Wizard Births

[bertiebott12]

I am writing the prologue of a Post-Hogwarts fic, where my two main characters are born. Do you think they would be born in a hospital? Is there some sort of spell that would work? The two families I am using are the Potters and the Malfoys, if that helps discussion any at all.

*Claire*

[Ironic Inspiration]

Hm, they'd most likely be born on a floor (Story, whatever.) in St. Mugo's designated for Birth. They would probably use magic for cleaning up the baby, cleaning out their lungs, and removing the embilical chord. (sp?)

I could also see them using such things like using a spell to see how the baby is positioned in the stomach. (A common problem in muggles is a baby trying to come out, say, back first, which would hurt them.) Also, potions would be used for numbing any kind of pain, I assume. Ginny would most likely bare the pain, while Draco's wife would be slinging the potions back.

Also, magic and potions would probably be used on the mother after the birth. Like cleaning her up, and making her skin take on it's old form. Maybe witches are not as affected right after birth as muggle, making them able to not have to have a ton of bed rest or anything. (Plus, Ginny just wouldn't stand for any of that, anyway.)

[Mollie Black]

I think that a wizarding birth would be very much like that of a muggle. I'm sure that there is a floor in St. Mungo's for babies, but I highly doubt that much about the birth is magical.

I agree that there are probably many more pain-relieving options for witches, however, I don't think that magic would be used to clean the baby and such. Maybe it would be used to heal any errr.... tears in the skin, but I assume that the pregnancy weight would have to be lost in a regular way.

Also, Ironic Inspiration brought up the idea of some sort of spell to see the baby's position. I wonder if exposing the baby to several spells while they are developing would cause problems with the baby. Babies are considered to be still developing until they are completely removed from the mother's body.

Any other specific questions you wanted answered?

-Mollie

[BertieBotsBeans741]

I agree. I think it would most likely be like a Muggle birth. Why would it be any different? Muggles and Wizards are both physical beings. I'm sure they might have pain relievers like Muggles do too, but I can't imagine anything too complex. I think they could be born in either a normal Muggle hospital but probably a Wizarding one, like Mungo's.

[A.H.]

As for the actual birth, I think it would be pretty similar to Muggle births. Of course instead of epidurals there would be potions, instead of sonograms maybe, like II said, there could be some kind of spell. Maybe they wouldn't even use try to see the baby at all...

What specific information are you looking for?

-Arianna

[lunaselenia]

Ok this is what i found on the internet. Types of birth:

Lamaze

The Lamaze method is the oldest and most popular technique of childbirth preparation in the U.S. Each year, over one million babies are born using this method. Lamaze uses distraction through active concentration, patterned breathing techniques, and focal points to help women escape the pain of childbirth. The method teaches women that through controlled breathing they can control pain. Lamaze partners are taught coaching techniques and massage to help reduce the perception of pain even further. Women also learn about labor and birthing positions, communication skills, as well as information on the postpartum period and breastfeeding.

Bradley

The Bradley Method emphasizes an extremely natural approach, disavowing the safety of sonograms, episiotomies, and regional anesthesia, and encourages the use of midwives instead of doctors. The Bradley Method was initially nicknamed the Husband-Coached Method for its then-revolutionary idea of including the husband in the birthing room, and believes that women cope better and have more positive birth experiences with their husbands present. Practitioners also believe that father-infant bonding develops faster when he is present at the birth. The Bradley Method encourages good nutrition and exercise throughout pregnancy to ease discomfort and prepare the muscles for birth, and instructs the woman to turn inward to relax and work with the contractions while continuing to breathe normally.

Hypnobirthing

Hypnobirthing is a fairly new technique, but it is gaining in popularity around the country. It advocates exercises to condition the body for labor, self-hypnosis to achieve a state of peace and calm during the birthing process, and abdominal breathing.

Water Birth

A water birth is exactly what it sounds like, giving birth to baby underwater. Warm water decreases hormone levels, blood pressure, the amount of pain, and adrenalin, the "fight or flight" hormone responsible for making stress level skyrocket and blood pressure rise, all while increasing endorphin production, which inhibits pain. Since perception of pain is influenced by anxiety level, the amount of pain experience while bathing also ebbs.

A lot of the discomfort associated with labor is caused not by baby's movement within a woman, but by the pressure gravity puts on skeleton, abdomen, and breasts. Water eliminates the power that gravity has over womans body and allows many positions to be much more comfortable. Water can also work on womans body parts to make them more cooperative. It encourages the cervix to dilate and makes the perineum more elastic, which means that it's less likely to tear. If it does tear, it's less likely that the tear will require a great number of stitches or an episiotomy. The warm water (between 90 and 101 degrees) can also make woman contractions more efficient by increasing the blood supply to the uterus.

The humidity and moistness of the air coming off the water can ease woman breathing. With breathing eased, the pressures on body lessened, the stress level lowered, and the pain decreased, a woman can expend all her energy laboring. Water births have been associated with faster delivery and less blood loss, though evidence supporting these claims, like most claims about water birth, is more anecdotal than scientific at this point.

Many people believe that water delivery is easier on babies as well. Water equalizes the pressure on baby, allowing optimal blood and oxygen flow during birth, and it has been credited with correcting minor malpresentations, like a misaligned head. Water is also said to be a gentle introduction for the baby to the world outside woman womb. Most midwives and doulas can help prepare for a water birth at home or at a birthing center, and most newer hospital units have birth tubs available. Waterproof fetal monitors are even available so that you can enjoy the benefits of both our technological age and this age-old method of pain relief.

And one funny fact that I found out. Womans during labors swears. A lot. Especially to the husband.

[hpheart]

There could be a potion of some sort that when you rub it on your belly (like the gel we use) but instead of then rubbing the sono-thingymibob on it, it sort of makes the skin go transparent or something like that. I think they would probably give the mother a pain-relief potion, and that would work until the baby is born and the umbilical cord cut, and it could travel tot he baby as well, so when the cord is cut, the baby wouldn't feel anything.

My 2 knuts