Err. Right.

I'm a little confused. If I was writing a fanfic, and someone was having a child, where would they go? I mean, is there a special ward in St. Mungo's that I've missed? Or would they have a nurse come in and deliver the baby at home? (Fun fun, eh? )
Any help would be much appreciated.

Hi!

Seeing as you're speaking about your own writings, then it's up to you really. St.Mungos is probably the best thing but, you're free to make something up. And..if you really don't know what to do, you can just miss it out! Unless it's going to be important or something..

Well..i hope that helped! IMO you can just do St. Mungos. But remember, its your own fanfic so you can be imaginative and make something up!

Yes, I agree with *dementor*, its your fanfci so you are free to do whatever you like. but heres an interesting thing to consider....would it be different having a baby in the wizarding world? could you magically just make it pop out without pain, or take a potion or something? hmmmm i dont know you do what you want I was just wondering

I agree if it's fan fiction you can make anything up.
Saint Mungo's probably has a ward but wizards could always go to a Muggle hospital. And there are probably other wizard hospitals in other countries too.

I've been wondering about that because as far as I know it doesnt say anything in the books- St. Mungo's can't possibly be the only wizarding hospital, can it? There must be other ones....but I haven't heard of any.

I WANT to believe that at least in the wizarding world, babies are delivered at home. Hospitalized just in case it's really necessary. I am sure that every village has got a mediwitch or mediwizard. Traditionally, witches were the best midwives...

Witchmom )O(

I dont know, maybe they have a special way, what I would do is make it up because thats what gets a writer good feedback, dang, look at JK, SHE MADE THAT ALL UP! She was on welfare with a little baby, now look at her, shes a multimillionaire!

Ok, I dont think there is a special way to deliver a baby. Perhaps a potion to calm the Mother's nerves, but come one, JKR is a mother and would not change the nature of childbirth for people who are all but normal humans. It would be foolish for her to create such a new twist on something so... set in stone. She would lose support, atleast by me anyway.


~Albus

...a special way???? I can't imagine the mediwitch, her wand in hand, saying "Accio baby!"
No, definitely. Albus, right, they're all but normal humans. Their body is human, though! They have families and have babies and they grow up, and they die...exactly as humans do.

Again, if I'd have to write a fanfic where a baby has to be delivered, I would set the scene in a comfortable wizarding world house, with a mediwitch or midwitch near the soon-to-be-mom. Fire in winter, open windows in summer.

In the Muggle world, pregnancy and delivering babies have become something to be treated medically in every single case. It's terrible.
I really think that witches, being more close to Nature, would be able to keep these things for themselves, asking for doctors only if necessary. After all, a mediwitch can apparate in 30 seconds....

I agree with Wicthmom, my guess is that babies, for the most part, are born at home under the supervison of someone who is trained to deliver babies. But if someone was more comfterble in a hospital delivering their child that way, that's their chocie.

I say if you want your fan fic to be tight on the harry potter facts, then it wouldnt be at st. mungos because I checked and there isnt a ward for maternity and stuff. But its up to you remember!!

St mungo's just seems like an accident and emergency hosiptal and wouldn't deal with births there's probabaly some kind of maternoty hospital but as no-ones had a baby yet it hasn't been mentioned yet - probabaly the mediwitch or mediwizard at home would be your best bet

i dont think women would be admitted to st mungos to give birth, maybe theres some kind of maternity witch or wizard who visits you at home or a maternity hospital somewhere. I bet the pain relief is a damn sight better than at muggle hospitals though!

From what we know through the books, ordinary wizards and witches are well capable of dealing with chilldbirth at home without needing the assistance of a Healer. I am also sure that a witch would know if something were wrong with the baby, and get herself to St Mungo's in an emergency.

Perhaps there'd also be an equivalent to a midwife -- witches specialised in making a home birth more comfortable, not necessarily fully-fledged Healers.

