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Physical effects and and symptoms of early pregnancy, with some possible character choices. SOME PLAYABLE ACTING CHOICES Because of the pressure on excretory organs and the presence of nausea, it’s conceivable that a busy woman might avoid eating and drinking so she’ll have to use the restroom less and has nothing to vomit if her nausea is triggered. Activity is encouraged to keep the body healthy and mobile during the first trimester, so it’s unlikely that too much movement at this point of the pregnancy is causing many problems for Ruth. But prolonged standing or heavy lifting can significantly increase the chances of miscarriage (likely due to the physical strain of gravity and the disrupted blood flow to the fetus). Ruth may or may not know that and may situate her work in a way that makes her body less hospitable to a fetus. Your heart is working significantly harder than normal. Blood is in high demand which means that, sometimes, it has a hard time getting oxygen to every part of your body – brain, lungs, limbs, etc. Heart rate is elevated Blood pressure can be very easily elevated Lightheadedness (from either hormonal changes or your blood being re-directed to the uterus and placenta) Physical exhaustion and swelling because of the disrupted blood flow. Difficulty breathing Spontaneous miscarriages have a strong link with elevated cortisol levels (the “stress hormone”). Women with prolonged and heightened cortisol levels are at greater risk of losing the pregnancy. It’s possible, then, that the physically traumatic events in the play are reactions to a fetus that may be on the verge of being miscarried because of the cortisol levels. In a word, the stress could be killing the fetus, and the fetus is fighting back. POSSIBLE SOURCES BEHIND THE FAINTING AND PANIC ATTACK - Unusually high hormone levels - Elevated heart right and vascular strain (blood is being pulled from everywhere in the body to support the uterus and placenta) - Spiked cortisol could be endangering the fetus and the body could be working against itself to retain the pregnancy - Actively avoiding food and drink due to nausea and excretory functions (or vomiting from nausea itself) is tanking her blood sugar, which is already low from other pregnancy effects. TRAITS OF PREGNANCY TO LOOK INTO (for fun?) Minimal weight is gained during the first trimester (2-5 lbs), but weight can even be lost depending on the severity of morning sickness. This is not uncommon and is only a medically addressed, really, when more than 5% of the pre-pregnancy body weight is lost. Hormonal changes or lowered blood sugar may be the cause of most morning sicknesses. Many believe that strong morning sickness is the sign of a healthy pregnancy, because it means that the necessary hormone climb is taking place. Often triggered by smells, no matter how familiar, because of a sudden hormonal aversion to nearly arbitrary scents. Snacking or sipping liquids often helps curb this nausea The biggest hormonal shifts are happening during the first trimester in order to build the environment for the pregnancy, leading to the most significant shifts in mood or disposition. During one pregnancy, you will produce more estrogen than you would for the entirety of your non-pregnant life). Sore and Enlarged Breasts Frequent urination (expanding placenta and uterus start pressing on your bladder long before the fetus does. Same for constipation and other excretory organs, along with hormones that slow the digestive process. Acne and other skin changes Heartburn, from hormones relaxing your esophogous and allowing for acid to travel to places where it shouldn’t. POSSIBLE RUTH-SPECIFIC TRAITS Women who work with their hands are likely to develop carpal tunnel later in pregnancy because of fluid buildup, but this can start earlier in the pregnancy. Vitamin D deficiency and the associated depression/fetal developmental risks (which is more common in those with darker skin and/or those who work long hours indoors and/or do not have access to nutritionally dense foods) Hypertension (caused by stress, in this case, and exacerbated by pregnancy). Black women and women who experience exceptional amounts of stress are also at higher risk for preeclampsia, which can cause, among other things, stroke and seizures. Exposure to harsh chemicals (like those that domestic workers, like cleaners, interact with) could cause a range of reactions from headaches to lightheadedness to rashes (new hormonal reactions) to miscarriage. Abdominal pain due to fibroid tumors (noncancerous masses of tissue that grow on the wall of the uterus, which aren’t always disastrous to a pregnancy, but are more common with Black women). Blurry vision and clamminess - We can infer that these are due to a change in blood flow, but these symptoms only really stood out when I searched for symptoms more frequently experienced by Black women.

