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In his recent ESPN documentary, D. Wade: Life Unexpected, retired basketball star Dwyane Wade opened up his wife Gabrielle Union and their emotional fertility journey. The couple, who had suffered multiple miscarriages before welcoming their 1-year-old daughter Kaavia James Wade via surrogate, sought out many different types of fertility treatments in hopes of carrying a pregnancy to term. At one point, Wade was concerned that he might lose his wife due to the riskiness of some of the procedures.
“I’m watching my wife go through a lot physically,” he recalled. “You’re sitting in with the doctors and they’re like, ‘You can do this and that but the risk of you surviving.’ It became a point where I was like, ‘Oh wait, now I might lose you in this process?’”
Union, like many women in this country, went to great lengths to bring life into the world. When the sacrifices of motherhood are discussed, people often think about life after the baby is born. However, the reality is that the selflessness exuded by mothers begins long before the delivery room. In some cases, they even begin before conception. Here are 10 risks women take and sacrifices they make to birth children.
Depression
More than 3 million women are diagnosed with postpartum depression annually. Postpartum depression is defined by the Mayo Clinic as a “severe and long-lasting form of depression triggered by childbirth. Symptoms include but are not limited to feelings of hopelessness, anxiety and panic attacks, difficulty thinking clearly or making decisions, recurring thoughts of suicide, trouble bonding with your baby, and increased irritability and agitation. Additionally, there are some women who suffer a more severe and extreme mood disorder called postpartum psychosis.
