Exterogestation: The Newborn Needs To Grow Close To You
Nine months in the womb and nine months on his mother’s skin. That is what exterogestation tells us, there where nothing ends with quarantine or maternity leave, because extrauterine life has only just begun and its two protagonists need much more time in privacy.
It is curious how despite all our advances in all kinds of subjects and disciplines, the issue of motherhood and parenting continues to elude us. Obviously, both mom and dad are very knowledgeable about the real needs that arise, but not the society itself that marks parental sick leave in a few weeks, when biology does not say that 9 more months are needed.
It is a new “extrauterine” pregnancy is very well handled by many cultures that have integrated “carrying” into their daily chores as something normal. We, on the other hand, reinterpret the needs of newborns based on our own obligations or conventions that our modernity marks us. Namely, it will always be better to carry the baby in a car rather than carry it around “because they spoil themselves.”
Asking us for a 9-month leave of absence or leave is unthinkable. How could we think of it? The normal thing, what almost all moms do out of obligation and because there is no other option, is to leave the baby in a nursery or with the family and give thanks for those 16 weeks of leave where suddenly, we remove our children from our skin , from our heat, from that breastfeeding on demand or from that breast that sometimes serves more to relax than to feed.
We know, it is not easy to raise children in this modern era governed by rules that are not in harmony with the times and needs of a baby. Therefore, we suggest you share this information so that it has an impact, so that we are all aware that although the pregnancy lasts 9 months, it takes 9 more to promote full development in the newborn.
Exterogestation: pregnancy that continues outside the uterus
Birth is a moment of great beauty and a great emotional impact for a family, for parents. However, something that is sometimes not taken into account is that it is also somewhat traumatic . Childbirth hurts, the puerperium hurts, everything is complicated, the baby is demanding, sleeps little and the body takes a long time to recover.
In fact, it usually takes 8-12 months to recover. For its part, the baby also experiences that moment in which it passes from the womb to the outside as something dramatic. There is no longer calm, he feels helpless, scared, instantly hungry, and desperate when he is left in his crib alone, with no one around him.
Mom and son need time to recover and time to establish the best bond: love.
A question of stages, an evolutionary question
There is one fact that we must remember. Throughout our evolution as a species, pregnancy has had to be reduced in terms of the number of weeks. The fact that our brain was getting bigger and the woman’s pelvis narrower when walking upright, has caused babies to be born completely helpless and prematurely.
- Gorillas, for example, are born two weeks after 9 months. Something like this means that the young come into the world much more mature than a human baby.
- All of this means something important: in view of the fact that the baby cannot develop in the womb, it needs to continue to develop abroad but maintain constant closeness with the mother.
- Carrying or skin-to-skin breeding is an example of this.
- Everything is a matter of stages. Childhood has a certain time and adolescence another. Why don’t we take into account that from birth to 9 months there is another vital one called exterogetation?
The baby’s brain matures on the outside. It needs to have you close!
Exterogestation ends around 9 months, when a baby begins to crawl. It is the moment when he begins to open up to the world, to interact with greater intensity, to want to touch everything, to speak …
- Before this new stage, it is necessary to lay a foundation, a neurological foundation where caresses, skin-to-skin contact are basic.
- Besides that, Feeling safe at all times and allowing that still immature brain to not suffer fear or stress at any moment, strengthens a safe, strong and optimal neuronal connectivity.
Let us therefore be aware of the importance of taking advantage of that second pregnancy that occurs outside our uterus. In fact, childbirth is nothing more than a biological necessity, where the body tells us that we cannot continue with the pregnancy and that it is necessary to continue it abroad.
Let’s hear it. Let’s respect those 9 months where both mother and baby still need to be very close.
