With Mother’s Day just around the corner (yes, this is your fair dues warning), you’re likely seeing all kinds of tributes to moms, gift idea lists, sentimental memes and poems, and reminders about just what mothering takes.
And to be sure, there’s a physical toll on becoming a mom. From the challenges of pregnancy and childbirth, to the late nights, interrupted sleep, worries, anxieties and all the rest, motherhood places tremendous demands on women, both physically and emotionally.
But it also makes you one strong mother!
“A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.”
John 16:21
Science is just beginning to understand all the ways in which motherhood makes for superhuman health benefits. A recent Duke University study showed that a 40-week pregnancy has the same energy requirements and stamina needed to run a 40-week marathon. That means that pregnant women and extreme athletes are the two groups we can identify who go to the furthest levels of human endurance.1
While the intensity of pregnancy and childbirth can create health boosts, however someone becomes a mom brings with it a whole host of physical upgrades. Check out these ways that motherhood transforms your health:
Immune System Upgrade: The runny noses, the sore throats, the myriad of ways your kids bring germs into your home, it can be hard to see how any of that could lead to a boosted health profile for you. And yet it does. Moms have some of the hardiest immune systems around, both by helping their babies’ immune systems through antibodies in breast milk and through building a more robust immune system for themselves through all the exposure you get to germs as a mom.
Super Spidey Senses: When we talk about it feeling like moms have eyes in the back of their heads, we’re actually not all that far off. WIth motherhood comes a heightened sense of awareness, particularly of our kids and their safety. Ready for some more big brain news? Yep. A mom’s brain actually gets bigger once she has children. Her ability to respond more quickly, take in multiple stimuli, and to be able to reason better all come from being a mom.2
First in Class Cardio: That pregnancy marathon experience leaves lasting impressions when it comes to heart health for a mom. Increased blood flow, the endurance built by carrying a baby, it all adds up to a stronger heart for a mom.
“Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”
Proverbs 31:31
Long Live the Moms: A study from Australia showed that women who are moms tend to live longer.3 Want to level it up even more? Further studies show that women who have four or more children live even longer!
“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”
Proverbs 31:25:
If you’re already a Member of Altrua HealthShare or considering becoming one, there are several memberships that include maternity. Check with a Member Services Representative to see what your membership shares in for maternity costs. As you celebrate the moms in your life this Mother’s Day, don’t forget all the remarkable ways that moms are superhumans, some of the most elite athletes you’ll ever meet!
“Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.'”
Proverbs 31:28–29:
1 https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/06/health/pregnant-women-peak-endurance-trnd/index.html
2 https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2010/10/mommy-brain
3 https://tinyurl.com/yhk3es6y