- Overview
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A pregnant science journalist delves into the changes and side effects that happen to pregnant women—something no one except pregnant women has paid attention to.
- Book Intro
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(English) Curious about My Body, not the Baby
Unexpected changes during pregnancy
Want to know the real reasons, and not the truism "it's because you are pregnant"?
Curious about My Body, not the Baby is a science essay that focuses on pregnant women—their physical changes and side effects—instead of the fetus. The doctor says everything is 'normal,' but why is this so painful? What studies have scientists conducted on pregnancy? Are the stories passed about online scientifically accurate? This book is a record of the author's struggles to answer the questions as a former science journalist. She divides the symptoms and issues she faced during pregnancy into 24 categories.
Breasts are sore, and morning sickness hits you like the worst hangover ever. The tailbone hurts, and stretch marks appear right at the center of your belly like a seam of a stuffed doll. Even the smallest moves make you pant. In the early stages, you want to sleep regardless of time or location but in the third trimester, you can't fall asleep easily. As time goes by, new symptoms arise. You describe the pain to the doctor, and all you get is the answer: "it happens." No further explanation. Pain that you must endure without understanding the reasons causes anxiety that is as serious as the physical pain itself. The author talks about her own experience in a pleasant tone, offering scientific evidence necessary to understand "pregnancy."
The book carries a variety of stories that give clear-cut answers and information to those who were or are pregnant. If you are getting ready to have a baby, it can be a guide that tells you what to expect in the future. Pregnant women hope that people close to them understand their difficulties and issues. This book is a must to know what pregnant women are faced with, and to speak out properly as a member of the community when pregnancy-related policies and institutions are discussed.
(Japanese) 赤ちゃんではなく、私の体が知りたくて
胎児ではなく、妊産婦の体の変化と妊娠副作用について話す科学エッセイだ。病院で‘正常’という私の体はどうしてこんなに痛いのか。科学者たちは女性の妊娠と関連してどんな研究をしたのか、コミュニティで流れる話は科学的事実なのか、科学記者で働いた著者が自分の体と関連してできた気がかりの答えを探すため孤軍奮闘した記録だ。
- About the Author
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Woo Ah-Young
(Japanese) 科学記者。東亜サイエンスで5年間科学専門誌《科学東亜》を作り、1年間ユチューブチャンネル<科学を読んでくれるお姉さん>を運営しながら読者と購読者に会った。高麗大学機械工学科を卒業し、同大学院で燃料電池を勉強した。発火原因を科学的に突き止める消防官たちの苦労を書いた記事で、2017年韓国科学記者協会‘今月に科学記者賞’を受賞した。
Author Woo Ah-Young is a science journalist who worked at Donga Science for five years making the science magazine Science Donga, and who has been running her own YouTube channel “Lady Who Reads Science” for a year, through which she communicates with those who subscribe to the magazine or the channel. Woo graduated from Korea University’s School of Mechanical Engineering and studied fuel cells in the graduate school of the same university. She received the Korea Science Journalist of the Month Award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in January 2017 for her article about firefighters’ struggles to find scientific reasons for ignition.