http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/pregnancy-perks?page=1
Is it possible to be addicted to pregnancy? In 2007 alone more than 43 million babies were born, with more than ¼ of them being the mothers 3rd or 4th child. Could this number be so high because of the increased rates of infertility and in vitro fertilization increases the mother’s chances of having multiples?
Do women have children to fulfill their need for attention? Does it calm their feelings of insecurity or feeling s of abandonment? What kind of social, physical, and psychological rewards does having a baby give to the mother? Is it possible for men to addicted to pregnacy? While they cannot bear children, could then be addicted to the need for attention also that children give?
Should this be called an addiction or should it be categorized as a mental disorder? Why is it that some women can stop at one or two children with the reasoning that kids cost money, but others cannot?
I think the idea of being addicted to pregnancy is a lot more complicated than just a yes or no answer. Especially since being pregnant lasts for nine months and not just a few seconds or minutes comparing it to something like a nicotine rush or dopamine dependency. The extra attention that goes hand in hand with being pregnant seems like something that the soon to be mother could be craving in everyday life, and being pregnant just helps solve it.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that pregnancy is an addiction, but Drew brings up a really good point in saying that the mother may be craving attention in her everyday life and wants the attention she gets while she's pregnant. We lavish attention on women who are prgnant all the time. So many famous people are currently pregnant or have recently given birth. Quite a few of these well known figures have 3-4 children, too. I think it may subconsciously be an attempt to keep up with everyone else and not lose any of that attention.
ReplyDeleteI really don't think that someone can be addicted to pregnancy. As said before, the women are probably more interested in attracting attention to themselves. Being addicted to pregnancies could be one of the most expensive addictions because of the cost of having to support kids for 18+ years. Also, pregnancy is different from other addictions. There is no chemical from a drug, and I doubt many people can actually enjoy being pregnant, like they can enjoy other things people can be addicted to.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that pregnancy is an addiction. I do, however, think that the idea of pregnancy is a craving for women. The hormones of pregnancy are great because they make the women happier. The women get compliments and people lulling over her and her growing stomach. I do believe that some women love the feeling of pregnancy and would continue to put their body through the nine months of torment time and time again. Some women are addicted to the attention of others and of their children hence we get manchild syndrome by proxy and obsessed parents who smother their children.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that pregnancy is an actual addiction. I do think that they are addicted to the attention, the connection, and the feelings that come with it, though. I think that if the women felt closer to their families, then they wouldn't have to have the pregnancy to feel close to their newborn children. As a result, I think it is more of a coping mechanism than a real addiction. However, if that is the only way that the mothers can be happy and feel connected to someone, then it is still a problem.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that being addicted to pregnancy is false. The idea of having children will affect ones life and their financial situation; although this sounds like many other addictions, they have different end products. Many addictions create destruction, but a pregnancy is only creation. The idea of a pregnancy is addicting not the pregnancy itself because yes a pregnant woman may get more attention compared to many normal women. However, women have to suffer through mood swings and there are uncomfortable feelings associated with pregnancy and if someone needs to go through these things to feel a connection or need something to hide behind then there is a larger picture then just being addicted to being pregnant and having kids.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you compared addiction being something of destruction and pregnancy only being a creation. I would have to agree with you that pregnancy should not be seen as an addiction. In the article they relate "bumpaholics" to alcoholics. In both instances they are filling a psychological void for example loneliness, though this may be true I don't think that you can be addicted to being pregnant. Of course people love having attention and a baby is an easy way to get that attention but I think that if we consider pregnancy as an addiction we are just covering up a bigger issue. There are perks that come with being pregnant that someone might enjoy very much but I don't think that makes them addicted to being pregnant. They should do a study to see if people who have depression before their pregnancy still suffer from those depressive symptoms when they are pregnant.
Deletei am unsure whether pregnancy addiction is false but when you say that addiction creates destruction and pregnancy is a form of creation, i question your statements that support your argument. Pregnancy can definitely be a form of destruction because simply having thoughts to go through pregnancy even though your are unable to support the baby let alone yourself can cause havoc on one's life. It's true that pregnancy creates and isn't destructive to a "normal" person but to someone who is addicted to pregnancy, it can destroy someone's life.
DeleteAs most of the student I also don't think that pregnancy is an addiction.For the only reason because no one get pregnant just for the attention but because a baby is the most beautiful gift that god give to a couple and the love of a mother for a child is not addiction.I know that most of females want to have attention and in the time of the pregnancy they enjoy a little more attention but women never get pregnant only to get attention.Addiction is when a person can't control his or her actions and this has nothing to do with pregnancy addiction.
ReplyDeleteSo the debate mainly seems to be about whether it may be an addiction or not. I think I’ll try my hand at the middle provocative question. Well reading the article says that a lot of women do become impregnated almost for the same reasons they have sex or while drug addicts take drugs, for the chemical “good” feeling they get. That’s just my own personal view though, I tend to look at the physical/”what’s going on in the brain” part of things. It seems that women just have the natural ability to want or feel the need to rear a child. Which is perfectly natural! A baby gives many rewards to mothers and it’s stated in the article many ways in which it does. As a generation though we have become more intelligent though and know when to say enough is enough. I think men can crave attention and the need to take care of someone just the same but we try to find that in a relationship. Sorry girls… I believe you are to males as what the baby is to you. Having a baby is good, healthy and shows strength, just make sure you’re having it for the right reasons and are ready for it.
