Your mom is magic. Whether she birthed you or not, your mom is made up of all the things that make the world worth living in. You don’t need a reason to celebrate your mom other than the fact that she’s the ultimate caregiver. However, for Mother’s Day we want to highlight five special reasons mom might deserve some extra love and care.
So let’s talk about why moms are actually magical. Here are the facts:
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You’re closer to your grandma than you think. A female fetus develops all of the eggs she will carry in her ovaries while in utero. Eventually, these eggs can be fertilized, resulting in a baby. This means that at one point you were an egg, growing inside your mother’s ovaries, while she was a fetus growing in your grandmother’s uterus. So, while your grandmother was carrying your mother in her womb, she was also, by extension, carrying you.
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A woman’s brain changes so much during pregnancy and after giving birth that an algorithm can differentiate the brain scans of a woman who has just given birth and one that has never been pregnant. Once a woman gives birth, or once an adult becomes a primary caregiver, the amygdala expands (and never shrinks again! ), which researchers believe makes moms hyper-sensitive to her children’s needs. This is also what kickstarts the maternal instinct
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Moms are chimeras. Once a woman becomes pregnant, whether the pregnancy ends with a full-term baby or not, her DNA is forever altered. Each pregnancy leaves a mark; from heart cells to brain cells, there is the DNA of their child embedded within them. These cells are thought to help fight certain cancers and auto-immune disorders, like rheumatoid arthritis. Studies have also shown that these cells will flock to the site of an injury, and have been known to get a heart beating again. So not actually chimeras, but the phenomenon is called fetal microchimerism.
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Need to calm down? Call mom. Studies show that speaking to your mom - even if it’s just over the phone - releases oxytocin which helps reduce stress. The results of the study suggest that speaking to your mom has the same effect as receiving a hug from her. This is thought to originate in those early days, where holding baby close, skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding help promote the bond between mother and child. (Also, your mom would love to hear from you, so call her even if you’re not stressed!)
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Despite being paid 0.89$ for every one dollar their male counterparts make, working moms show up at their jobs and work as hard as everyone else there. This is despite the fact that they may have been up all night caring for a sick child. Then mom returns home to do her other job, being a mom. A 2017 study found that motherhood is the equivalent of working 2.5 jobs - and please note that motherhood is unpaid. So mom may have woken up way too early, or slept too little, rushed around all morning to make sure everything from child to house was in order for the day ahead, and yet she shows up to work and does what she has to do, again, to make sure everyone else is cared for (and also maybe for her mental health) and then she returns home and continues working. It’s a labor of love, yes, but it’s still labor.
Moms and mom-figures - this is our ode to you. You are magic, every day, not just on Mother’s Day. Thank you for adding magic to the lives of everyone around you.