It is possible to give birth to a child in space

[Lionel]

It is quite possible to conceive, bear and give birth to a healthy child during a space flight. An expert of the Russian Institute of Medical Sciences and Biology Lyubov Serova expressed such an opinion in the interview with RIA Novosti.

"Of course, not every woman is capable of such a feat - she has to be absolutely healthy and in an excellent physical shape. However, from a medical standpoint it is entirely possible," she underlined.

"The pregnancy period of a "space-Mom" is somewhat comparable to a pregnancy period of a woman practicing extreme sports who decided to conceive a child during a high-altitude expedition," says Mrs. Serova.

According to the expert, the first embryological experiments have been conducted on white rats. In 1983, the Soviet Union launched a bio-satellite Kosmos-1514 with a pregnant rat on board. "The duration of pregnancy among rats is only 22 days, and we had to deliver the offspring upon the rat's return to Earth," clarified Mrs. Serova.

Experts did not discover any serious pathology in "space-born" rats. However, they were thinner and weaker than Earth-born rats and for a while lagged behind their congeners in mental development. The situation with their mother was worse - during a five-and-a-half-day flight, the rat lost almost a quarter of its weight, and doctors noticed some hormonal and endocrine system changes in its body. "I even wept when I saw the shape the rat was in upon the return, but she fought it through and even delivered a rather decent offspring," recalls Mrs. Serova.

On different occasions, bio-satellites carried tritons, frogs, and even pet fish into space. They all had some problems with their development, but quickly recovered upon the return to Earth. "Positive experience accumulated during numerous embryological experiments on animals and amphibious organisms give us hope that one day we will welcome the first human "space-Mom" with a bouquet of flowers," says Mrs. Serova.

Source

[Pinecone]

I don't see why there would be any problems. Except maybe in bone development and cell migration. But it seems that embrionic fluid would make an unborn child effectively weightless anyway.

The real question is sex in space. I plan to volunteer for experiments on that!

[Seraphina]

What interests me is exactly why on earth you'd need to give birth to a baby in space...or why on earth a woman far along enough to be close to giving birth would actually be in space in the first place

[Xenojjin]

What interests me is exactly why on earth you'd need to give birth to a baby in space.

This is an experiment we may not need now . But it is quite possible that within the next hundred years or so we may begin to colonize space ( such as the moon ) . Due to this having information on how space birth should be carried out may prove usefull in the near future , especially if they find the girl must go through a specific excersise procedure while pregnent in space for a heathy baby / eat certain foods ect . . But for now ... its pretty useless .

[moe eubleck]

What interests me is exactly why on earth you'd need to give birth to a baby in space...or why on earth a woman far along enough to be close to giving birth would actually be in space in the first place

Well its a long way to mars. Breeding would be an efficient way to pass the time.

[Melladior]

I don't know about space, but I'd sign up for giving birth in a giant vat of local anesthetic...'cause, you know...OOOUUCH!!!

[moe eubleck]

I don't know about space, but I'd sign up for giving birth in a giant vat of local anesthetic...'cause, you know...OOOUUCH!!!

Why are you yelling????

and yes ouch, My mother once told me that it was like sh***ing a pumpkin. My wife did not argue.

[Unexplainable]

who in their right minds would want to give birth to a child in space?

[PsychicPenguin]

We will need the knowledge for space colonization which is going to start pretty soon (well, maybe 200 years or so). I don't think there will be any problem though, as real colonists are going to travel in a space station with fake gravity. The problem emerges as the colonists land on a planet with different gravitational acceleration as earth.

BTW, NASA has just started a mission to send human to mars. Hopefully Georges will be smart enough to fund this mission instead of another stupid war.

[Unexplainable]

which war isn't stupid anyway?

[PsychicPenguin]

Well, don't you know that wars actually serve as technology booster? Just look arround you and count how many technologies originate from military application: from jet engine to orange juice

Anyway, back to topic. Do you think martians (future humans that colonize mars) will have any health problem due to weaker gravity?

[Benjo Koolzooie]

who in their right minds would want to give birth to a child in space?

Not me that is for sure.

Oh. I'm male.

[doomgirl]

Giving birth is just that, it's done everyday, so why would it matter where it was done.

Imagine though, your the first woman to give birth in space, your hot, your sweaty, your cranky, you have this little alien thing coming out of a place that doesn't seem like it will make it, and all you have is a camera filming every moment of it, so that everyone can see and study it. No thanks.

I've also heard that it's like um shyting a watermelon before Moe

ouchies

Doomie

[*MoG*]

Space babies....

I don't doubt it will be done one day, the problem would only come in a low or zero gravity atmosphere.

It would be very, very, very messy.

It's not just the baby that comes out there are several different types of fluids as well as on occasions some solids as well.

Speeking personally, I had my baby by caesarean section, where by I lost over 2 pints of blood, I don't think I would have coped very well seeing that floating around the room.