4.20.2010

Complications

People who have had babies already know this, but this process is insane. Observe:
  1. Again, because humans are bipedal, the whole physical system is set up to clench tightly and hold on to the baby so that it doesn't fall out. This is why labor is so much more difficult for humans than for other mammals. I do wonder about chimps, however.
  2. There are about, oh, ONE MILLION things that can go wrong. Wrong with the baby in utero, wrong with the mom's health, wrong with labor itself, etc. It's one of those deals in which you have to play the smart angles and also just accept that luck has a lot to do with it.
  3. So we've had some complications. But it's ok. The kid's ok. B's ok. It just hasn't gone according to plan, even considering how loose our plan was to start with.
  4. One way or another, a baby will arrive from its production facility at the end of next week.

8 comments:

noncoupable said...

Just think how many people do this all the time! :-) I have a friend who was in labor 36 hours. She apparently had her husband bringing her jamba juices. Just a suggestion.

Becky said...

i am still in awe that so many things can go wrong along the way and that it still works out so often. what are the chances?
i'm very excited for you. your long legged wonder is going to be here soon and then life will be nothing but mind boggling complications.

Adam said...

The chimp's pelvis is very different from us. They are not technical fully bipedal. They also have much smaller brain cases.

Thank you Physical Anthropology 103 and Anatomy and Physiology 1, 2, and 3.

our system just barely works, there is a reason most animals are not bipeds.

Adva Ahava said...

I'm glad to hear that B and the kiddo are ok, despite complications.

another kind of nerd said...

Yay! to rolling with the punches and double yay! to being okay! Sending virtual hugs.

Dolce Vita said...

Thanks for the update and I'm very please to hear that all is well.

As you probably already know, a 40-week gestational baby is developmentally immature to be outside the womb. Here again our huge "brain cases" force the gestational process to end early - while the little one is still small enough to be delivered. (They reach the developmental maturity for birth around 3 months!)

kungfuramone said...

Yeah. I think it's neat that the best way to insure continued maximum brain development is to:

a. be nice to your baby
b. play with him/her
c. touch him/her

Pretty complicated stuff there.

Leah said...

Holy Crap, the end of next week?! I can't believe how fast the time has gone and I can't wait to see pictures of the wee one!