Well, I finally wrote the chapter with the birthing, hurrah, and I followed a lot of your advice and just had a medi-witch come into the home to help with the birthing. I'm writing a Narcissa fanfic, so she was having her baby, and I simply used the medi-witch. I had a feeling Malfoys wouldn't want to associate themselves with a common hospital where EVERYONE goes anyway.

Thanks for all of your help!

I have also been wondering about this detail nobody seems to mention in the books. I think St.Mungo's is the best bet. Its a hospital, so they must have SOME ward that delivers babies....

Well it depends. If you want a healthy living family go to St Mungos.

I f you want the mother to die or being injured at birth. Home birth is the option. Sorry bad explanation

Sorry, I don't agree. Being the mother of two, and a LLL activist, I am strongly convinced that for birthing a baby only two people are really necessary (apart form the baby of course): the mother and a good midwife.
This doesn't apply of course to ill women, but for thousands of years women have happily delivered at home. Hospitalization is something men have compelled women to accept, as caesarean sections instead of normal births.
You would be surprised in discovering that witches were the best midwives in the past, they even knew how to perform surgery and to give anesthesia!! But slowly, male doctors have kicked them off the official medicine, convincing people that they were dangerous!!

To go back to his may be a little OT, but witches are smarter than Muggles and they know a lot of spells and charms to make them comfortable during delivering at home. And if something goes wrong, a mediwitch can apparate in a few seconds.

I agree with Witchmom that going to St Mungo's would be a last resort -- necessary only if the baby or the mother is cursed, or in case of an illess that requires the presence of a Healer.

In all other cases, home would be the best place.

If the mother is a witch, and particularly if the mother's mother is a witch, she would know how to use magic to counteract the pain of childbirth, and she would know a technique to relax and help the passage of the baby. I would imagine that in the wizarding world, specific self-help books exist -- just like they exist in the Muggle world, available for those who want them. Molly bought Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests, so why not "How to Prepare for Your First Child"?

Then there could be midwives, or "mediwitches", with more sophisticated knowledge. An experienced midwife is worth her weight in gold, and can make the birth much easier than a team of obstetricians in a hospital.

Lastly, may I remind you that it isn't so long ago that women working in the fields gave birth without any assistance at all, and went back to hard physical labour the next day.

I would have my child at home(if I was a witch). I would know how to treat the pain with magic, I could also clean the baby with magic. Perfect place for the birth is home.

i was so surprised when it sed she was going to have a baby and why would harry be godfarther to it when they had that masive argument well i ges that they forgave each other what happend to baby teddy when tonks and lupin died were did the baby go and when they get married you cant exactly call tonks tonks eney more can u cou that isnt her last name is it and did ya notice when they got married lupin started calling her dora insted of tonks its so strange and imagen what a baby werewolf that can change the coulour of its hair would look like in the 7th movie they would proberly keep diying a babys hair or make it wair wigs lol but i wo so happy when they finaly got marryed and had a baby and at the end of the 6th book it wo so strange when they had that argument about tonks loving lupin

I know women throughout history have bad babies without help, actually, women's bodies are designed to have the babies, and I know for certain that in the medical community the best way to deliver a baby is to get your hands off of it and let the baby and the mom do the job.
In the wizarding community, though, St. Mungo's is the hospital, so I think they must have a maternity ward, just like they have a place for curses, and a place for crazy people (like Neville's parents). I think there's got to be Healers speciallized on that too! Anyway, I think that either way, having a baby at St. Mungo's or at home is possible and it's a choice that depends on the parent's who are having the baby. That's my opinion though!

I think that there would be midwives (or midwitches, if you will ) for regular magical births. I just get that feeling -- I mean, magic is handed down from generation to generation, and would be one of the oldest things in the world. Why would a witch, who would practice magic, rush off to a hospital? Home birth is such a natural thing. However, I would think that St Mungo's would have a maternity ward (of sorts) to assist witches with childbearing (particularly if something goes wrong after childbirth, or if the witch mom feels something is wrong during the pregnancy/birth). JMHO

just *magic* it out..just joking
probably go to st. mungos

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I disagree about the pain relief. At least, in Hogwarts there's no talk of pain relievers even when someone is told that a healing is going to be very painful (like growing back bones), or that a patient is in much pain, nothing is offered for relief of such.

