Explaining intercourse, conception,pregnancy and birth to children10Making babiesTo make a baby you need sperm (seed) from a man’sbody to join with a tiny ovum (egg) from a woman’s body.This is how it happens. When two adults feel lovingtowards each other they can really enjoy touching eachother’s bodies. Sometimes they decide to have sex.When a man and a woman have sex the man’s penisgoes into the woman’s vagina.When a man and awoman have sex theman’s penis goes intothe woman’s vagina.The sperm gets from the man’s body into the woman’s,and sometimes (not all the time) an egg from the womanconnects with one sperm from the man, and that mightdevelop into a baby.The egg that has joined with the sperm travels into a placein the woman’s body (called the uterus) where it settles into grow. It will go on growing for about nine months — thisis called pregnancy. When the baby is ready to be born,the muscles in the uterus stretch and push the baby outthrough the vagina, which also stretches so that the babycan get through, and the baby is born.What if a child has same-sex parents?We are all different but every human baby starts thesame way - with a tiny egg from a woman and a smallseed, called a sperm, from a man.Same – sex couples generally use assisted conception orsurrogacy, fostering or adoption to become parents.Explaining assisted conceptionThese are the ways a sperm and egg can join: sex between a man and a woman with the help of a doctor, sometimes the egg and the spermcan be ‘mixed up’ together and put inside the mother’s uterus.What to do if they just won’t talk (or letting go ofthe big talk concept)For those of us worrying about how to answer children’squestions, there are as many frustrated parents and carerswishing they had that problem. You are looking forward tobeing supportive and open, and helping your child throughpuberty, relationships and sexuality, and their communicationstops! First, know that this is part of adolescence. Youngpeople often need to work things out in their own way.Communication about values or providing information can stillhappen, just not as directly as you might have liked.There are some good websites (see page 62 forrecommendations), TV shows and CD-roms that might helptoo. Perhaps one of the most important things you can do as aparent is to support school sex education programs.35
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