5 ms·
Fair enough, in 1900 in the UK something like 1 in 5 births had either the mother or the child die.[0] [0] Partially remembered stats from somewhere. Possibly
by willyt 4y ago
Fair enough, in 1900 in the UK something like 1 in 5 births had either the mother or the child die.[0]
[0] Partially remembered stats from somewhere. Possibly history of medicine GCSE textbook read in 1990’s. Could be wrong. Someone else can Google it.
- EliRivers 4y agoAye. Human pregnancy is an absolute mess. Far and away the worst of the primates, which themselves are pretty bad amongst the mammals. It's like a war between mother and child, each pursuing a path that will kill the other, and if they make it through the nine months, there's that final stage where human biology really shows another major design flaw (so to speak - "design" is of course entirely the wrong word for this mess).
- kqr 4y agoI can't find the article now but I remember reading someone arguing it's not like a war, but an actual war. The child is designed to take advantage of every last concession the body of the mother can provide, and the mother in turn has developed defense mechanisms such as the uterus, which is a very hostile place for a fetus but protects the maternal body from the worst of it. Try to grow a fetus in any other body part and it will consume its host like the worst parasite. It's definitely an adversarial relationship.
- 0xfffafaCrash 4y agoRelated: https://aeon.co/essays/why-pregnancy-is-a-biological-war-between-mother-and-baby https://aeon.co/essays/why-pregnancy-is-a-biological-war-bet... https://theconversation.com/pregnancy-cooperative-paradise-or-conflict-driven-battle-between-mother-and-child-58564 https://theconversation.com/pregnancy-cooperative-paradise-o... https://radiolab.org/episodes/everybodys-got-one https://radiolab.org/episodes/everybodys-got-one I feel like I should add some kind of warning regarding the above content. It frames the situation in what I find to be somewhat unsettling terms.
- kqr 4y agoThe first link there is to the article I remember! Thanks.
- isthisthingon99 4y agoIn my experience from the outside, pregnancy makes women happier.
- kqr 4y agoI suspect you are victim to sampling error. Pregnancy is a very individual experience, with a broad range of reactions.
- isthisthingon99 4y agoThat's why I qualified it smarty pants.
- skinnymuch 4y agoAnd that’s why they qualified their statement. To give people immediate info to remember your experience may not be typical.
- isthisthingon99 4y agoHe somehow "knew" I was victim to sampling error. His reading comprehension is terrible.
- exolymph 4y ago"I suspect" doesn't mean "I am absolutely certain" so maybe your own reading comprehension is the issue?
- isthisthingon99 4y agoBut you see, I put "knew" in quotes. So looks like your reading comprehension isn't that great either.
- 4y ago
- irrational 4y agoAnd then they grow up and become teenagers and it gets really bad.
- jjtheblunt 4y agoIs that because hips mechanics on humans are optimized for femurs close for upright walking?
- lkrubner 4y agoIn her book (and later a television show) "Call The Midwife", the author Jennifer Worth recalls that while she was in school she picked up a medical book from the 1890s and she read this sentence: "Should labor continue for more than 10 days, the services of a doctor should be asked for."
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]