Motherhood: Expectations and Reality - Research Paper Example

When my Aunt, Elizabeth was a young woman, a wife for five months, all she could dream of is becoming a mother of three lovely kids. Due to anxiety, she could sit to watch baby stories on TLC, and always cry when the baby is born, a feeling of joy felt by a new mother. She thought every part of motherhood had to be the most amazing feeling. Such was the feeling that she decided to hasten the decision to become pregnant contrary to the agreement with her husband that they would only become parents once they achieve the status they can comfortably take care of a baby. According to her plans, she thought she would labor for a while, and then have a perfect delivery and start breastfeeding expecting to start bonding with the baby instantly. As a first-time pregnant mom, it was natural that she would always think of how fun it will be. She is just one woman among the many who undergo such expectations before becoming pregnant after all.

It was not long after that she found out it was not all glitters as she had dreamt it would be. Like other women, she experienced varied emotions coupled with life-changing moments that she would be forgiven for dismissing the idea of having a second baby shortly. An occasional drinker in her youthful years, she stopped her habit, stopped eating her favorite cheese and meat products. Instead, she had to drink milk and other foods as advised by those magazines that she read. She even began keeping track of the amounts of fruits and vegetables that she had because she was obsessed with being the perfect pregnant woman. Now not interested anymore in working and having resigned all she would do was master the TV programs that would help further her know-how on motherhood. All these adjustments to her were a small sacrifice to make; the baby was that entire she cared for. In the first months of pregnancy frequent vomiting, fatigue, and nausea was the order of the day, especially in the third month. She was quickly gaining weight even though she ate normally, while back pains were very common too.

It is usual for any relationship to be rocky during pregnancy and it’s how the couple handles it matters. A couple may find it worrying especially when the talk in the house is all about the baby even when they are not parents yet. Most of them become afraid that their relationship will be hurt and they are even confused about how they would keep their romance alive and strengthen their relationship during and after pregnancy. Margret, my next-door neighbor, is now a mother of a two-year-old girl. She found out that the mood in the house got worse by the day as there were frequent arguments and the majority of this over nothing with the husband during her pregnancy. She often felt disinterested in her husband though she did love him still, she cared about the baby more as well as thinking that the husband will not love her anymore due to her disfigured body. At work as a secretary, she was lucky that her boss was herself a mother of three otherwise she would face the sack for the obvious reasons.

Margret buoyed by the fact that she kept a healthy lifestyle, labor and birthing were nothing closer to what she was expecting. She never thought of having a C-section as her pregnancy was healthy as well as not showing any signs of complications. It was very shocking and upsetting when she had to after complications arose. Suddenly her day which was meant to be perfect became wrought with chaos, anxiety, and even worse fear for her life and baby. Margret confessed she had a perfect birth plan and had tried to do everything in orchestrating the big day and even had it written down. The daughter was beautiful as well as very healthy. However, she took a long period to recover as well as the process being painful. Elizabeth’s case was more similar though she allowed for flexibility and tried to be open-minded. She didn’t care what happened during labor as long as the baby was okay. She wished to go as drug-free as possible, but in the end, she had to take the pain-relieving medication to help her relax enough.

It is therefore natural for every woman to dream to have a perfect relationship with her spouse, have a perfect pregnancy and birthing process. In the early stages of the pregnancy, there may be the feeling of romance in the air with the spouse with the renewed relationship which may also subside depending on the counter-reaction from both spouses. Managing such experiences is all-important and requires a couple who are determined to make it through. It is also of great importance that any woman should have a birth plan she wants to have. However, the surest approach to having a birth that she wants is simply to be open-minded. Making a birth plan will provide the woman with information about labor and ensure that both she and the caretaker are on the same page when the big occasion comes. Read More