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ah, the joys of motherhood.
It starts with morning
sickness. Then weight gain.
Stomachs distend. Breasts
swell.
By the ninth
month, many
women com-
plain
of
breathless-
ness and fa-
tigue. Emotions run
wild, spurred by anx-
ieties over the im-
pending birth. Will
the baby have two
hands, 10 fingers, 10
toes?
Will he be attrac-
tive? Will she be
smart?
Dr. Mark Schare,
a board-certified ob-
stetrician-gynecolo-
gist with Beaumont
Hospital, runs a pri-

If Men
Had
Babies.

0 0

32

vate practice in West Bloomfield
called the Women's Health Spe-
cialty Center. All pregnancies are
different, but one of the common
complaints Dr. Schare hears
from women is that their men
don't give them the support they
need.
"They tell me their husbands
just don't understand why
they're so tired, why they hurt,"
he said.
Not long ago, the doctor was
leafing through a medical cata-
logue when he came across an
advertisement for an "empathy
belly," made by Birthways Inc.
in Washington. The 40-pound
smock of canvas, Velcro and met-

machismo gets the better of changes that occur when a
them. But for the brave, open- woman is pregnant. As the stom-
minded souls who dare to don ach enlarges, the typical woman
paunch and bosom, a heightened balances herself by leaning
level of awareness becomes man- backwards. This often leads to
back pain.
ifest.
As the pregnancy continues
"I can feel it in
my legs," says Jeff and the fetus increases in size,
Kersten of Troy. the uterus pushes up against
Lumbering around the intestine, which puts pres-
the room, Mr. Ker- sure on the diaphragm. Breath-
sten starts feeling ing problems can ensue,
a dull ache in his augmenting fatigue. Additional
pressure on the bladder causes
lower back.
"Try running af- discomfort and frequent bath-
ter a kid," Dr. room runs.
Schare recom-
mends.
Mr. Kersten
chases an imagi-
nary child. His face
reddens. His
breath quickens.
"It's tough," he
admits. "It's really
tough."
Mr. Kersten and
his wife, Cindy,
— Dr. Mark Schare
were among a
dozen people who
attended one of Dr.
Schare's free em-
Dr. Schare says there are as-
pathy belly semi-
nars, recently held pects of the ordeal even an em-
at the West Bloom- , pathy belly can't help men
field Beaumont *understand.
"I would never, ever say that
Building on Or-
chard Lake Road. this is pregnancy. The most dif-
The seminars pri- ficult thing of all is realizing
marily target hus- you've got another life to take
bands, wives and care of," he said. `lie empathy
young women in-- belly can't really do that for you."
After several minutes of preg-
terested in learn-
ing more about nancy, Kevin Cook of Clawson,
slides out of his 40-pound at-
having babies.
With charts and diagrams, Dr. tachment.
"It's a lot of work," he says.
Schare explains the anatomical
"I'm empathized enough."
So, what's next?
Some women (with vendettas)
might suggest "empathy
deliveries," complete with labor
pains, dilations and the after-
math: varicose veins and stretch
marks.
Dr. Schare considers the idea
for a fleeting moment. His ex-
pression twists in anticipatory
agony. Saving members of
his sex the torture and torment,
he arrives at a definitive:
"Nah."

"The most difficult
thing of all
is realizing you've
got another life
to take care of."

Dr. Schare explains the anatomy of a pregnancy.

...would there be any? Guys come
to terms with pregnancy.

RUTH LITTMANN STAFF WRITER

al balls fits over the shoulders
and around the waist. It features
breasts and a pouch filled with
water and weights. When worn
properly, the empathy belly sim-

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ulates pregnancy.
Upon first glance, Dr. Schare
had a hard time taking the
contraption seriously. The
hefty $900 price tag didn't
help.
"At first, I thought, what a
joke. It's just a gimmick," he
said.
But the more he heard
women lament, the more he
felt compelled to raise the male
consciousness. Hence, he
bought a belly.
"The main purpose," he
said, "is really to get the men
to open up their ears. I want-
ed to help husbands and wives
get more out of their pregnan-
cy."
For starters, Dr. Schare en-
courages husbands to accom-
pany their pregnant wives to
regular office visits. He gives
them the option of wearing the
belly, and many men gladly put Little Shannon can't quite
it on, wheezing a bit in the figure out why daddy, Kevin
Cook, suddenly looks a lot like
process.
"Suck in. Breathe out. Suck in his mom.
again," Dr. Schare instructs as
he fastens the straps tightly
around men's midriffs.
Galen Kersten decides a belly
would definitely impair a
Some guys decline. Even in an
game of golf.
era of political correctness,

❑