The Funniest Ways People Thought Babies Were Made As A Kid
"Reddit user DramaticChoice4 asked: 'How did you use to think babies were made?'"
Where do babies come from?
One of life's greatest mysteries.
Or one of life's most solid truths.
But when we're young, we don't know all of the details.
But that doesn't mean there aren't questions.
Oh, the number of questions and curiosities.
Redditor DramaticChoice4 wanted to discuss the stork's journey, so they asked:
"How did you use to think babies were made?"
So Random
Im Pregnant Mama Said GIF by OriginalsGiphy"I thought it was like an illness, you just randomly come down with pregnancy once you're married."
cb1216
The Egg
"My friends and I had a pretty solid worldview on this A man down the street from us was rumored to have 1 testicle. This man also had 1 kid So, we deduced that when you want to have kids, the man fires a testicle into the woman, and that testicle acted as 'the egg.'"
"We realized that this would be painful for the man, but that it would also make it 'fair' since we figured that giving birth must be painful as well We couldn't figure out why some families had more than 2 kids, but that was a problem for another day."
sneekeemonkee
Home Invasion
"I thought they would just appear. Like they spawned somewhere in the house."
"No, they had to love each other very much and concentrate on that for it to happen. At least that’s the explanation I had given myself as a small child."
"Then I learned that women get pregnant, but in the dialect of the region around Venezia (Italy) where I grew up, it is common to say 'I’m buying a baby' when you’re pregnant. So I thought there was an actual place you went to purchase pregnancy... lol."
millennium-popsicle
Hold Me
"Through cuddling. My parents had me watch a movie about the facts of life. It showed a man and a woman cuddling on the couch in one scene, and then in the next, the narrator was talking about how an egg is fertilized. So, the implication was that this happened via cuddling."
Old_Army90
Born That Way
Music Video Mv GIF by Lady GagaGiphy"I don't know. I used to think that my parents were born as parents and I was born as a child, so for 2-3 years I thought that I wasn’t going to age and so my parents."
ChemicalAd1157
Kids. We were so innocent at one time.
Born that way. Cute thought.
Delivery
"Babies are made at a baby factory."
Kotopause
"And delivered by a giant bird. Dumbo (1941) messed me up in so many ways."
MadOrange64
Saliva
"I knew that kissing was involved. I also knew that sperm was involved after watching 'Look Who’s Talking' with my parents (I think there’s a scene showing the sperm traveling to the egg while talking to each other). So my 7-year-old brain assumed that somehow sperm was transferred through the saliva while kissing."
Djent_Reznor1
The Seed
"My mom explained to me that she and my dad helped God make me. So I imagined them traveling to heaven and picking out parts like it was a build-a-bear or something. So then I was very confused when I asked my mom what heaven was like and she said she had never been. I was like, I knew it... I'm adopted."
"I explained to my children (7, 6 & 4) when I was having our 4th last year that mommies have eggs in their bellies, and daddies have a seed. And then the daddy puts the seed in the belly, it goes into the egg and the baby starts growing. They asked how the seed gets in the belly and I told them I would tell them when they are older. I'm pretty sure they think it goes in through the belly button."
spidermom4
Good Faith
Pop Tv Please GIF by One Day At A TimeGiphy"My parents told me that you just had to pray for one and you can be pregnant the next day."
asn-grl
"My mom's friend thought the opposite, she would pray every night not to get pregnant because she thought that she could just get preggers randomly."
HumanHuman_2003
Prayer can only do so much.
But I'm not going to get into that aspect if it all.
People Who Have Watched Their Partner Give Birth Describe What It Was Really Like
For couples who want to have children, the actual child-birthing process might be one of the most trying experiences the couple will ever go through together.
But while many of us think of the process of pushing and the physical messes of birthing the baby, there's actually a lot more to it, and the partners who witness their other half giving birth tend to remember far more about the experience than just the blood.
Redditor Asleep-Awareness5249 asked:
"Men who have watched their wives/partners give birth, what was that like?"
Hilarious Moments
"My wife cussed out the doctor. I was glad we were forced to wear face masks because I was cackling when she would let him have it in-between pushes."
- OkVolume1
Inopportune Phone Calls
"My wife's phone went off during a really painful procedure, and she yelled, 'Who the f**k is calling me!!!!???'"
