Can motherhood cause brain injury? Yes… indirectly.
An article in the Deseret News recounts the experience of mom Erin Stewart, whose preschooler gave her a concussion:
Motherhood is rough. I’m not talking about emotions here. I’m talking physically rough. I’m talking just-got-back-from-the-doctor-with-a-minor-concussion rough. Seriously. My preschooler gave me a concussion.
In what will forever be known in our family as the day mom officially became a wimp, my 4-year-old daughter slammed her head into the back of mine. She was fine; I screamed in pain. A week of headaches later, I went to the doctor (despite my husband’s mockery) and was told I likely have a concussion.
This article is humorously written, but also educational. Concussions don’t just happen to football or hockey players, skateboarders, or daredevils. Concussions also happen to moms… or grandpas… or anyone who has a brain. All it takes is a blow to the head, even if the blow is delivered by a little girl.
Where Erin was mistaken—and where the article fails—was when she waited a week to seek treatment for her constant headaches. (All the worse if she really delayed her visit to the doctor for fear of more mockery from her husband.)
A concussion is also known as mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). While the symptoms are often mild and temporary, some concussions are serious. Depending on the exact nature of the injury, the symptoms of concussion can last many long months. After multiple concussions, some people can develop permanent, debilitating neurologic symptoms that mimic Lou Gehrig’s disease.
So, read this article for the humor Ms. Stewart intends, but keep in mind it’s lesson, also: Concussions can happen to anyone, and often occur when we least expect it. And sometimes they are caused by cute little girls.