Back When My Parents Were Expecting
Back when my parents were expecting, the dad was expected to
wait in the waiting room while my mom labored alone. He did not participate
much during the pregnancy either. Things didn’t change all that much when it
came time for my pregnancies. Oh, there were prenatal classes and birthing
classes and Lamaze classes to attend for both of us but did the dads-to-be
really fully appreciate what we moms-to-be were really doing as we created
life? Today, the mommy tummy suit helps males to understand more fully what
pregnancy is really like for their pregnant partner.
The Mommy Tummy Suit
The Mommy Tummy Suit brings reality into picture better than
any birthing class or pregnancy book can possibly do for the otherwise clueless
male. It is difficult to put into words just how it really feels to carry
another human being inside of your body, day after day, month after month. The
suit simulates what it is like to carry extra weight in the front of your body
when trying to bend over, pick something up, climb stairs, get into bed or get
out of a chair. The purpose of the Mommy Tummy Suit is to help males to have
empathy for the aches, pains and other discomforts that their partner is
experiencing. Some suits go further than just simulating the weight, they also
allow males to find out what it feels like to be kicked by a baby or to
experience breast enlargement.
The Suit Closely Resembles an Apron
The suit closely resembles the heavy apron worn over the
front of the body when women of childbearing years receive x-rays. This
pregnancy simulator was designed in Japan by Takayuki Kosaka and was showcased
in 2011 at the SIGGRAPH interactive technology conference. While the suit was
being tested in labs, 80% of mothers said that the suit accurately simulated
the experiences felt while carrying a baby in the womb. Males who were able to
try out the Mommy Tummy decided that it was better to be male instead of a
pregnant female according to a post on the Oddity
Central Blog by Spooky on August 15, 2011.