It should be noted that difficulty giving birth is a phenomenon almost unique to humans, because it's the result of two evolutionary developments that conflict with each other. 1. Enormous brains. The human forebrain, where we do all our conscious thinking, is qualitatively much larger than any other mammal's. It's the reason that we can invent tools, use complex language, do math, and even override instinctive behavior with reasoned and learned behavior; the result of all this is civilization. In order for a newborn animal to survive, its brain has to be well-enough developed for the major neural circuits to minimally function. This is why in many baby animals, the head is disproportionately large. But if a newborn human brain were as large as it should be, the head would not fit through the birth canal. To accommodate this as much as possible, the human birth canal is much wider than in the other ape species. 2. However, this conflicts with the other evolutionary development: Bipedal walking. When we walk, we have to shift our weight to one side and then the other, to maintain balance while one foot is off the ground. Quadrupeds don't have this problem because they can keep three feet on the ground. The conflict comes from the fact that as the human birth canal has widened over hundreds of thousands of years, the pelvis has become broader, and the legs have moved farther apart. This makes bipedal walking very difficult. When we lift one leg and transfer our entire body weight to the other leg, that is a very significant weight shift. And it has to be reversed and repeated over and over again, rapidly, while maintaining efficient forward motion! Entire muscle systems have been re-routed to accommodate this. Most notable is our gluteus maximus, the pair of hemispheres that form the uniquely shaped human buttocks. No other ape has this, because their muscles are attached to their bones differently. So: there is a limit to how wide the human pelvis can be, before it impairs our ablity to walk. Therefore there is a limit to how wide the human birth canal can be. Therefore there is a limit to how large a newborn human brain can be. In fact human babies are arguably more helpless than any other mammal: Baby giraffes, for example, literally "hit the ground running" and scamper away. But we need that brain to be just as large as possible, so the baby can breathe, suckle, swallow, and perform the minimum activities necessary for survival, and nonetheless require full-time care in order to simply survive. This is why childbirth is so difficult for humans. It's a miracle that it works at all! Born with these tiny brains, and faced with the need to master a complex, unnatural world, humans have the longest childhood of the entire animal kingdom. They require so much care that both parents must be in attendance. This is the reason for another almost-uniquely human evolutionary trait: the ability of women to perform intercourse when they are not fertile. Most mammals can only copulate when the female is in estrus or "heat." Women do not have that limitation, and this is one way that men are encouraged to stay with their mates and share the childrearing duties. I'm talking about way back in the Paleolithic Era, of course. Modern men are all responsible and caring, and would never dream of walking out on a wife and child to go looking for sex. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
hehe, it was you who wanted all the details, not me Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! by the way, congrats! How far are you?
i definitely do not have the "breeder" body type. i have a large waist, and small hips. i usually fit into boys pants better than women's. i'm so screwed. :facepalm:
thank you. not far; less than 2 months. i'm going for my first sonogram tomorrow. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
One of my petite friends with a very 'boyish' build, by her ninth month looked as though she had swallowed a watermelon, whole, and popped out the baby like a watermelon seed, no problems. She was very sensible in her diet while pregnant. As long as you eat sensibly and don't start 'eating for two' until baby arrives, I'm relatively certain you will do just fine. Most sensible that you are doing plenty of research on all options at this early stage. From the sounds of it, you have a very supportive partner as well. Kudos to you both. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
thank you very much. that's good to hear. i have no intention on gaining a bunch of weight. the normal recommended 20-30 lbs is what i'm aiming for. i'm a healthy eater normally, and am trying hard to maintain that diet, though the nausea and all the horrible smells i'm smelling isn't helping me very much.
Yes, I hear you, although at this early stage, as long as you stay well hydrated and even ingest a bit of fruit, veggies etc., the demands of the fetus are minimal, all the rest being your body doing all of the dramatic hormonal things in preparation of the event. Are you tired as well, or are you past that stage? I raise horses and the first sign that a mare has 'settled' (horseman's term for conceived) is that she is very tired and will often sleep prone on her side, instead of the usual resting upright on her sternum. Mares also display disinterest in their food in the early stages, poking and picking at their hay, when formerly wolfing it down like a starving creature. They look nauseous, although horses can't throw up. Not comparing you to a brood mare, Lori, just sharing a bit of what I do know about for chuckles....... Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
i've been eating a lot of fruit, some salad, cottage cheese, yogurt, and for some reason mexican food tastes good to me right now. but anything else that's spicy or has any garlic in it makes me wanna hurl. At first i was really tired. i've been sleeping a little more than usual lately, but i've always been one to need a good 8 hours to feel right. i'm surprised i'm not more tired due to the lack of caffeine, but i think the vitamins i'm taking are giving me some energy. i sure have been dreaming a lot.
no. it took me several days and a few puffs at a time to give it up completely, and i only had one nuclear meltdown 6 hours into the first day when i realized that my husband had hidden my cigs. i'm impressed. i've smoked a pack a day since i was 15, other than 4 years when i was going through that weird stuff and i'm an addict. not smoking anything and not drinking anything except mostly water, a little juice, and an occasional ginger ale as nausea dictates. granted, i've been a bit grumpy and constipated. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Have a blender? two to four tablespoons raw ginger,1 tablespoon psyllium, 1/2 cup yogurt, fruit, ice, sugar to taste...blend and serve. Ginger is both high in fiber and great for nausea, the psyllium is just insoluble fiber, the yogurt has healthy gut bugs.
************* M*W: I would definitely limit the number of sonograms you get. In fact, I would like to see a public burning of all prenatal ultrasound equipment. Ultrasound can destroy a fetuses hearing and leave blisters on the brain! Not all performers of prenatal ultrasound are qualified nor certified. They are simply trained in the OBs office to save money on having to pay a registered ultrasonographer. Now about the epidural. I'm not for them either, except in the case of a C-section. An epidural can slow down labor. I've seen lots of problems in women who have ultrasound in labor after they deliver. Some of the problems are long term headaches, dizziness, back pain, just to name a few. Just about every women I have known to have an epidural in labor has said that she has regretted having it for one reason or another. Also following epidural, a lot of new moms just don't enjoy their new babies, because they are having so many problems from the epidural. In other cases I've seen, the first baby they had an epidural, and the second baby came naturally (including the many I've delivered), and the moms all say, I wish I had done it like this (totally natural) the first time! It's best to let Mother Nature take her course. The problems arise when there is unnecessary medical intervention taking over for Mother Nature. Congratulations on your pregnancy!
************* M*W: Has your OB told you to take extra folic acid with your prenatal vitamins? I think some prenatal vitamins are not enough. I like the Super Duper Mega Vitamins for Women instead of the One-A-Day type (they are worthless). Read the labels on your prenatal vitamins and the Super Duper Mega types (they can be purchased at Vitamin World (which I like) or GNC, or even Walgreens). You're going to need all the vitamins you can get, because the baby will drain the nutrition right out of you.
thank you. wow, this is so different from what i hear from almost all the women i talk to nowadays. even the doctor i saw today, when i asked about it, said that almost everyone has an epidural. thank you for the advice. it's so much to consider. i'm glad i have another 7 months or so to deliberate.
i'm taking garden of life raw organic prenatals which are supposed to be very good, and supplementing with omega 3 fish oils, and extra folic acid, and extra calcium. my aunt works at vitamin world, and my mom is a holistic health guru, so i get a lot of good advice and support from them.
that's not nice. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! if it's a boy, his name is eli. if it's a girl, her name is kali.
That's better Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!, Sorry I was just making a joke with the other thing. I hate how that stuff comes out sometimes when you write it instead of say it. I was a little mean so I apologize.