"But to be fair, one does not need to go thru painful procedures in order to justify saying this every time the phone rings."
- Veritas3333
Sort of Fascinating
"I was holding my wife's hand through two c-sections, the first an emergency."
"There was a low green cloth screen to stop her (and me) from seeing the actual procedure, but I'm tall, so I could see over the top anyway. Fortunately, I'm not squeamish. It was like a butcher's shop window (except very interesting)."
"They had a radio on and the first kid came out to the sound of 'First Of The Gang To Die,' which was funny."
"It all worked out well, both kids are great, a fascinating and completely exhausting experience."
- catbrane
Absolutely Not Useless
"As someone who had a 36-hour labor that ended in a c-section, I can say that having a partner there for you is a godsend. I spent so much time with my eyes closed, drifting in and out, not able to acknowledge my partner but I knew he was there the whole time."
"He was the person that knew me best out of all the strangers that popped in and out of the room. He was my advocate and anticipated what I needed before I knew I needed it."
"After, he said he felt totally useless and helpless but that couldn't be further from the truth."
- Timetogoout
The Importance of Aftercare
"You're the cheerleader in this game. F**king play your part and feel useless."
"A father's REAL test is aftercare. While your wife is recovering from childbirth, you are to do everything, and I mean f**king everything, for her that you possibly can."
"Men who don't change dirty nappies are just f**king p**s-weak men, and even more so if they brag about it."
- BlazeVenturaV2
Terribly Scary
"Am I a bad person if I say horrific? It was a c-section and seeing her knocked out like that was one of the most disturbing images I can recall. I nearly cried on the spot."
- Dyn085
Childbirth on Fast-Forward
"Our first was 13 hours, giving us a false sense of security for the second. It was only three hours."
"My wife didn't do an epidural for #1 and said, 'I didn't need to do that. I'm getting it for the next one.' So we get to the hospital and said, 'Give me the epidural.'"
"They say we need to get settled in the room. By the time we got to the room, he was coming out. There was no time for anything; the docs had to scramble."
"All things considered, both deliveries were 'fine.' It's mind-boggling that that is the best-case scenario; they were the most intense days of my life."
- thugarth
Don't Skimp on Breakfast
"My wife was going into contractions but they were pretty far apart, so we drive down to the hospital, stopping for Egg McMuffins along the way. I dropped my wife off at the receiving area for delivery with some nurses and the midwife and then I went back out to move the car because I was in a 15-minute parking area."
"While I was moving the car, I looked at that Egg McMuffin I hadn't been able to eat yet and was like, 'I totally have hours before this baby comes out. I should eat this sandwich now and not like, in the delivery room as my wife was trying to push a baby out.'"
"So I ate the sandwich, moved the car, and went up to the delivery room."
"At the reception desk there, one of the nurses said, 'I think your wife just had a baby.'"
"And was like, 'Nah, you must be mistaken. I just arrived. WE HAVE HOURS.'"
"So I went to the delivery room and there was my son, fresh as could be, and my exhausted wife who had just given birth."
- doublerapscallion
A Traumatic Experience
"My wife was in labor for about 35 hours. When we got to the point where she was ready to push, my son’s heart rate started to plummet."
"We went from a single midwife in the hospital room with us, encouraging and owning the whole process, to a team of doctors (about 10 people) who came to help within two minutes. They performed an episiotomy and had to pull my kid out with forceps and the vacuum."
"My wife lost about 1.5 liters of blood, and I remember sitting there watching all of this and thinking they would both die and my whole world was crashing around me. She looked like a ghost and he looked like a bloody, bleeding little alien when he came out. They rushed him to the NICU and gave him oxygen."
"My son is now almost 3 years old, my wife made a full recovery, and they are both the best people I know. It can be a traumatic experience for everyone involved, but f**k me if I don’t look back on it and remember what a warrior she was and what a fighter he is."
- upark88
New Admiration
"I saw a strength in my wife I don't think either of us knew she had. It was an incredible experience, and I was so proud of my wife and child. I'm glad they still keep me around."
- Druzl
Feeling Irrelevant
"This is really my experience in the maternity ward. You are 'dad' and you will carry bag and get water. Not because you are actually needed to carry these bags that could fit on this cart, or get the water from the sink over there that literally takes more time to explain where the cups are."
