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Anna Blix

40 WEEKS, A HUMAN PREGNANCY AND 81 OTHER WAYS TO REPRODUCE

It takes 40 weeks to grow a human baby, and along the way the relationship between the foetus and the pregnant woman bears resemblance to that of a parasite and its host. One takes and takes, while the other one almost dies in the process. Why do we as humans carry our babies inside our bodies for so long, and is there a reason that we are throwing up and feeling nauseous? Are there any better ways to reproduce? Does any living being reproduce in a stranger way than us humans?

Throughout the 40 weeks of a human pregnancy we meet another being who’s finished reproducing each week. The spotted hyena gives birth after only 16 weeks, but she has to give birth through a penis-shaped clitoris, which cracks open during labour. Do they have it easier? The common Surinam toad doesn’t have a uterus, but instead has evolved to have a swollen piece of skin on their backs where the eggs sink in. This way she can carry the offspring with her, instead of leaving the eggs in the water. Are there any signs that it’s actually quite clever how the human body handles it?

This book gives evolutionary comfort throughout the troubles of pregnancy and an explanation as to how we ended up here, as the smartest species with the most tiresome, but nonetheless not such a stupid way to reproduce.