“Maybe just one more.”
“I know when to say ‘when.’”
“Remind me of how sick I feel right now the next time I want to do this.”
Those may very well be the words of an alcoholic. Or a drug addict. Or a pregnant woman.
Psychologists now say that being pregnant can be addictive. Like those with substance abuse problems, some women may repeatedly get pregnant against all common sense, physical and financial obstacles and even against their partner’s objections, merely because they are looking to fill a void in their lives.
It makes perfect sense. As a pregnant mother, you are suddenly the center of attention at social gatherings. Strangers give up their seats, tell you you are glowing, and for better or worse, rub your belly. If your career is at a crossroads, your decision may suddenly be made for you. If you are lucky, you have a partner or family member willing to feed your roast beef sandwich with cheddar and sour cream potato chips cravings. Diet schmiet. Pregnancy may even solve an identity crisis: you may not “know who you are,” but at least you know you are a mother.
There are biological reasons why some women may “crave” being pregnant, as well. Certain hormones, like oxytocin and dopamine, are released during sex AND during pregnancy. These feel good hormones give pregnant women a physical rush in addition to the emotional boost from the attention from others and the bonding they feel with their baby.
While not every mother gets pregnant to get a “fix,” you may be thinking of a certain mother amidst this conversation: Octomom, anyone? Nadya Sulmean admits that perhaps she didn’t have all of her children for the right reasons, saying “I just longed for certain attachments with another person that I really lacked.”
Though I can sit back and point fingers, I’m not immune. I decidedly have hung up my Boppy and passed on my Diaper Genie, but there’s something about watching all my friends experience the joys of pregnancy that makes me entertain the thought of having another baby. Then my two-year-old randomly wakes up in the middle of the night for the first time in months, and I’m reminded of the hardships of new motherhood as well.
I know when to say “when.”
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