'The Fantastic Four' makes us ask: Is it possible to give birth in space?

USA Today

4 days ago

Spoiler alert! The following story contains major plot details about "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" (now in theaters).
As Sue Storm, Vanessa Kirby gets to turn invisible and generate force fields to save the world from a cosmic giant.
But in Marvel's "The Fantastic Four: First Steps," her most superheroic feat just might be giving birth in zero gravity.
Midway through the film, a very pregnant Sue ventures into space with her husband Reed (Pedro Pascal), brother Johnny (Joseph Quinn) and friend Ben (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) to confront Galactus (voiced by Ralph Ineson) and his fierce mininon, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). As luck would have it, she goes into labor just as Galactus threatens to destroy the Earth if they don't hand over their then-unborn son, Franklin.
The superheroes run back to the ship, where Sue starts to have contractions. Between contractions, she uses her powers to make the vessel invisible to hide it from the villains. While Johnny is off trying to kill the Silver Surfer, Ben stands at the foot of her makeshift delivery table in order to catch the baby, and Reed holds his wife down so she has gravity to push.
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While it's nowhere near as traumatic as Kirby's birth scene in her Oscar-nominated "Pieces of a Woman," it's still an incredibly intense moment as our heroes attempt to deliver the newborn in fraught circumstances. And according to experts, the movie's depiction of zero-gravity birth isn't far from the truth.
"Labor and delivery is not dependent on gravity, so births would be expected to occur without gravity," says Dr. Hugh Taylor, chair of the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine.
Nonetheless, he adds, "there are many aspects to consider. Movement cannot be well controlled, and positioning may be difficult. Movement of the baby or maneuvering the baby to aid in delivery could set the mom moving rather than the baby. The mom would need to be held in place. Strapping down the mom and any healthcare providers would be necessary. Amniotic fluid, blood and other bodily fluids would fill the room rather than drain to the floor. On the brighter side, no one would ever have to worry about dropping the baby!"
Taylor is not aware of any humans or animals that have actually been born in space. But if it was to occur, he says the biggest issues would be cosmic radiation, as well as a lack of resources to care for the infant after it's born.
"The developing fetus is more sensitive to radiation and there may be a greater risk of pregnancy loss or problems in development," Taylor says. "There are not likely to be medical units to care for newborns in space. Without the advanced care such as NICUs, some babies would be in jeopardy. Normal development after birth is far more dependent on gravity; this would clearly affect the growth and development of the baby. I would be more worried about the baby than the delivery."
In short, what you see in "The Fantastic Four" is "feasible, and could occur," Taylor continues. "However, I would not recommend it. It would not be optimal for the baby's health."