As far as delivering at home; my grandmother had 9 children and all but one was delivered in her home by a midwife. The one that wasn't was delivered by Grandma herself as she squatted over a coffee can 'cause the midwife didn't get there in time!

By the way, when I had my first child I didn't know about Lamaze, so because the epidural didn't work, I had her naturally. I was a determined not to go through that again, though, and did Lamaze for the last two! It was great having no drugs pumped into my system or my baby and the delliveries were virtually pain free.

Well as a muggle I have already made up my mind that all I really want is a midwife. Because I want to have my child in the water now I don't remember what kind of birth that is called, but thats what I want to do. I figure this way, if I have a big enough tub or a jaquzi (sp?) tub - this is what I would prefer LOL! - then I can do what I need to do. And a midwife they help you through everything. But if they feel I am a risk because I do have seizures then I will have my baby the same way I was wanting to but only in a hospital!

Now if I were a witch, I would probably feel the same way!

I had wondered about that for ages, and now I'm writing a fanfic about that, I think I came to the best place. I agree with witchmom, in my opinion, who would be better to assist a woman than another woman? Men had slowly moved us aside, but I think a homebirth is sometimes healthier and far more relaxing both for the baby and the mom than a hospital, never minding how good it is.
Maybe there could be self-relieving and birth help books in the wizarding world, but the mom needs anyway a woman (at least her mother, or her mother-in-law) to assist her, but I don't think there could be many relieving means, because ... I don't know, I'm very unexperienced, but births are with pain, you give birth to your child with pain (I'm not very religious, but it's as God said it was going to be, after all), so besides helping to save your life in case of danger, maybe there're spells to calm you a bit. I agree in that, for example, there are medicines who are painful despite they mend what muggles couldn't, so maybe there're not many means to relieve a birth.
Well, now I'm going to remake my whole chapter. I had made Hermione giving birth to Rose in St Mungo's, but now my mind is wider

LOL DeSs, your funny! I really hope you all the luck in this world and the wizarding world on your fanfic. I really do! Anybody that can write a fanfic gets my appluase and full recognition!

Haha, nice topic.

I reckon a lot of magical babies would be born at home. I get the feeling a woman wouldn't want to endanger her child by spinning at top speed through flames even if they don't burn her. If Harry's glasses break...
I wonder if St Mungo's has a maternity ward.

I reckon all witches have home births, because of anything goes wrong they can side-along apparate to the nearest hospital anyway.

Also, it's probably much more stress-free...

I was reading the older posts and most everyone said they believe that witches have thier babies at home with a midwitch *by the way I like that word*. And at first I was reluctant, but after awhile I got to thinking about it....more than likely true. And I actually glad this was brought up because I too am writting a fanfic and somewhere in it I am having it to where Ron and Hermione have two more kids sometime after the 19 year later epilouge, probably 2 years after the epilouge takes place. Well it is more of a sequel than a fanfic, but I will post here chapter by chapter as a fanfic to get feedback. But yes that would sound about right....midwitch...at home! I think that would be good. And its like twinklepins said "I reckon all witches have home births, because of anything goes wrong they can side-along apparate to the nearest hospital anyway."

This is an interesting topic, and I'm glad I came here now. I'm currently writing a fanfic, and during the part I'm at now, Hermione and Ginny are pregnant with Rose and Albus. I'm thinking that wizards would of come up with some kind of way to prevent pain, make you happier, etc. Of course, Cheering Charms could be used, but then that might just make the matters worse. I agree with most of you in the posts I read said, that they would probably have home births. I assume there's a maternity ward at St. Mungos for high-risk patients, but you know they could not. It just all depends.