Joshua Bell schreef:
> Sonja van Baardwijk-Holten <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >
> >Any thoughts on this subject perhaps. Are we 'modern' women (;o) )going
> >back to business after delivery too quickly and if so does this reflect
> >in the number of women going into depression. Are there other post-natal
> >traditions perhaps.
>
> When this topic comes up in real life, my wife inevitably says something
> like::
>
> "In agrarian societies, pregnant women get back to work immediately.
> Basically, squat in the field and deliver, then bundle up the kid and resume
> working."
>
> Obviously, she's exagerating just a tiny bit. :)
> Her impression from limited amounts of research is that the trauma of
> childbirth (both in the days before, during the event, and the days after)
> is a cultural affectation, and "western women are wimps".
Physical recovery is rather hard on the female body. Especially if she needs to
feed the child as well. But I'm actually more interested in the state of mind
that can cause depression. After returning home I had the feeling that I could
rip out trees, but when I set to my tasks I actually found out that I'm
physically not really very capable of doing all I need to do. So this might
warrent the basis for feelings of depression especially if the cultural
background states that western women are wimps indeed. But is it culturally
determined or just something we do to ourselves. Like the idea that women have
to be slim and always good looking....
> That said, we don't have any kids yet, so feel free to rip her lack of
> personal experience apart. I'll mention a topic of interest is back on the
> list and see if she'll hop back on.