"But you need a job to keep you occupied, so get moving."
"I've never been so 'handled' before in my life, and I knew it was happening, but f**k if I was going to mess up the process and make them focus on anything besides my wife and kids."
"Nurses are the most amazing, and most evil things ever."
- mwbbrown
New Appreciation for Life
"With our firstborn, I had three primary thoughts:"
"1. Thank god for modern medicine, or both my wife and son would be dead."
"2. My wife is a godd**n warrior."
"3. I have a whole new appreciation for my own mother."
"Every birth is a medical emergency, and every successful birth is a miracle. Simple as that to me."
"A planned c-section for our second was much smoother."
- leftcoastbias24
Lonely and Helpless
"The loneliest and most helpless feeling in the world. She had to undergo an emergency C-section and went under shortly after they started. The head doctor made the call to not let me in the room, so I was stuck watching through a small window."
"The little man came out purple and not breathing and my wife was limp. For about five minutes, nobody came out to speak to me and I was quite certain both of them were dead."
"Then I heard him scream and cry and one of the nurses rushed him over to my wife and held him against her cheek. Shortly after that, the nurse handed him to me and said that both my wife and him were perfectly healthy. To say it was the largest range of emotions my mind and body had ever experienced is an understatement."
"We felt like we were prepared for anything during labor, but the emergency c-section really threw us off. Happened so fast. Luckily everything worked out, but it was pretty scary for a while there."
- AdvancedGentleman
Something Out of an '80s Movie
"It's kind of like the movie 'Aliens' but entirely based around a vagina."
- Digreth
A Message to Fathers
"So, I'm the wife. And we didn't get to take our babies home, but I delivered stillborn twins a few months ago."
"My husband said exactly the same as many fathers here, that he felt so helpless watching me give birth."
"But to me, that man standing there and holding my hand was exactly what I needed. It was both medically and emotionally traumatic, but I remember feeling calm and purposeful because I knew what needed to be done, and I knew that I was the only one who could do it."
"What I needed from him was his presence. He didn't leave me alone. He didn't run from any of it, and I think he saw more of the blood and such than I did (I was a little doped up and had my eye closed for the actual delivery)."
"I could do that, keep my eyes closed and focus on what my body was telling me, BECAUSE he was there holding my hand. I didn't need to be on high alert, because he was there. His presence and my trust in him helped me do the hardest thing I have ever done in my life."
- what_ho_puck
Whether the birthing process was really long or really short, whether it was complicated or straight-forward, many partners had shared experiences of being overwhelmed, of being proud of their wives, and of feeling like there was hardly anything they could do.
At least for the women who chimed in, though, them being there might have been the most helpful part.
Times A Newly Delivered Baby Was Clearly Not The Father's According To Medical Professionals
When children are born, parents often say that they can immediately see the resemblance in their infant's face.
Even if they are just a bald, wrinkled mass, parents and grandparents are nonetheless convinced that they see their eyes, nose or smile in their newborn.
Of course, sometimes it's not the resemblance which is easiest to notice, but the lack of it.
Leading fathers in the delivery room to lose their joy almost instantly, wondering if they are, in fact, the father of the child in their wife's arms.
A question to which the answer is sometimes abundantly clear.
"Doctors and nurses of Reddit who have delivered babies to mothers who clearly cheated on their husbands, what was that like?"
Did She Really Not Notice The Umbilical Cord?
"We had a very sweet blond haired blue eyed mom and dad along with their entire extended family in the room for a delivery one busy afternoon at work."
"Think aunts, Uncles, cousins, Grandma and Grandpa too."
"The baby is born and as the doctor places her on the mom’s chest the first words out of her mouth are 'that’s not my baby! That’s not my baby!'"
"The baby in question, still attached at the umbilical cord, has beautiful dark curly black hair, and dark skin."
"The nurse looks at her and tells her that this is definitely her baby because 'she’s still attached to you' and she, not so quietly, tells the nurse 'There’s no way, I never slept with a black man! It’s not mine!'."
"The 'father' is standing there silent, not sure what to do."
"A long awkward silence fills the room."
"We clean her and baby up as cheerfully as we can."
