picture, I don't think once your brain & body have gone through pregnancy you're ever truly back to homeostasis afterward (baby to full term or not).
When you consider not just the mental & physical drain on the mother-to-be but also how it affects those around her, I doubt even the world snaps back into any kind of order. You hear lots of people say:
"My life wasn't complete until I had my kids.."
They're wrong. Well, they're right AND wrong. Sure, they have a sense of fulfillment after taking care of kids, a sense of 'productivity' by readying them for the world and the society they will shape. However, they're wrong if they think they were not 'whole people' before. That's like saying anyone who does not have children is a shell of a human being. Many many people never have children and they are perfectly rounded and content with who they are.
The point is that while they were whole people before, they are more conscious people now. They are more in tune with the needs of others, or at least aware of them regardless of if they take action. Being aware of the others around you is so physically and emotionally important, that once we lose that feeling of other people, we lose part of our humanity. Considering that new parent/s will have the presence of another human being(baby) around practically 24/7 they have a stronger feeling of 'oneness' with themselves for taking care of another human.
That mental connection with another person on top of learning to tend to their own physical needs will stick with them no matter what. As much as moms are self-sacrificing, they really do not give so much as they receive. For each hour of sleep lost, a mom gains resilience. For each tipped over plate of spaghetti a mom gains patience. For every scraped knee, a mom gains compassion. For every temper tantrum a mom gains restraint. For each kiss goodnight a mom gains love.
In their lives with their children moms do nothing but receive and receive, much more so than they give. They are physically & mentally different people, and will be more themselves now than they have ever been.
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