Pregnant Women and Mental Capacity (was: Re: Is pasteurized milk really bad?)

[Guest guest]

My sentiments exactly, Ramit--thank you! Sounds like a misogynistic old wives

(or husbands) tale to me that isn't too far from the " women shouldn't be

president because they menstruate " argument.

>The analytical mind shuts down, along

>with short-term memory, for many women after childbirth, continuing for a few

>years often.....allows us to 'meet our kids' on their own level I guess

>(trying to see the positive). So anytime a statement is made that regards

>diet for pregnant women, babies or young children, there has to be a re-cap

>to bring it into perspective for this special audience.

WHAT?!?!? Where is this coming from? I have never met a

pregnant/post-delivery mother whose analytical abilities were reduced, nor

have I seen any research saying anything of the sort. I resent a comment

that implies that they have " special " needs and reduced mental

capacity. Not to mention that you don't need to meet kids on their level,

but bring them up to yours. Permanent baby speak is a great way to raise a

very stupid child!

Ramit

[Guest guest]

I think maybe you guys are taking one off-hand comment a little too

seriously. I don't think Hillary meant to be taken so literally.

[Guest guest]

Then what did she mean? I'd love to hear from herself!

----- Original Message -----

From: justinbond

Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2002 11:41 AM

Subject: Pregnant Women and Mental Capacity (was: Re: Is

pasteurized milk really bad?)

I think maybe you guys are taking one off-hand comment a little too

seriously. I don't think Hillary meant to be taken so literally.

[Guest guest]

justinbond schrieb:

> I think maybe you guys are taking one off-hand comment a little too

> seriously. I don't think Hillary meant to be taken so literally.

Well, thanks . I believe I do mean it literally though. I've read

plenty of childbirth literature that discusses this and similar phenomenon

concerned with the postpartum. I don't have direct quotes though... Things

such as Dr. Katharine Dalton who has focuses on postpartum depression, and

says that with the extreme hormonal changes of pregnancy and childbirth, it's

a miracle that women get through it without depression (concentration loss

and fatigue may be mild symptoms).

One famous researcher (Winnecott) talked about the mild hypothyroidism that

is endemic in the postpartum. He wondered if the fatigue and mind-fog was

nature's way to ensure that women wouldn't run away from their baby and

responsibilities--motherhood can be frightening.

Indeed, lethargy is highly common to mothers, also among other animals... it

allows mothers to just lie around and allow their young to suckle. If we

didn't feel somewhat reduced, how would we manage to sit still or lie all

those hours?

I'm pretty sure it was Sheila Kitzinger who wrote that if another person were

to experience the intense and extreme focus on one object (as mothers focus

on their babies) it would be called psychosis.

There's a lot of brain chemistry going on here to promote this focus,

lethargy, nesting-instinct... and Michel Odent named oxytocin, the hormone of

pregnancy and breastfeeding, the " hormone of love and self-forgetfullness " ,

which includes forgetfulness in general. Try thinking analytically after an

orgasm. That's oxytocin, too.

Ah -- for one's short-term memory!!!!! Forgetting names, places.... being

unable to finish a sentence...... it's all part of it.

I recall inquiring at a Compleat Mother about writing an article for them,

and being told that the attention span of a new mother is one to two

paragraphs.

This is why I think that any literature geared to mothers of small children

as an audience should repeat important information -- though the rest of us

will find it quite boring!

However -- it's thought that mothers in Japan have so little pp-depression

due to their high levels of omega-3 intake. Clearly, diet does have a

buffering effect, and may help to prevent the worst symptoms. I certainly

hope so!

J.

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