Motherhood Marathon - ready for the walk?

You've most likely heard the expression: when a baby is born, a mother is born too .

It's as true as vinegar and oil don't mix, but in this case, it's the opposite. With birth, mother and baby merge, physically and emotionally , so that often the mother fades away, and only the baby exists.

The distinction between the role of mother and the role of woman is, most likely , one of the main challenges of motherhood that is not frequently (and publicly) addressed. There are those that everyone hears about in the early stages, such as lack of sleep, little or no rest, leisure time, or even work time. Although one is never truly prepared for the impact, especially when it's the first time, it's known beforehand that these are some of the main challenges.

However, in addition to physical and mental exhaustion, there is often a feeling of guilt that haunts the mother because she feels she may not be doing everything right, stress associated with the end of maternity leave, or even the potential inability to feed her baby as she feels she could and should be doing.

Every mother faces a challenge, which is sometimes common to other mothers, and other times is something very personal (and equally legitimate!), as Tânia Correia – author of the book Girl, Woman and Mother – portrays in this post .

The good news is that expectant mothers will have a unique opportunity to share their fears and experiences on October 31st and November 1st , at an event marking Pregnant Women's Day, celebrated on September 9th.

The 4th Maternity Marathon initiative is, once again, from BebéVida, which aims to encourage an increase in the birth rate in Portugal, which currently ranks 5th among European Union countries with the lowest birth rate.

This year's walk is virtual, and the event has extra significance as it's associated with Make a Wish . The €2 registration fee goes to this organization that grants wishes to children and young people aged 3 to 17 with serious, progressive, degenerative, or malignant diseases.

On the 31st, you can attend physical exercise classes and lectures by experts in Women's Health, Childcare, and other topics. If you are pregnant, you can also enter a raffle to win a gift basket worth €200 for you and your baby, as well as a discount on a 4D ultrasound. Register here and participate in this 4th Maternity Marathon.