Pregnancy in Second Life®

26Feb10

Marina Medical Water Birthing Area

Looking to get pregnant? Get ready for a mind-boggling array of choices. There are plenty of maternity products and services for anyone wishing to have a baby. It may take some time to wade through all the options, but here is a preview of some of the main options to get you started.

Finding General Information

A notecard named SEX & Babies from Bouncing Bundles Maternity Center (SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lady%20Di/213/189/21/) explains the “birds & bees” in SL. It states, “this notecard has been created to clear up any confusion about sex and reproduction in SL. First of all avis do not reproduce no matter how long you putt two of them on a set of poseballs and whisper all kinds of words into each other’s ears which I will not repeat here.” Then, how do you get pregnant? “You become pregnant simply because you choose to be. Having a partner is completely optional although with most there usually is a partner to share the experience with. You start out by taking a pregnancy test. These are random object givers usually with a very high percentage of getting a positive test.  After all most people who take the test want to be pregnant and the clinic where the test is taken is in the business of providing maternity services.” In fact, anyone can test positive for pregnancy, including males.

After you receive the good news, you can find some basic information from the Brighter Beginnings Maternity Center Guide to Second Life Pregnancy by Tracee Seelowe. The book is free at the center (SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Silver%20Bow%20County/37/29/21/) and it offers advice and discusses the types of pregnancy products available and what they are used for. “First let me congratulate you on taking this opportunity to explore one of the most popular roleplay experiences in second Life,” the book begins.

Maternity Clinics

Maternity Clinics are excellent places to find the answer to any question. There is usually a staff member available to discuss the pregnancy process and next steps to take. There are a wide variety of clinics catering to different personality and roleplay types, as well as residents who speak languages other than English. Services are offered packaged and a la carte. A typical clinic will have: a reception area with information on all aspects of the pregnancy and birth; a shop for purchase of packages and products such as HUDs, AOs, babies, furniture and clothing; and exam rooms and delivery rooms. You will likely find clinic staff to be very friendly and talkative, although one staff person showed up in a holster with pistols. Upon being asked if she was security, she laughed and asked if she could be of assistance. You may want to check several clinics to help you make your decision about what services you like the best.

Asgard Delivery Room

Asgard Medical Clinic and Pregnancy Center (SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Good%20Region/54/217/701/) is near the top of the search list and is a typical clinic with friendly staff. You likely be offered a tour, no matter where you go. Always tour the facility before you purchase. The tour will give you an opportunity to see if you feel comfortable there and find out if you like the staff. Asgard is a very modern and clean-looking facility with reasonable package prices staring at L$4700 that includes “shapes, exams, delivery, baby and babycare HUD (shapes are only included if your shape is copy/mod/transferable).” If you have a package and want twins or more, you can purchase additional babies for L$1500 for prim baby, or L$2500 and L$3000 for newborn and infant (older baby), respectively. The price list given by notecard in the reception area or by a staff member is very extensive, the most thorough of any of the clinics covered by this article.

Keep in mind the package costs are sometimes dependent on the purchase of a specific product. At Bundle of Joy (SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bundle%20Island/122/116/24/), for example, if you don’t purchase the Bundle of Joy baby, you will have a separate price list. If you like the product offered, in this case the baby, and the package, you’ll be content. You’ll have to decide whether you want to pay higher prices for the service or want to shop around more, if you prefer a different baby. Also, purchasing your services separately or a la carte may ultimately be more expensive. If you purchase a package, you’ll get more for your Lindens.

Each maternity center has some unique attributes, sometimes offering services others don’t or sometimes providing a unique atmosphere.

Mother Goose Lobby

The first level of Mother Goose Maternity Clinic (Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Mirror%20Dimly/51/111/21/) has the look of a club. The clinic also has reasonable package prices starting at L$1500 with the baby purchased separately. The unique service offered here is, “something that most clinics do not, photo packages. These are a great way to freeze time and look back at this amazing experience.” The photo prices start at L$250.