"We see the extended family filter out of the room and the 'father' leave to get a cigarette."
"About ten minutes later a tall black guy walks up to our front desk asking how to get to the patient in question’s room."- chasesurf
How Many Possibilities Were There?
"I was assisting at a Caesarian when I was a junior doctor."
"The woman’s dark skinned partner had been in prison 9 months or so."
"I took the baby immediately upon delivery and announced cheerily 'it’s a boy!'
"Her first words were 'Is it black?'"
"Luckily the baby was a mocha color that could have gone either way, and I told her in a mildly confused manner 'Ahhh, it could be?'"- non_sexual_user_name
At Least They Can Laugh About It!
"Okay I am a nurse but this isn’t a story about a birth I witnessed, it was my own birth."
"And although my mother definitely didn’t cheat, all the midwives were convinced she had."
"And yeah it’ll be buried but I think it’s a funny story so I’m going to share."
"For background: my mother (J) is white, and had got married young to another white guy (D), actually forced to by my grandparents who were horrified she was living in sin."
"Their relationship petered out and they separated but remained very good friends."
"Then she met my father (A), a black man, and began a relationship with him."
"Mum was still married at the time, neither her nor her husband were in a hurry to get divorced, and he became good friends with Mums new partner (my dad)."
"Mum fell pregnant with me."
"Time moves along."
"She goes into labour and needs to head up to the hospital."
"Dad was working and couldn’t make it home in time to get her there, so still being good friends with the husband, she rings him and he comes around to drive her to hospital and decides to hang out until I’m born."
"After an hour or so dad arrives."
"He was freaking out a bit so his best friend (H, also a black guy) drove him because dad didn’t trust himself."
"They arrive at the hospital right as mum is ready to deliver."
"The midwives come out to the waiting room to grab the 'husband' to be there when baby is born."
"They knew that mum’s actual husband (D) had driven her there so assumed that he was the father of the baby."
"Went and grabbed him and tried to drag him into the delivery room."
"He freaked out and yelled 'No no, I’m not the father, I’m just the husband! The father is Aboriginal!'"
"Dad and H pulled up into the car park as this is happening, and dad leaps out of the car."
"Decides he needs to have a quick smoke to settle his nerves before he goes in."
"His best friend H doesn’t smoke, cigarettes but does smoke weed and is pretty stoned, so he walks in ahead."
"Just then the midwives come running back to the waiting room to grab the actual father, and see the only black guy in there."
"Obviously him right?"
"So they take him and suit him up to bring him down to delivery."
"Being pretty stoned, H doesn’t question this and just goes along with it."
"The midwives reach the delivery room and shove him inside."
"Mum, legs in stirrups and at the pushing stage goes absolutely ballistic. 'NOT THAT BLACK GUY, HES NOT THE FATHER, GO GET THE OTHER ONE."
"The midwives hustle H out and return him to the waiting room to wait with D. A (my dad) has come inside by now and the midwives marched up to him and said something like 'I hope you’re the father this time otherwise I’m going to just give up and she can birth alone'.”
"So that’s the story about how the hospital went through three different men before they finally got to my actual father."-Trin20k
Denial Only Grows Over Time...
"Consulted a couple who were expecting a baby and were confused about how she had Chlamydia (again)."
"Turns out they both had Chlamydia, both got treated and continued doing their thing."
"She could not get her head round how she had it again if he was the only guy she had slept with."
"He just looked very sheepish as I tried to subtly explain maybe he had caught it from elsewhere and passed it on."
"Took a long time for the penny to drop."
"One of those couples where you realize the kid won't get help with their science homework from their parents."- paramatt999
Oh, Dear...
"Had two women give birth a few days apart on my floor."
"Turns out they actually had the same baby daddy."
"The father of the two newborns got both patients pregnant around the same time."
"It was an interesting day for the social worker!"- LaBestiadeGavaudan
A Very Close Friendship Indeed...
"In high school my gym teacher was married to the biology teacher, who was also really good friends with my math teacher."
"Always saw them chatting and walking together."
"Well the bio teacher got pregnant and when she brought the baby in there was an un-ignorable resemblance to the math teacher."
"Was a big scandal at our relatively small private school."
"One of a few actually."- golden_death
DNA Is Unpredictable
"I know a guy who is fully white, his parents are both white and his younger sister is black."
