Page 22 - Dainfern Precinct Living Issue 4 May 2023

Food for Thought

PREPARED

BY PETER STOFFBERG

can start out rather subtly. Unusual cravings surface
in the midst of a noticeable shift in thinking and
attitude. Areas of the home are redecorated,
I furnished or even entirely reconstructed. Before
e
r
long, you begin to wonder who she is, she’s completely
different. If you’ve had these thoughts (and were
nervous about voicing them) then perhaps you’ve
witnessed the wonderful metamorphosis of pregnancy.
This month offers an opportunity to appreciate,
celebrate or remember our mothers, and so you
may be interested in recent research which seems to
confirm some long-held suspicions. Brain scans done
by neuroscientists in Spain indicate that mothers’
brains are physically rewired during pregnancy. There’s
no sign of cognitive impairment, but there is a definite
change in the physical amount of grey matter in areas
of the brain associated with empathy, nurturing and
teaching. These same areas activate when mothers
are shown pictures of their own babies (as opposed to
pictures of others).

This explains a lot. It probably doesn’t explain an
insatiable desire to chew on sand or chalk (known as
pica cravings) or the powerful aversion to certain smells
or foods that commonly affect pregnant women, but
it could explain many mothers’ amazing intuition and
dedication. The pregnant brain seems reconfigured to
better anticipate the needs of a human infant and then
focused on meeting those needs.

Many expectant moms are anxious about ON SITE SUNDAY SERVICES @ 9h30
whether they will be able to nurture and care for www.familychurch.online
the tiny helpless beings that they’ve been given DAINFERN COLLEGE AUDITORIUM
the privilege of carrying. It’s been said that nothing can
prepare us for the birth of a child, so great is the
adjustment required, but perhaps that’s not exactly
true. This new research is proving that God has However, we are also facing many challenges as a
designed women so that they will be prepared when nation. There are good reasons to fear for the future
the time comes. It’s not just a theory either, how else of South Africa. Constant revelations of ubiquitous
do you explain a young mother’s sudden ability corruption, widespread violence and the spate of
(without any previous experience) to understand power outages are all deeply distressing.
her child’s needs and then to meet them?
In these circumstances, it’s good to reflect on a God
In this month of May, we celebrated Mother’s Day. whose extraordinary designs constantly remind us
that we’re not alone. He is the One who prepares us
and who has the power to equip us to deal with all the
demands of this life. This is the assurance that God
gave the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9 as he fretted
over his trials. God reminded Him, “My grace will be
sufficient for you”. Whatever happens this month,
that’s a precious promise we can count on.

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