One of my favourite people, Gillian Parkinson of Le'Essience, has recently purchased herself a super cool new toy.....
OK it's a massage table, you say. What's so great about that? But wait.... there's more!
This isn't just any old massage table, it's a custom made table for those of us who need a good old rub the most - expectant mothers! Hooray! That big round cut-out you see on the table is made especially for that ever expanding baby bump so pregnant ladies can now too experience the relaxation of a full body and back massage like all us flat-bellied folk.
Particularly in my last trimester when I was all pinched nerves and pulled muscles, Gillian's massages came as a welcome relief. Yet as good as the shoulder and back rubs were, it's always a little hard to get super comfy and relaxed when you're straddling a chair with your belly propped on a cushion and your chin resting on the back of the seat.
Needless to say, when I heard about this super special mechanism I knew I had to share it with the baby wielding mamas out there. And not only this, once mine and Baby Daddy's number two is in the oven (but don't hold your breath) I'll be face down on that table faster than you can say "Painkillers, please!"
.... (and it sure makes the morning sickness, fatigue, sciatica and waddling worth it!)
1. You can get away with eating "for two"
2. Your partner is obliged to give foot and shoulder rubs upon request
3. When baby kicks, punches or rolls it makes you giggle
4. For nine months, there's two sets of lungs and two beating hearts inside you
5. You've got a little buddy that you can chat with (best you leave that for alone time though)
6. Everyone showers you in attention
7. Each ultrasound is gratifying, exciting and beautiful
8. You can enjoy getting a bit fat
9. You can buy loads of cute baby clothes and justify it with the fact that they're not for you
10. You get to take more time off work
11. Soon you won't have to work at all
12. Your hair and skin is Vogue-worthy
13. You can eat cheeseburgers at 3am (after partner has graciously slunk through McDonald's drive-thru)
14. There's a huge sense of pride in knowing that you're growing a healthy baby
15. Becoming a mother is by far, the biggest and most amazing achievement of your life
Yes, there is such a thing as the "sympathetic pregnancy". It even has a name - Couvade Syndrome and, in short, it's when your Baby Daddy or partner begins to mirror your symptoms (minus the fast growing bundle of joy in your belly).
If Couvade Syndrome was a factor in mine and Baby Daddy Nick's relationship, it only presented itself in the form of his expanding belly, which seemed to be growing as fast as mine. Although, that simply could have been due to my sickening cravings for cheeseburgers and ice cream and his unfathomable support in "eating what I eat" (and finishing off what I couldn't manage). It probably also had a little to do with him now drinking his beer and mine.
But isn't it interesting? The term Couvade Syndrome (stemming from the French verb couver, meaning to "brood") originated from ancient rituals carried out by fathers during the mother's labour and birth of their children such as avoiding certain foods, knives or other sharp objects and climbing into bed in a specially built hut to imitate the pains of childbirth. Fathers of an ancient tribe in Mexico even had to sit in the rafters above their wives during labour with a cord tied around their testicles - with every contraction the wife would pull on the cord. Let's all be thankful that some customs are left in the olden days where they belong.
These rituals were carried out to strengthen the bond between father and child, cope with the anxiety of watching the mother in labour and also allow the father to easier guide the child into the world by strengthening his connection with supernatural beings. These rituals no longer take place in the modern world, but the syndrome has carried through into our times with a new meaning.
Rupert Taylor writes that Couvade Syndrome is actually quite common and 'symptoms' can range from swollen stomachs and food cravings (I'm positive these two are interrelated) to cramps, fatigue, mood swings and even morning sickness.
The syndrome isn't medically proven, but there's no doubt that it does exist. Dr Arthur Brennan of St. George's University (who Taylor cites in his article) believes it may be linked to changes in hormones - perhaps an unconscious psychological longing to journey through pregnancy along with their Baby Mamas? - and says ".... these symptoms are involuntary. Often men haven't got a clue about what's happening to them."
And who said men weren't complex creatures? They suffer the ups and downs of the baby bump too. The sympathetic pregnancy.... what's next? Sympathy PMS? I hope not, there's only room for one pre-menstrual ogre to rear it's ugly head in our household.
Question for the masses: Did your Baby Daddy/partner suffer from Couvade Syndrome? Did their belly expand, their moods jump off the richter scale and their cravings turn from chips and beer to gherkins and ice cream? Let me know!
