How babies are made
How babies are made
How Babies Are Made
The other day, I was at my friend Tina‘s house and spotted this amazing book…
How Babies Are Made (update: bummer! they’ve sold out of lower priced copies) was originally published back in 1968, which was an awesome year for graphics (Rosemary’s Baby, Zeffirelli’s Romeo & Juliet, etc).
The authors explain simply and clearly how flowers procreate, then chickens, then dogs, then people. The tone seems very respectful of young readers, and the authors understand what children would want to know (for example: “The doctor removed the umbilical cord. This did not hurt”). Plus, the paper-cut illustrations are fantastic.
Here’s a peek inside…
How are babies made?
From ovulation to ejaculation, these are all the different steps that need to happen to make a baby.
By Kristina Cappetta November 22, 2018
Knowing the mechanics of how you get pregnant can be helpful when it comes to understanding your fertility. So here is exactly what happens.
It starts with ovulation
Without ovulation, you will not be able to conceive a child naturally. Ovulation is the process that releases a mature egg from a woman’s ovary into one of the fallopian tubes so it can be fertilized. Ovulation is prompted by a series of hormonal changes.
A couple of days before ovulation, one follicle in the ovary becomes the dominant follicle and it carries the oocyte (an immature egg cell) for that month, explains Sara Twogood, an OB/GYN and assistant professor of clinical obstetrics and gynaecology at the USC Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles. The dominant follicle isn’t identified until a couple of days before ovulation then matures until ovulation, she adds.
You will experience a spike in luteinizing hormone, the egg cell undergoes changes, then 36 hours after the LH surge, the oocyte will be released from the ovary, which is what we call ovulation.
Since each woman’s menstrual cycle differs in length, the exact time of ovulation varies. Most women ovulate about 14 days before their period. But things like stress or illness can affect your hormones and in turn influence when you ovulate.
This is why many women use ovulation tests to predict when they’re ovulating. Tracking your basal body temperature or examining your cervical mucus can also clue you in to when it’s prime baby-making time.
Then you need sperm
An egg by itself isn’t going to produce a baby. It needs to have a rendezvous with a man’s sperm.
It’s estimated that men make 1,500 sperm every second of every day! You don’t need to be a mathematician to know that’s a lot of sperm.
But it takes 72 days for a single sperm to mature. Each starts as a germ cell that, when nourished by “nurse cells” in the testicle, become sperm. When it finally grows a tail, it can swim out into the epididymis (the duct behind the testes). Here, the sperm will brush up on its swimming skills and hang out until it leaves the body through ejaculation.
When men ejaculate, they can release anywhere from 40 million to one billion sperm! While that number seems high, very few make it to the egg.
The vagina is a very acidic and deadly environment for these little guys (many die within minutes of arriving)—and that’s just the beginning of a long and tedious journey for them. The sperm must swim through the cervix to get to the uterus and eventually find their way to the fallopian tube. There is no GPS, so by this point many sperm have swum in the wrong direction or have just run out of energy.
Once the sperm finds the fallopian tube, it’s all about timing.
If the egg meets the sperm
If the sperm is lucky, a woman would have just ovulated and an egg will be on its way soon. But this waiting game is one with an expiration date. Sperm can stay alive for 72 hours, perhaps a bit more, in the female reproductive system, says Twogood. But after ovulation, an egg only lives for 24 hours at most. So it really is a race against time for the sperm and the egg to meet. And your odds of getting pregnant each month are 25 to 35 percent if you are under 35 years of age.
When a sperm does finally meet the egg, it’s time to get down to business. “There is an activation that helps the sperm penetrate the outer protective layer of the egg, and enzymes are released that remove the extraneous parts of the sperm so the chromosomes can join with those of the egg,” says Twogood.
Once the sperm and egg connect, the zona pellucida (the external surface of the egg) undergoes a reaction, which makes it impossible for other sperm to attach and penetrate the egg, explains Twogood.
In a perfect world, the sperm makes it to the fallopian tube, waits for the egg and fertilizes it inside the uterus. However, in rare cases the fertilized egg implants somewhere other than the uterus. When this happens, an ectopic pregnancy can form. This typically happens inside the fallopian tube and is not a viable pregnancy. If not dealt with immediately, it can be life-threatening. According to the Mayo Clinic, the first sign of an ectopic pregnancy is pelvic pain. You should also watch out for light vaginal bleeding, an urge to have a bowel movement and shoulder pain. If your tube ruptures, the pelvic pain will get worse and you may experience light-headedness and even faint.
If the egg is never fertilized, the lining of the uterus is shed and you get your period. Contrary to what some people believe, sperm doesn’t come out when you get your period—they die off and get absorbed by the body.
A baby is made
Can you increase your odds of getting pregnant?
You may wonder if there are any positions that are better than others for increasing your chances of conceiving. Ejaculation inside the vagina is necessary to make a baby, but it doesn’t actually matter which position makes that happen, explains Twogood. Some people think lying on your back for several minutes after getting busy will act like a speed pass for the sperm to get to its destination. That’s not true, says Twogood.
