WHat To Expect When You're Expecting - Witch Edition

[heidi]

No: HPFGUIDX 339



Rita Winston wrote:

>
> However, I have become attached to believing that female werewolves
> cannot bear live children because the monthly shape-shifting is too
> hard on the fetus.
>
> > What about other shape-shifters?  What would happen if a female
> > animagus transformed while pregnant?  The Child would have to be
> > transformed too... Wouldn't it?
>
> I believe the Animagus shape-shifter (and Transfiguration
> shape-shifts, like 'someone had turned his friend into a badger') are
> much different from were-ism. That way, the fetus can transform back
> and forth without being harmed.
>

A lot of magic things make me wonder about what pregnant women do about them
- I can imagine that flying on a broom is pretty tough at 9 months -
personally, I found sitting in the passenger seat of a car pretty tough at 9
months - but it would also be pretty hard to fly with a newborn (how *do*
they get home from the hospital?) - I assume that parents of newborns, and
probably any baby too young to sit up & hold onto their parents' broom wear
the baby in a sling (if you're not familiar with attachment parenting & want
to see what that looks like, go to
http://store.babycenter.com/baby/g/product/prn/00/06/ - I can see flying
while wearing a baby in one of those) or a baby bjorn carrier type thing
(see http://store.babycenter.com/baby/g/product/600/23/72/1.shtml).
However, I cannot imagine apparating while pregnant - seems like you
seriously increase the risk of Splinching or mangling Mommy & Fetus - but
unless witches know the instant they are pregnant (which *may* be the case)
then there's a chance of apparating during the first few weeks of a
pregnancy without knowing & doing damage ot the fetus or the mommy.

As a (more or less) new mom, I actually have thought about what sorts of
pregnancy & baby books they have for wizarding households, and if I ever
develop the creativity to do a fanfic, especially given how much I loved the
"You bust slug!" portion of the Camping at the Quidditch World Cup scene,
it'll involve pregnant witches & baby wizards. Unless someone wants to take
that idea from me now (please ask me to beta-read!)