Pregnancy is Good For You
By Contributing Writer, Kelly Crawford
Growing a person is hard. As I sit here at the age of 40, hobbling down the home stretch with baby number 10, I can testify.
But hard work isn’t the same as a sickness, like many treat pregnancy. In fact, I’ve often heard “too old to have a baby,” which is an oxymoron since a woman who is too old to have a baby will not become pregnant (naturally).
So in these final weeks as I muster up the stamina to push through this work, grunting each time I turn over in bed, waddling to the bathroom every fifteen minutes, I thought it timely to discuss the health benefits of pregnancy—the miraculous, awe-inspiring details God orchestrated that actually makes pregnancy good for you.
- Pregnancy, especially multiple pregnancies, can reduce and even eliminate menstrual cramps once your cycle resumes. (True story for me.) {Editor’s Note: true for me too.)
- A woman’s risk of ovarian and breast cancer are reduced with each pregnancy (the fewer times she ovulates, the better) as well as with each baby she breastfeeds.
- Fetal cells from each child may spur healing. “…the baby’s fetal stem cells migrate to the mother’s injured sites and offer themselves as a healing remedy, becoming part of the mother’s very body.” (Source)
- Having a baby cuts your risk of developing Multiple Sclerosis in half, according to a study done in Australia.
- Emerging research suggests that the reproductive hormones may ready a woman’s brain for the demands of motherhood — helping her becomes less rattled by stress and more attuned to her baby’s needs.
- Certain hormones, highly increased during pregnancy, have been thought to fight the process of aging.
- A study in Australia showed that the more children a woman has, the longer she is likely to live. (Source)
How fitting that our perfect Creator saw fit to demonstrate “my life for yours” during pregnancy. As a mother gives life to her little one, He gives life back to her.
Tags: health, motherhood, pregnancy
Thank you for this post. It is just the encouragement I needed today! I am pregnant with baby #6, 34 years old and am struggling with the feeling that “I can’t do this again” especially when a lot of my friends and family disagree with our choice to trust God with the number of children we have. A good reminder to me of the blessings of children, the joy of trusting the Lord and the hope of raising worshipers of Jesus Christ. Thanks!
Janelle,
I’ve often tried to think of motherhood as the mission field it is. When I think of other better-recognized mission fields like the foreign field, I remember all the hardship those missionaries are willing, gladly, to go through and somehow it makes my suffering a little more bearable
Janelle,
I just thought I’d let you know you are not alone!
I will be 34 tomorrow and am 37 weeks pregnant with baby #6… We also have the friends & family who just can’t fathom that we might have more (we also trust our choice to God with the number of children we have)… Because we will need a new vehicle or a larger house or because I am getting older or whatever the reason may be, they just don’t understand how we can just see what happens… I don’t understand how we could not!
We have been reading a book on Mary Slessor this week. She was a missionary to Africa from 1880 to 1914. This woman went through many trials and hardships to instill the value of life in Nigeria. She saved twins meant for death because they were believed to be a curse by the natives. She walked miles for hours in the dark jungle to bring food, medicine and the gospel to needy people. Today as I was reading another chapter to my children, I thought that we are living in similar times. We no longer value life. Abortion and contraception is so prevalent and rampant. Now our killings are done in civilized way. Even before we kill our children physically, we kill them spiritually when we deny them the joy of life when we reject them before they are even conceived. I have been praying asking God to change my heart. While I would love to have more children, people around me think differently. Sadly, sometimes I let myself be influenced by them. I am so dissuaded by the circumstances. Reject to see things the way God sees them. Oh, Lord, change me! Change our hearts to be willing to love another life.
Kelly, I pray the very best for you and your family. Pregnant women are one of the most beautiful sights to me! Be blessed!
Kelly, as a fellow MOM of MANY, (eight here on earth, two in heaven) , I just wanted to say thanks for the words of encouragement for younger moms who want to be done after the second kiddo arrives. I also believe motherhood is a calling and a gift. For those of us with many gifts, we also have a greater need for God’s enabling grace. Running to the Lord for my need just gives me opportunity to know Him more intimately ~ another “blessing” that comes along with many pregnancies ! God bless, Holly
Holly,
Thank you! It ‘s so true that a huge part of the gift is our dependence on His grace. Thanks for that reminder. “He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater….”
By the way, Holly, I *love* your video…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHonDQgALN8 as so much of it resonated with me. Your testimony is precious.
Kelly,
This post was so timely for me as I am eight weeks away from delivering our sixth baby and in a great deal of pain. Pregnancy is very painful for me. It seems like by the time I get through the sick feeling in the first trimester I transition to increasing pain for the the remainder of the pregnancy. By the end I can barely walk and cry a lot. Your post reminded me that the blessing to come far exceeds the trial of physical pain I am currently enduring. Thank you for sharing honestly from your own pain and encouraging me to focus on the privilege and the blessing the Lord has granted. I also love your perspective on the mission field of motherhood. A mission field is not a place of comfort but of pouring out one’s life for the sake of the Gospel. Many blessings to you as you near the time of birthing your tenth baby. I look forward to seeing the good news up on your blog.
Homestretch of number 8 for me! I’m cheering you all the way!
You should do a similar post about breastfeeding!
Today I have been breastfeeding for 11 years, 11 months and 11 days. (So, of course, I blogged about it! But not about the health benefits.)
Love ya, Kelly!!!
YAY!!!! I did think about doing a breastfeeding one too…it’s amazing how much our health correlates with the natural act of feeding our babies! I’ll head over to read your post. (Don’t you remember my desperate phone call to you, a woman I’ve still not met in person, across the US, to beg you to help me go into labor
LOL!)
I do remember!!!
I hope we do get to meet in person one of these days! In fact, we are planning a road trip across country this Fall. I keep asking Gana, “Are you SURE we’re not going through the Southern states???” LOL!
Daja at The Provision Room recently posted…Preparing For Breastfeeding
I’m just wondering if anyone’s had a baby in her later 40′s?
I had one last year at age 45 1/2.
Wemmick Girl recently posted…Notes From My Journal: Miscarriage
I too am 40, just turned it in fact…..I am 10 weeks pregnant with my 6th. At first, I thought, oh my I am too old for this and my husband said something so profound, why would you deny God the chance to bring another beautiful creation into this world for us to raise for Him with the opportunity for he/she to do great and wonderful things to further the Kingdom……..my attitude quickly turned around……..and we are so blessed!