In the digital age of constant tracking and sharing, one woman’s decision to log her childbirth as a workout on the fitness app Strava has sparked global interest. A screenshot posted on X by user @paularambles revealed a Strava entry documenting five and a half hours of labor, during which she burned 914 calories with an average heart rate of 81 beats per minute. The post quickly went viral, garnering over eight thousand retweets and 5.7 million views.
A Workout Like No Other
The post ignited discussions across social media, with Strava itself chiming in with their trademark humor, “If it’s not on Strava, it never happened.” This reflects the app’s culture of meticulously logging every physical activity for tracking and validation.
Many found humor in the post, particularly noting the “kudos” — acknowledgments from other Strava users — the woman received for her labor. Yet, it also raised questions about the trend of quantifying all life events, even the profound experience of childbirth. Has the pervasive use of fitness trackers has made it necessary to measure the calorie burn of such intimate and monumental experiences?
The Physical Toll Of Childbirth
Quantifying childbirth as a workout may seem unconventional, but it also provides a relatable framework to understand the physical demands of labor. Medical research supports this comparison. A study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that the physical toll of childbirth is comparable to running a marathon. The injuries and recovery time associated with birth can even exceed those of runners, challenging the commonly accepted six-week recovery period.
Other research, such as that in Medical Hypotheses and Science Advances, suggests similarities in how the brain processes the pain and endurance of labor and intense exercise, underscoring the physical demands of childbirth.
Validating The Experience
In societies where women’s pain is often minimized, documenting the physical effort of childbirth provides validation. Fitness tracker data offers tangible evidence of the tremendous exertion involved, crucial in contexts where women’s health issues are marginalized.
The absence of paid maternity leave in the USA, one of only seven countries without it, highlights the broader undervaluation of childbirth’s physical and emotional labor. Using technology to recognize and validate these experiences becomes even more meaningful in such contexts.
A Call For Understanding And Recognition
In societies where women’s pain is often minimized, documenting the physical effort of childbirth provides validation. Fitness tracker data offers tangible evidence of the tremendous exertion involved, crucial in contexts where women’s health issues are marginalized.
The absence of paid maternity leave in the USA, one of seven countries without it, highlights the broader undervaluation of childbirth’s physical and emotional labor. Using technology to recognize and validate these experiences becomes even more meaningful in such contexts.
References:
The Feminine Urge to… Record Childbirth as a Workout on Strava?!
@paularambles on X
Why is running a marathon like giving birth?
Strava