I used to live in a compound where two wives got pregnant around the same time.
One had all the support in the world.
Family members were always around. Someone was always helping with something. After she gave birth, I remember her talking to herself
“I’m not entering that kitchen for the next three months.”
She was loved, and allowed to rest.
The other woman :
Her husband was rarely home. She wasn’t working, but whenever her family sent her money, he would take it. Sometimes she would ask my mum to pretend she was demanding repayment of a loan that never existed, just so her husband would return some of the money.
I remember that she always looked exhausted.
When it was time for her to deliver, she and the baby didn’t survive. They said her blood pressure had become very high.
Whenever I see people online comparing pregnant women and praising those who “maintained themselves” better, I reflect on two women.
Both carried babies.
Only one of them was carried too.