ReplyDeleteWhen looking at the mother on the show 19 and Counting, I personally think she has to be crazy. I don't know many people who would willingly have over 19 children. Maybe this is a case of an addiction to pregnancy. I don't think that women who only have 3-4 children could be considered "addicted". This is a pretty normal number of children. However, I think it could be possible with rare cases that women could be addicted to pregnancy, but what can be considered addiction? I think it is a possible addiction, but I don't know that it could actually be considered an addiction.
ReplyDeleteI also thought of the TLC show 19 kids and counting when I read this article. I do not think that in most normal situations women with three or four children can be said to have an addiction. But once again this brings up the question of what exactly is and addiction and what can be classified as a true addiction. I also do not believe that normal women get pregnant to receive more attention. When healthy women are getting pregnant it is to expand their family and to have someone else to share their love and attention with. But, when I see celebrities and families like 19 kids and counting, I do begin to wonder what is their real reason for having so many children.
DeleteI feel that the reason some women can stop after one or two kids for financial reasons while others continue to have kids could hinge upon the belief of whether or not parents should help pay for college. If a parent want to help their children financially through college then there is no way that they can continuously have kids without feeling guilty about it. Unless of course, the women is actually addicted to the pregnancy cycle. While the feeling of carrying an extra person around with you wherever you go and the mood swings that come along with it are not something one could become addicted to, the attention one receives as well as the hormones that are released during childbirth and breast-feeding could become a strong enough sensation that they can not resist doing it again. While the term 'pregnancy addiction' I find no way suiting to this condition, I can definitely find it possible for some women to have a psychological condition in which they need attention, and the way they have found to garner attention is by becoming pregnant.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really new, rare but interesting topic. Pregnancy is not something very enjoyable that people actually willing to do it again and again. Women can get sick during the pregnancy. People would not normally think of being addicted to pregnancy as it is really common to have 3 or 4 children, and it is very rare to have more than 10 children. But will it be called addiction for doing one thing only more than 10 times? If being pregnant is only to get attention or to meet other needs, then it won't be addiction to pregnancy, it is only a way to reach the goal, but not being addicted to pregnancy itself. Addiction should be something that people really want and cannot resist of. Being addicted to pregnancy should be getting pregnant again and again for nothing but just enjoying the feeling of being pregnant. It is so hard to define whether a person is addicted to pregnancy or not.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few different ways of looking at this topic. In one sense, someone could argue that multiple pregnancies stems from an addiction to sex. In another sense, one could say that married couples have preconceived notions regarding the number of children they want to have. Either way, I don't think that pregnancy is a form of addiction. The vast majority of those with over three children are married couples that have the financial resources to support a large family. If a couple was incapable of supporting their children, they would be turned over to Children Services. I would also have to disagree with the idea that pregnancy is a means of getting attention. Women are extremely self conscious during pregnancy because of the amount of weight that they gain. No woman wants to flaunt the excess weight that she gains during pregnancy. In addition, there are also health problems that can impact a woman during pregnancy as well. Overall, I think that the argument for pregnancy as an addiction is weak.
ReplyDeleteEverything has the possibility to become an addiction due to the fact that we all have addictive behavioral aspects in the chemistry of our brains. Also, there are many factors that contribute to addiction in any context. However, the thought of pregnancy being an addiction is a rare one because of it being such a natural process of our world. It would not be seen as a destructive behavior like drugs or sex addiction, unless the parent was having more and more kids without thinking about possible adverse effects, like financial ability to take care of those children. yet, I wonder what implications does this have on the nation or world, culturally or historically? It would seem that culturally and nationally that we are becoming a people who focus on the possibility of another addiction after another addiction. Does that mean we all are apart of a addictive society? Whereas we as a whole cannot understand moderation? I think it means that we as a whole cannot deal with the possibility of having less and liking it. Impoverished nations live like that on a daily basis, but America is always addicted to something. Maybe because there is always excess here, never scarcity of anything.
ReplyDeletePregnancy as an addiction is probably one of the weirdest things I have ever heard. I understand the chemical/hormonal aspects of pregnancy as well as the attention that new mommys get but is raising children one of the hardest things ever and something we do to sustain population? And I find it hard to comment on this because motherhood isn't something i have experienced but i think women have babies because they want them and it's something at least I have thought about since i was like 4 playing house. Obviously population is a ongoing problem in terms of sustainability but having more people on the earth can't be blamed on an addiction to pregnancy. This topic as a whole is just so strange to me.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe in an addiction to pregnancy. From what I have heard and experienced, no one enjoys the stages of pregnancy. The mood swings, sickness, weird eating, huge belly, etc. Now the thought of possibly thriving off of the attention of a child may be possible. The feeling of belonging and knowing that someone relies on you may be something parents want to feel. Mothers may see pregnancy as a way to satisfy this need. There are some weird fetishes out there, but i do not believe pregnancy is one of them. Parents may feel bored after their final child grows up and moves out of the house. They may then decide to have more kids because of the irreplaceable connection of a family. The idea of pregnancy being addictive is not far off. It is closely associated with the feeling of needing attention and children to call your own. This emotional and physical connection could be highly addictive, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like there is a clear standing on the question of whether or not pregnancy can become an addictive behavior. My question is whether or not the idea of pregnancy being addictive will influence the number of births mother have. That is to say that calling pregnancy as being addictive will be used as a tool for someone to step in just because they don't think the pregnancy should happen. Where does the line get drawn to ensure that women's rights aren't violated or abused.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that it is possible to be addicted to pregnancy. It is something that one person can not control and happens naturally. One may enjoy the attention they consume by their significant other to ignore their insecurities. The only other logical reason would be that the woman or couple just simply loves kids.
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