Wed, Oct-12-11, 17:10
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Senior Member
Posts: 3,423
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Plan: Atkins (loosely)
Stats: -/-/-
BF:
Progress: 40%
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
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Martin, your modesty never cease to amaze :P
I remember some Weston price stuff that hunter gatherers had an easier thing given birth. So yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if nutrition can change the size of the pelvis.
Regarding the other comments regarding pre-natal care. They actually had that. Apparently most populations had a sacred food(s) that was given to pregnant and nursing mothers. That food what typically very high in nutrients. I forgot where I read that though. So yeah, they had natal care covered. Of course if the group is starving, then yes, the babies might suffer. But remember that a growing baby is very much like a growing tumour. If the nutrients are insufficient, it take it from the mothers organs, bones and muscle.
So to comment on your comment Martin, I'm sure that men applied their intellect when it came to reproduction. But it's still a chancy thing, and a lot can go wrong. Look how many cesareans are performed. Granted, a lot of those are unnecessary (like so many medical procedures) but the ones that ARE necessary would probably result in the death of the mother and/or the child, had they not been performed. Once you deliver the baby, you can get infections, you can bleed to death, so many things can and do go wrong.
And human babies are much more fragile than other species. They are helpless for a very long time, which multiplies the potential for mishaps. Most other animals are grown and ready to reproduce by the time a baby stops nursing. Herbivores typically can follow their mother within hours of being born. Some prey species are more vulnerable, but they often compensate by having a high reproductive rate.
Also other animals probably have a very high infancy death rate. If a doe, for example, managed to produce one baby per year during her lifespan, and most of those offspring survived, we would be neck deep in deer. Same for predators, who usually produce a litter every year. So it might well be that despite our high infant mortality rate, we do much much better than most species. How else would we have covered the world from pole to pole like a plague of locust. I am reminded of that every night when I use the bus to commute home.
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