It’s also not true that a woman needs to have an orgasm to get pregnant. “It’s theorized that the contractions of the cervix and the uterus may help facilitate the movement of the sperm,” says Twogood. But there has never been any research to back up this belief. So, in the end, do what feels right for you and your partner. With the right timing, you could have a baby in nine months!
How Are Babies Made?
How are babies made? We speak with Cory Silverberg, author of What Makes A Baby, for answers to questions about how we all come into the world.
This is a conversation that welcomes all kinds of families as we answer questions about why babies don’t hatch out of eggs, why boys have nipples, why girls have babies but boys don’t and how come some people look more like one parent more than the other. We also explore how we get our last names and how two people can have the same last name when they’re not related.
In his book What Makes a Baby, Cory Silverberg begins by reminding kids and grownups that there are really two questions: what makes a baby in general, and then the more specific question that is unique to you-where did you come from. That’s a question that only your parent or parents or the adults who love you can answer.
While there are lots of ways that babies join families, some things are true for all of us.
«For all humans to be born we need three things. We need to start with an egg; we need to start with a sperm; and those come from two different bodies. And then we need a third body part which is called a uterus. That’s where we grow, where this tiny, tiny thing grows into a baby, which is the thing you are when you are born,» Silverberg explains.
«Almost everyone has nipples. Before we’re born, when we’re just beginning to grow, we’re just a tiny thing, all of us start out pretty much the same. We develop some body parts that we all have by the time we’re born: all humans have a heart, we all have bones, we all have lungs, and we all have a brain. And amazingly we all have nipples!»
Nipples are one of the body parts that develop before a baby’s gender has been determined, so both females and males have nipples, but the tissue underneath grows differently once an embryo gets further along.
Here are some book recommendations from Cory Silverberg.
What Makes a Baby
By Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth
A book about where babies come from that works for every kind of family, regardless of who is in it and how the child came to be.
Who Are You? The Kid’s Guide to Gender Identity
by Brook Pessin-Whedbee and Naomi Bardoff
Also simplified, but a good introduction on gender identity written and illustrated for younger children.
Books Geared to Kids 7 to 10 (ish)
The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Younger Girls
By Valorie Schaefer and Josee Masse
Only for girls, and not trans inclusive, but still one of the best books to cover a range of sexuality and puberty related topics.
It’s So Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families
By Robie Harris and Michael Emberly
Covers reproduction including intercourse gestation and birth, with a focus on heterosexual, gender normative parents and kids.
Sex Is a Funny Word
By Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth
Covers body parts, boundaries, touch, and an extensive gender section for kids and families of all identities and orientations.
Stacey’s Not a Girl
By Colt Keo-Meier, illustrated by Jesse Yang
A picture book about a kid who knows they aren’t a girl, but isn’t sure if they are a boy.
Listen to the full episode for answers to all of your baby questions, and for a discussion about traditions surrounding last names.
5 of the Best Reviewed Books for Kids on How Babies Are Made
Where do babies come from? At some point in your parenting journey, you might hear this question from your young child. What do you say? Where do you start to explain how babies are made?
If your little one is asking this question, then they are probably at a stage where they will be able to understand and absorb an age-appropriate book that explains it to them. A book could help you navigate this conversation with your child more easily.
As young as 2 years old, children can start to show some curiosity about how babies are made and where babies come from. Their curiosity does not always match their actual level of readiness for what any book will teach them though. You should always flip through these yourself before you introduce them to your child. You may have a different perspective on whether your child is ready for the information in them.
Disclaimer: At no additional cost to you, I may get a small commission for purchases made through links within this page.
5 of the highest reviewed books for kids on how babies are made
What Makes a Baby is written for preschoolers up to 2 year old. The book explains things in quite simple terms. Exactly what you need. You might also like the fact that it takes a non-gendered approach to explaining how babies are made. If you are bent on having a book on sexual reproduction with pictures, this one has illustrations but not graphic photos. It explains that there are different ways for a baby to be conceived and to come into the world. It is great for toddlers or preschoolers who are starting to become curious.
This also contains illustrations. It goes into quite a bit of detail about the technicalities of how babies are formed but in a way that children will be able to understand. It is straightforward in its approach which you might appreciate. Consider this book for your child if they are between the ages of 8-12 years. The book is targeted at children all the way up from preschool.
If you want a combination of facts and humour, you’ll find it in this book. You can get this for a child of around 10 years old. It is, however, at a reading level of 7-10 years old. It also goes into what is appropriate and inappropriate touching for children in a clear and easily understandable way. It will make having “the talk” with your kid a lot more fun for both of you.
This does exactly what it says it will do – explains how babies are made. It is quite a visual book with beautiful illustrations. The book uses illustrations to explain things in a fairly direct way but it is not too explicit. It does not get into any more detail than it needs to. At your discretion, anywhere from age 5 or 6, you can introduce this book to your child. It is also straightforward and children find it easy to understand.
Pre-schoolers are the target of this book. Parents who approve of this book agree that it really is “just enough” of what your child needs to know about how babies are made. It does not include any information that your toddler or preschooler would find it difficult to understand and neither does it over-complicate anything.
Many parents of multiple children find that their first child, for example, will suddenly become curious when a second child is about to arrive.
Have you used books to speak to your little and younger children about how babies are made and where they come from?
If so, which books did you use?
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