If giving birth is so painful, why do women have so many children?

Question

In the olden days women would have 10 or 15 children, even in the days of the depression. My Grandma had her children every two years, so she was able to control her desires. It could make sence to have four or five, but why not stop there. So in theory, is childbirth that painful. If so why would you want to do it again?

Answer 1

Child birth is painful, but it is also the most amazing experience a woman can have. After all she has grown a new human being. Shortly after the birth a woman believes all the pain was well worth it.

YOu mentioned your grandma. The reason her children were spaced every two years is not a matter of her controlling herself. What happens is that there is no new pregnancy during gestation, then the mother nurses for a year or longer which usually (not always, but usually) keeps the woman from ovulating. It is natures way of making sure that mom has a break from childbirth.

You would have to experience childbirth to understand why it is somethig a woman can do over and over again.

Answer 2

YES, giving birth hurts. I don't know how anybody could think otherwise. The pain however, does not last forever. The love for a child is like nothing else, and will never go away. Believe me, it can be hard to raise a child, but the good out-weigh the bad. One little smile from an infant can make the biggest, toughest Marine's heart just melt right on the spot. You could have the worst day at work, but you come home to see that toothless little grin...and everything is alright.

More to the point of your question though, woman had more children back then because they were home-makers. They grew up and lived on farms. The more hands you had around, the more stuff you could get done (as they got a little older anyway). The older kids would help raise their younger siblings, and everybody had chores based on their abilities. They didn't exactly have the best of birth control back then. Which brings up the fact that most religions believed that birth control interfeared with the 'Will of God.' You don't exactly have to have lived in the those times to know all of this though.

Answer 3

Well, yes it is painful, but it is tolerable, speaking from having two babies naturally. And the instant the child is born, the pain ends, and you have a beautiful new little life. The pain is hardly the biggest issue with childbirth. Most women have a small amount of anxiety about it, but the feeling of having created this new being and bringing it into the world is far more important than how much it's going to hurt. The thought of that makes the pain seem very minor. My husband and I have 5 children together, and at the moment we have decided that that is enough for now. But I have still left the option open. I didn't want to completely rid myself of that option, not knowing how I will feel in the future. With many women out there who are unable to bear children, I feel blessed that it has never been a problem for me. :) We love our children. Every single one of them is a blessing to us

Answer 4

a. your grandma and others in the "olden days" did not have birth control.
b. as someone else said, breast feeding helped with grandma's spacing
c. child birth IS painful (3 kids, 2 second term miscarriages) but not only is it worth it, the brain secrets an amensia chemical after birth to help you forget
d. for the world's sake, I'd say keep the number of children you have down to reasonable limits

Answer 5

In the olden days blessings of god were counted through the number of children and mothers and grand mothers used to be managers of human race.Probabaly people were not that "brutally rich"(meaning far above the necessary economic requirements for purposeful living) as at present and lived with repose invested in Providence rather than in stock markets. Perhaps the pleasure of bringing up children flushed out all painful moments of delivery just as the blissfull happiness of gender oneness waives all painful inconveniences during the sacred act. At present people are rich per capita but poor to bring up a family because professed knowledge and wisdom struck a deal with the devil
mephistopheles as narrated by Goethe in his famous novel Faust in the days when human desires began making inroads to technological innovations and industrial and commercial exploitations. What the great humanist deplored in his novel is at present ruling the roost.

Answer 6

Child Birth is painful. My sister went through it and she said she felt the pain at the time, but afterward after she held her baby she forgot how bad it was. Giving birth to a child is like every aspect of living. The harder you work for something and the more pain you endure makes achieving your goal that much more rewarding.

Answer 7

Birth control was an issue in the past. It was frowned upon for decent women to use birth control. Giving birth is painful. I gave birth twice. The reason I did was that I wanted my child to have a sibling. If you ever experience kidney stones you will almost know what it feels like to give birth. Get back with me then.

Answer 8

there's more to the theory which you missed out. Childbirth is the most painful physical experience in the world. However, miraculously our bodies (us lucky women) are genetically wired to forget about this pain within seconds after the baby is born. This pain is then slowly erased from the conscious mind over the course of months that followed. This is not an old wive's tale - it's scientifically proven.

Answer 9

It certainly beats oral surgery -- and you get children from it. Your grandmother was able to control HER desires? What about your Grandfather?

Previously, children were wealth. You put them to work in the fields. They died often, so you had more. Birth control didn't work very well.

Answer 10

Well, I think that a lot of women don't plan their pregnancies, so it isn't a matter of wanting to do it over and over...it just happens. Personally I think that no woman should have more than 2 children because the world is plenty populated as it is.