In our modern world it seems that men are not supposed to have an opinion on anything having to do with pregnancy or childbirth, this strikes me as absurd. I believe that raising a family is the most important thing that a person does in their life and that if two people chose to proceed along this path that they should do so together. The following is a list of my opinions about modern medicine, childbirth, and babies.

1) Amniocentesis, this is an invasive test that is used to check the fetus for genetic disorders, detected there is still little that can be done. The test itself can cause a woman to miscarry. So unless you are willing to risk killing a healthy baby in order to give yourself the option of killing an imperfect one then there is generally no reason for this.

2) Ultrasound, this is an amazing technology it allows doctors to see inside the womb without using more invasive tests, but ultrasound is not without risk. The high frequency heat and sound emitted by these machines has been shown to effect tissue growth in laboratory settings. There is a possible correlation between multiple ultrasound sessions and the rate of Autism in children. There are times when this technology can save life’s, but the risks are real and it should not be used unnecessarily.

3) Breastfeeding can be inconvenient and uncomfortable yet it is still the best thing for the child. A mothers milk is the baby’s natural food, from her milk the baby will get antibodies to build its immune system, and the perfect balance of nutrients for its growing little body. Children who are Breastfed have statistically higher IQ’s, don’t get sick as much, and are happier.

4) Vaccines, without question vaccination has saved millions of lives, but children today are given a dizzying array of vaccines many of which are meant to prevent normal childhood illnesses like the chickenpox. The downside of unnecessary vaccination is the side effects. Every vaccine affects every patient in a unique way, A certain percentage of children suffer severe neurological damage from vaccines. I was one of them; I reacted to the DPT vaccine as a baby. I am now 29 years old, I have lived in pain every day of my life, I recently returned to college where I must use a laptop to take notes in class because I can’t use pen and paper well enough to write legibly. All of this for a vaccine that kept me from getting the whooping cough, an illness that claimed the lives of thousands of children in the 19th century but that can now be easily treated with antibiotics.

I think that this pretty well sums up my opinions on the matter. Any woman whom I raise a family with will have to be willing to do what is best for the children. I know that I am right about these things and I don’t care what anyone says. I want a family, I want 5 or 6 children and I hope that someday I will find a good woman who wants the same thing.