Monday, February 23, 2009

Do Men Get Pregnant, Too?

And so here is the product of my collaboration with Texas-based DadLabs--I supplied the idea and the framework; they made it manly and amusing (e.g., "your balls are falling off"):

Yes, I know I look and sound like a dork. I prefer to hide behind words: This research is reported in my book, The Daddy Shift, due out June 2009.

Thanks to my pal Axel for providing his living room and equipment!


Hunter Cutting said...

Great show. Cool topic. Nice whack on A-Rod.

Never seen their show before.

Despite their "manly" theme, there's a whiff of defensiveness in their tone that I think my boys would pick up on quicker than a Lincecum fastball.

Jeremy Adam Smith said...

I'm with you on that. When we were developing the segment, there was definitely a clash of Texas and San Francisco sensibilities: I was like, "Hey, good news, your body adapts for caregiving!" and Clay responded, "Yeah, but some guys will feel emasculated by that." So we talked about ways to get this message across to the beer-drinking, football-watching man-club. My book is definitely aimed at people who are already comfortable with the idea of caregiving fatherhood; I see collaborations like this as a way to meet other people where they are.

chicago pop said...

OK, the dude on the right looks like Bill Clinton.

I like the decor in the basement: a grenade, a dartboard, some JD on the bookshelf. Sweet.

Seriously though, the guy on the left said "evolution." There IS hope for Texas.

Hunter Cutting said...

Oddly enough, i think they are shooting themselves in the foot with their defensive posture.

saying "there's nothing to be ashamed about" to the "beer-drinking, football-watching man-club" is like waving the white flag of whimpiness.

That club is interested in being proud and loud. And, in a way, I don't blame them.

Showing that crew how to be proud about being a different dad, by modeling it, is the way to go.

Variations On A Theme said...

Okay. So it's TRUE that men's prolactin levels go up when their wives are pregnant? I had this man tell me that a friend of his started lactating when his wife had their baby. Is that even possible?

Jeremy Adam Smith said...

It is possible, but very, very, very unlikely. I've heard of stories (I've never actually tried to find out if this has been rigorously documented) of men who were isolated for extended periods with babies, started lactating, and were able to breastfeed (or is that chestfeed?) the babies. Since I'm not providing any evidence and don't of any offhand, this amounts to an internet rumor. When you think about it, however, it makes perfect sense that nature would build some redundancy into the system, for emergencies.

blue milk said...

I like your window!

Jeremy Adam Smith said...

Ha! That's actually the window of my buddy Axel, who filmed me. The next segment (on paternity leave) was filmed in my house, though you don't see much.