Havin' My Baby

Last week's poll was pretty straightforward, compared to some I've tried to do in the past.

The easy question: if you could, would you want to give birth to a baby?

I have an incredible amount of respect for women.  I see the pain involved in giving birth, yet I'm one of a litter of three so my mother did this at least two other times.  One friend almost died giving birth and was told to never try that again.  My sister-in-law did die in childbirth.

Women get connected to machines, needles stuck in your spinal column, broken blood vessels in your eyes, painful contractions while you can't sleep for up to a day, maybe a major scar across your abdomen ~ and that's just the giving birth part.

There's morning sickness, aching back, repeated ultrasound where you have to drink a gallon of water and hold it while they keep delaying your appointment, blood tests, bed rest, and that kick inside.  I know one woman who had a broken rib from her little karate pre-kid.

I agree with Florynce R. Kennedy, who said "if men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament."  I also believe there would be a lot of childless couples and children without siblings.


And I'm not a fan of pain.  Until a dozen or so years ago, I hadn't even had stitches, much less surgery of any sort.  To do something where the end result might be an operation....  Inconceivable.

But I think I'd say, yeah, I'd want to do it.  I'd want to feel that kick inside.  I think it's the ultimate female experience.  I think I'd accept the challenge quicker if I knew surgery would not be necessary though, which puts me in the smallest group.  But I also think I'd want to try even if it might end in a large scar.  As long as it ends in a baby.  I know, there's not even a guarantee of that (one friend lost her baby at six months; a neighbor's got strangled in the umbilical cord when her water broke).

Over half of you want to have that ultimate female experience.

I assume if you give birth, you'd be nursing, or at least able to.  That's a whole 'nother kind of pain, but one that I'd take more willingly.  If, when my babies were getting baked someone said to me "you have to come in every day and get a shot and you'll be able to nurse the baby when he's born" I'd roll up my sleeve.  And I HATE needles.  It would be a twofer ~ breasts and the nursing experience!  W00T!

About one in five wouldn't want to have the baby, but would want to feed her.  And about a quarter of you said "no thanks.  I'm fine the way I am," which is cool too.

Now I want a debate between the ones who say "yes I want a baby" and "no, my wife can handle it."  Because I'm still not convinced I'd do it.

The final totals:

Absolutely, even if a c-section was necessary	31 (45%)
Yes, but only if it would be a "natural" birth	6 (8%)
No, but I'd be OK with nursing a baby	13 (19%)
No way. Leave it all to the experts	18 (26%)

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