Information on travel to the US, student VISA patterns, and possible character choice's for Asagai's background. There is VERY little institutional data in African immigration or student residency prior to 1960, and on Nigerians as a specific group until he 1980’s A few clues about Asagai – It is unlikely that he’s emigrated to the US. Gaining US citizenship from any country that wasn’t from Western Europe was difficult until the 60’s, and quotas/caps for most nations/continents were still in place There is little in the text that suggests he has any interest or desire to stay in the United States or North America, but instead has stayed here to study and take his experience back to Nigeria and Africa. Asagai would have likely entered with an F-Type Visa, a distinction of non-immigrant international residence in the US. This was less regulated and less difficult to achieve than one may expect, because the kind of xenophobia and international fear-mongering that we experience now is very different than the kind during the action of this play. The Institute of International Education was formed in 1919 to protect and promote the interests of international students and exchange visitors. Their lobbying efforts exempted students from the Emergency Quota act of 1921 and tine Immigration Act of 1924. MOST NON-CITIZENS COMING TO THE US DID SO AS STUDENTS AND ON STUDENT VISAS The actual distinction of a “student visa” as an F-type was in 1952 Annual renewal was necessary until 1978, meaning that long-term residency attempts were infrequent and not a primary concern in the mind of administrators and citizens. From 1948-1960, the passport a Nigerian could have processed was a British West African Passport. Upon Independence, Nigeria began issuing its own passports, but the US had relatively friendly relations with Nigeria upon independence, so the passport was more powerful than it is today. Effectively, it wasn't too difficult for a Nigerian student to get permission to come to the US and stay here as a student. He was, likely, one of only international students from West Africa (let alone Nigeria) in the Chicago area In the 1949-1950 school year, there were only 26,000 international students in the US, accounting for about 1% of the total student population. Though Nigerians have since become the single-most represented African group in universities (and have been since the 80’s), there were few enough in the the early 1950's to not be recognized as a nation-specific student community in the US by most institutions. The next question is how exactly Asagai got to the US. A couple possible options include: Scholarship or Sponsorship through the Nigerian government or US institutions, which is unlikely since Nigeria wasn’t really recognized as a sovereign state since 1960 (even though there was some level of autonomy before then). Nigeria did provide pathways to international education at this time, but opportunities were rare and mostly connected to the UK. Established wealth or community prominence in Nigeria, which allowed for the flexibility and resources to travel to the US, study, and return. This is more likely in my mind because that’s the case for my friend. Even though he’s not from a particularly wealthy family, his father is in a place of tribal and political prominence, which both provides and encourages educational mobility. Community sponsorship - American education was becoming more valued in the era right before Nigerian independence (see article). I don't think this is super likely given the way that Asagai speaks about his peers in Nigeria and the lack of pressure he feels in his educational journey, but it's not outside the realm of possibility Missionary efforts – less likely, but connection through missionary efforts and using those connections could have been utilized for housing, work, etc. (It’s also worth noting that you may want to consider Asagai’s religious background. Nigeria has been notably (almost equally) split between Muslims and Christians (with traditional faith practices present, but outlawed during colonial rule, so there’s more low-level integration) – but Nigerian students in the US have been closer to 70% Christian, 28% Muslim, and about 2% other faith traditions. Yoruba individuals are also fairly split, being the ethnic group that contains the second-highest number of Christians (split about 50/50 with Muslims, second to Igbo, which is almost entirely Christian) Connections with other Nigerian scholars that have established a presence in the US. This is most likely, since the Nigerian academic pioneers consistently returned and established networks to bring more students to the US. See the attached article and links for more info. Attached! Early Nigerian Scholars in the US I've highlighted some passages that I think are the most helpful, but the whole article is pretty enlightening. Brief Biography of one of the most prominent Nigerian politicians and academics that attended an American university in this general era. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/azikiwe-nnamdi Nigerian Student Community History at University of Illinois https://archives.library.illinois.edu/slc/nigerian-illini/ Some insight on Black scholarship at the University of Chicago (geographically more likely for Asagai's attendance) https://news.uchicago.edu/story/how-uchicago-became-hub-black-intellectuals

American Humanist Association - One of the first Humanist organizations, based in Chicago, that also began the first Humanist publication in the US. https://americanhumanist.org/about/our-history/ Article about Humanism in Chicago (not yet read by me, so exercise caution.

Popular Beers and Liquors, Chicago 1950's– Most Popular Beers; Jos.-Schlitz and Anheuser-Busch, the latter overtaking the former by 1960 Joseph Schlitz Malt Liquor Jim Beam Bourbon Whiskey Chicago Bars and Liquor Stores https://www.npr.org/local/309/2019/04/09/711475546/why-did-so-many-chicago-bars-disappear