Couvade Syndrome - Say what??!!??

Day 103

For the past few days I wasn't feeling quite fit. Felt as if there was some food stuck in my gullet continously. Went to the doc, and he gave me some tablets for acidity and reflux. Felt better, and also realised that as long as I was occupied, I would be ok and fit. I am, what one would call a hypochondriac. I worry too much about my health.Every little thing worries me. And my wife makes fun of me. Rightly so :)

So, I was a bit nauseous, and felt weird all day. For many days. And that was that. I thought maybe if I paid no attention to it, it would go away.

But, like a dedicarted worry wart, i did some more research. And then my Eureka moment happened. By chance, i just chanced to search for "symptoms similar to pregnant wife". Dont ask me why, I just did. and lo and behold, Lord of Search Google threw the first result that sounded a bit French, and a bit haute couture.

Couvade Syndrome.

Wikipedia says :- Couvade (Koo-wah-de) syndrome, or sympathetic pregnancy, is a condition in which an individual close to an expectant mother, commonly her partner, experiences some of the same symptoms and behavior as the mother near the time of labor. These can include labor pains, postpartum depression, food cravings and restrictions, and sexual taboos. The labor pain symptom is commonly known as sympathy pain.


So this got me researching more on this, and I what I discovered astounded me. A lot of expectant fathers experience the same thing, the world over.

The typical symptoms of Couvade start at the end of the first tri-mester and may continue till the delivery (Oh God!).  The classic symptoms include, but are not limited to:
 - Gaining weight along with your partner
 - Feeling queasy at times during the day
 - Vomiting
 - Indigestion
 - stomach cramps....

God has made us humans in an amazing way. It is simply mind boggling how many emotions we through one lifetime. And now, this sympathetic pains. Man, I tell you, it is not easy being sympathetically pregnant.

Wikipedia also says"The term "couvade" is borrowed from French (where it is derived from the verb couver "to brood, hatch")".

Amazing isn't it?