"I always assumed she was adopted and one day when I mentioned it, he looked at me weirdly and was like no dude that’s my full blood sister."
"Obviously I didn’t believe it, and apparently neither did his dad at the birth."
"But they got the paternity test and she was his daughter."
"Likelihood is they’ve got some black ancestors far enough back to be forgotten about."
"I also know a dude who has a white Scottish mum, and a black Jamaican dad."
"Dude came out pale white with a ginger afro."
"Genetics were not on his side."- tashhepstir
Needless to say, everyone has a right to feel shocked, betrayed or angry in situations like these.
However, being a parent to a child isn't always dependent on DNA.
In the end of the day, there is no greater bond between a parent and a child than love.
The naming process of new life is an enormous responsibility and can be an emotionally exhausting decision. This person is going to be glued to this "title" forever, or until they're tired of being saddled to it so they change it; when they're free of their parent's constant gaze. Thankfully I will never have children but I do have to name pets. And that is taxing as well. Thankfully there are people around who can set us all straight when we're not thinking straight.
Redditor u/Kubanochoerus wanted to hear about some of the bad ideas they were able to help avert by asking... Nurses and midwives of Reddit, have you ever tried to talk new parents out of a baby name? What was it?The people on this chain had some bad ideas about naming humans. Like, for real not good ideas. And medical staff already has a tough enough job by delivering babies. Clearly they also have to be sound voices of reason. Especially when people are in their most emotional state... post birth.
TINA!!!
the best tina GIF by London Theatre DirectGiphyMy boyfriend's grandmother wanted to name her daughter Sunshine. The midwife said that wasn't allowed because "it wasn't a real name" and his grandmother had no other backup baby names. So, a few minutes later when she heard someone down the hall screaming "Tina", she named her daughter Tina because she couldn't think of anything else on the spot.
Poor Mo...
Boss's friend named their kid Monster Galileo [last name]. Nurse tried to talk them out of it. Called in child services to talk them out of it. They insisted. Kid goes by Galileo. Honestly, I kind of like the sound of it for an adult or a performer's name but guy, being a kid named 'monster' has to be rough in school.
Be Normal...
My classmates mother was a maternity nurse and she has a couple who wanted to name their son "Collin" but wanted to give him a "unique" spelling for it. (I do not understand why parents do this. It doesn't make a boring name more interesting all it does is set your child up for lifelong inconvenience.) They spelled it out for her to put on the birth certificate C-O-L-O-N.
They tried to name their son colon. As in, the organ attached to your anus. When my classmates mother explained this to them they were painfully embarrassed and asked her to write it down with the normal spelling instead. I don't think they'll ever live it down.
Listed
In France there used to be a list of names you had to choose from (mostly based on that day's name saint and 3-4 others). Which is why there were so many Jean / Marc / Louis /Phillipe / Marie / Anne / Valerie, etc in France.
Now it's a free choice.... but anyone can ask a judge to cancel a name-choice and force the parent(s) to suggest one the judge finds acceptable. So no names like Coca-Cola, Xerox, Nutella, Sex Fruit, Devil, Blue Murder... PLUS the rejected name gets added to a "banned" list to streamline the rejection in the future.
Dirty...
Mud Caterpillar GIF by Mitteldeutscher RundfunkGiphyNot a nurse, but as a med student a patient wanted to name her child Mudpiles. The nurses silently protested and waited a few days. Mom changed her mind.
You would think people were drunk when the baby arrives. You really should wait until after you sign a birth certificate. For example, it feels this next group of people may have imbibed on a few shots and thought... "hey that name sounds like fun."
Midwife Down
I once had a student named Linoleum. Some midwife dropped the ball on that one. My brother wanted to name our soon to be younger brother Corn Peas and our parents almost went with it because they felt bad about asking for his input and then rejecting it. Fortunately, they got over that and passed on the name.
Hey Vi...
And here my mom was talked out of naming me Violet. "Sounds like an old lady" they said. I got one of the most common names of the 80's. When I went to college I lived in a hallway where there were literally 6 of us. My roommate had the same first name too.
I do like my name because it sounds good with my last name but I have only once met a Violet in 37 years and she's my friend's niece.
