The sacrifices we make to grow, birth and nourish our babies are incredible. Pregnancy is mystically stunning BUT so draining. Why is the value of carrying new life not appreciated more by our society? We are growing the next generation, yet society tends to view pregnant women as an inconvenience.
All this happens, with the expectation that expecting moms should appear glowing and oh so happy. Well there are times we are! There are also times, we just want some acknowledgement that our body is working overtime and we are ffing tired!
The demands of pregnancy on a women's body are no walk in the park. It can be a lot to handle with constant hormonal shifts, morning sickness and fatigue . We are in such a feminine state while pregnant, it can be challenging to uphold society's expectations of us carrying about life as normal.
Our energy is focused on growing a new life, yet we are asked to divide that energy to focus on workplace tasks. Doesn't this seem concerning to anyone else? Durning a time where our biological functions are screaming at us to rest and focus our energy inwards...we are still expected to "contribute" to society, as if we didn't just throw up in the bathroom at work for the third time that day.
I worked two jobs while pregnant with my first for a few months and then full time at one job. It was exhausting and frustrating at times. I was incredibly lucky that my full-time work place was very accommodating and respectful of whatever I needed. I was never made to feel bad about having to rush off to vomit at any second, or taking an extra few minutes to inhale food between my breaks. That being said, it was still hard making it through a whole pregnancy working 40+ hours a week.
Flash forward to my second pregnancy and I realized very early on, that taking an early leave was in my absolute best interest. At first I felt ashamed that I wasn't working right until my due date. Many other women manage to make it work...even with having toddlers or other children at home. I simply could feel my body screaming at me to SLOW DOWN. I feel lucky to be very in tune with the energy I feel and right away I knew it was in my best interest to take an early leave.
I am still considered a young mom, at 26 and I am in amazing health. Both my pregnancies have been flawless and very normal. I eat extremely cleanly, workout and practice mindfulness whenever I can.
All of that aside....it's still a draining time in life. The physical demands placed on your body during pregnancy are immense. This circles us back to examine, why it isn't more acceptable for pregnant women to devote their energy to the new life they are growing....rather than feel like a burden? Shouldn't growing a new life be valued more highly by society ? Isn't creating a whole person in nine months, as valuable as whatever workforce task also needs to be completed?
I realize it isn't practical for every pregnant women to just not work their entire pregnancy. That isn't what I am suggesting. The conversation I want to start hearing more of, is how do we better support women in the workforce? Some countries have a decent start on this. I am in Canada and you are allowed to take up to 15 weeks of sick leave before your baby arrives, without it affecting your 12 or 18 month maternity leave. This 15 weeks in my opinion, should just be standard everywhere.
I also think there needs to be a massive shift from the employer's standpoint. Things need to shift, from viewing pregnancy as an inconvenience for the business, to valuing the life that the mother is growing.
As women we need to stop trying to be like men. We biologically are not! Why do we feel the need to uphold the same standard as them. We are truly doing ourselves a disservice by de-valuing our feminine energy. In turn, this gives the rest of society a pass to do the same.
Ladies....we are built to grow new life, bring it into this world and nourish it from our bodies ....that is incredible! This is something we need to celebrate and respect. Most importantly...we need to teach our society to start doing the same.
Pregnancy, birth and postpartum should be empowering us....not de-valuing us.
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