10 Mind-Blowing Facts About Mothers
When mother’s day fast approaching, you will see many people posting lovely quotes to express their love for their mothers. But why should we limit ourselves to a single day?
Mothers are fundamentally important in every child’s life, and their importance should not be overshadowed by a holiday that businesses cash in on as a corporate-driven occasion.
Let’s look at some mind-blowing facts about mothers.
The word “mother” might date back to the ice age or 15,000 years ago. According to a study conducted by a team of linguists to learn about the rates at which languages mutate over time, they found that the term “mother,” among others, was spoken in the same way with little change since the beginning of language.
The most prolonged pregnancy recorded lasted 375 days, almost 100 days more than usual. Talk about endurance!
Nearly 800 women die from pregnancy-related causes during childbirth and postpartum around the world every day.
It has been experimentally proven that skin-to-skin contact of premature babies with their mothers helps improve their health. This method's scientific logic is still unknown, but many hospitals use the skin-to-skin or kangaroo care method each day for a few hours to improve a premature baby’s health. Kangaroo care can help babies gain weight, fight infections, and improve overall health.
A mother’s sound has healing powers! The sound of a mother’s voice reduces a child’s stress hormone level, cortisol, and increases the production of oxytocin, a hormone that promotes love and bonding. Moreover, the fetal heart races faster when it hears its mother’s voice vs. a stranger’s voice.
When teenagers hit puberty, their new hormones lead to adolescent brain development. Similarly, scientists believe that during pregnancy, the hormones developed can lead to permanent changes in mothers.
Breast milk provides the ideal nutrition to infants, which cannot be matched by formula. It has a perfect mix of protein, fats, and nutrients that are essential for a baby’s growth and development. Breast milk also enhances a baby’s immune system. It has been researched that breastfed infants are more resistant to infections than infants who have not. Their digestive tract and respiratory systems are also in great shape.
Every female fetus, including your mother’s, has developed all eggs they ever will in their lifetime as a fetus themselves. Since one of these eggs developed into you, you started your life inside of your grandmother. Shocking, isn’t it?
An average mother will have changed over 7000 diapers in her life till her baby turns two! On average, mothers take 2 minutes and 5 seconds to change a diaper, equivalent to 40-hour work weeks each year.
According to a study, mothers and infants coordinate heart rhythms when the mother shows signs of affection, such as smiling. In this experiment, 3-month-old babies were brought into a lab and were approached by their mother, then father, and a stranger. It was recorded that the infants synchronized their heart rate to that of their mothers and father but not to strangers.
Mothers worldwide face different challenges; they are shamed for not prioritizing or spending time with their children, are regarded as the default parent, and are judged for complaining and choosing their career after becoming a mother. It is our duty to make the world a better and safer place for our mothers and give them the respect and honor they deserve for being so awesome. If anyone needs convincing, these 10 mind-blowing facts about mothers will do the trick.