All the Dylans...
Not in the medical field, but a teacher. There are certain names that each teacher avoids because we've had a student (or seven) with that name who were difficult in one way or another.
One year, there were four Dylans in the same cohort and they were all hell on wheels. One of the teachers at that grade level had a baby with his wife that spring, and she named the kid Dylan. The rest of us were like, "didn't you vehemently veto that?"
He just shrugged and said it was important to her and he wasn't the superstitious type. Flash forward a few years, I saw a toddler tearing through the salad bar at the grocery store, spilling things, moving spoons from one container to another, reaching in with his hands... it was Dylan.
Oh Katrina
I had a coworker named Trina. When she was pregnant, she told me that she and her husband had decided to name the baby Latrine. I had to explain to her that she was naming her poor baby after the hole in the ground that soldiers defecate into. She was horrified and changed it to Katrina. Two days after the kid was born, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.
Pegged
Oh No You Didnt GIF by happydogGiphyI have a false leg. My parents had to be talked out of calling me 'Peggy' by the midwife. I was born missing a leg. I was given my first physical false leg in a year, but it was always obvious the leg wasn't there!
I know Hollywood has made it seem glamorous to choose off the wall names (I'm talking to you Gwyneth Paltrow) but Hollywood is crazy. So think long and hard before you saddle a new human with some ridiculous moniker. Remember... they have to go through life with it. You don't.
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Fathers love their kids. There's no question about that. But fathers have one major advantage when it comes to babies--they don't have to do the physical labor.
Giving birth itself, well...it's painful. We all know that. But men have the luxury of not totally knowing.
But what if they had to?
u/ry_seemor asked:
Here were some of those answers.
The Details Matter
It depends what hole they are going to come out of.... lol otherwise yes. I love being a dad!
No From Me Dawg
Hell no! I wanted kids and so did my wife. We had kids and I love em all, and I am so proud of my wife and impressed with what she did - but I wouldn't want to go through it. Gaining weight, I could do that. Swollen ankles, nausea, being uncomfortable all the time...ok. But the actual birth? No. Even with all the medications, hell no.
Now, take this for what it's worth coming from a guy on the internet, but I'm a pretty tough guy. I can push myself pretty hard and if I can walk off some pretty serious injuries (or at least not cry while I'm getting carried off). But one of the worst things in the world isn't getting hurt, it's knowing you are going to get hurt, bad, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.
In 8 months you are going to feel the worst pain you have ever felt. in 6 months. In 2. In a week. Tomorrow. 4 hours. 1 hour. 15 minutes...
That is psychological torture.
(Regarding the countdown, we had an induced labor)
The Risk Involved
Not a father but I may want children in the future...
I would feel the same. Having children is a terrifying (and beautiful) prospect, even not having to carry the pregnancy. I'm both scared and drawn to it, regardless. I would be scared for my SO's and children's health and well being both for during the pregnancy and worried that I would not be a good enough parent in the upbringing. I'm pretty confident that I could do a good job, but I also think it would be naive not to have misgivings. For the actual pregnancy as is I would be worried about my SO's health. Pregnancies and deliveries still do frequently enough go wrong and end up dangerous, and it seems like all pregnancies do have permanent physical consequences. In some way it would almost be easier being able to face that myself rather than see a loved one risk it, but it would also be a difficult thing to face as the one at risk too.
It Makes It All Harder
I wanted one, maybe two, so it's not like I'd have been birthing an army. Now at 2 and no one has to worry about pregnancies anymore.
Honestly I'm always slightly shocked we're not dying off planet wide, we need to average more than 2 each just to maintain and I can't imagine either side choosing to go for 3+
Aggressively Male
Yes. I just watched my wife give birth all natural (no pain killers) a month ago. Most women will not want to hear this, but I honestly believe I could crush it. I'd be like those MMA fighters on youtube getting pepper-sprayed, then attacking a punching bag. The whole maternity ward would hear me. I'd be like "YEAH, I'M CRUSHING IT!!!!" And they would know what's up.
Nope
Love being a dad but envied absolutely nothing about pregnancy, labour of delivery.
Ladies deserve much more credit for what they endure and sacrifice!
Spare Her
Yes. I want two and I would happily carry them myself if I could spare my girlfriend the pain.