Mother Goose offered some good advice for planning your purchase:

“This is the suggested order of purchasing things when you want to experience an SL pregnancy**

1. Conception HUD, if your [sic] not already pregnant.

2. Clinic package

3. Tummy Talker

4. Pregnancy AO, if you would like one.

5. Baby is the last thing you need to worry about. You don’t need baby until the day you deliver so we suggest making this the last thing you buy. This will also allow you to save up so you can afford the baby you really want.”

This center is also connected with an adoption service. Although this topic could fill an entire article by itself, it should be noted that there are options for people who aren’t interested in pregnancy, but want a child. As well, some adopt when their baby gets older, for the experience of a child growing up.

Heavenly Babies Maternity Clinic (SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Jeaden/182/103/21/) offers a Roman spa-like atmosphere, a circular reception area with huge marble columns. Packages start at L$1800 for clinic services. Other products such as HUDs and babies must be purchased separately. The clinic’s mission statement is appropriately listed on the notecard:

“We at Heavenly Babies Maternity Clinic are dedicated to enhancing your Maternal and Paternal experiences in all that we do.  This is a roleplay environment, and we will strive to give you the experience that you have always longed for.”

Curiously, this center offers abortions, which are unnecessary in SL, and are fraught with emotional and political issues in real life.

Marina Medical Massage Area

The uniqueness of Marina Medical Group and Maternity Resort (Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lavish%20Estates/26/160/22/) is that it’s truly resort-like. Bordering the ocean, it has a meditation area, massage hut and large park with a fountain. The birthing “rooms” are two separate buildings, each to be used by one client only. Each building has a bedroom area, a livingroom and a water-birthing area. One of the buildings has an Oriental theme and the other is very modern. The exam rooms are in a separate medical building across the courtyard.

Exams and Delivery

Exams and delivery are done by appointment. As in real life, if you miss a scheduled appointment, you may lose the opportunity to have it or be charged extra for rescheduling. Any “emergency” or unscheduled activities like exams, Lamaze classes or delivery carry an extra charge.

Products

The products associated with pregnancy are too numerous to describe individually.

Babies may be prim or sculpted. A baby may be custom-made. Baby types include human, furry, vampire, drow, gorean, mermaid, aiko and neko, each carrying costs for the modifications. You pick the name for your baby, but there is a cost associated with changing it after it is born. Birth certificates come with many pregnancy packages.

AOs and HUDs at Mother Goose

HUDs and AOs will make your avatar act and look appropriate for pregnancy. Starting from about L$700, a tummy talker is generally seen as an essential item. The tummy talker can be set to talk about the baby and its needs in local chat or only to you so that it doesn’t disturb other players.

Shapes may be purchased to simulate the growth of your belly or you may alter your appearance to grow as in a real pregnancy.

Maternity clothing is available in any style that suits you, from sexy to goth. Baby furniture and accessories are also available.

Let the Buyer Beware

Keep in mind as you browse all the services that most if not all clinics have a “no refund” policy. Purchase your services after giving some thought to what is most important to you in the experience. Do you want the entire experience with several exams and ultrasounds or would you be happy with a pared-down plan that is less expensive? Is it important to you to have a water delivery or will the standard birth suffice? Perhaps you will choose the standard option and leave more Lindens for a special baby.

At least one of the clinics has had some problems with phony staff. In this scenario, someone claiming to be staff of the clinic you’re visiting offers to take your payment. Sometime later, you find out they were only pretending to be staff in order to steal your money. To avoid this problem, always pay for services through the vendor on the wall or directly to the owner of the clinic. Find out the name of the owner and keep it on a notecard, if it’s not listed on the informational notecards passed from the clinic. Never pay someone you are unsure of; instead, tell them you want to think about it and contact the owner.

Finally, this advice is from Bouncing Bundles, “DO NOT remove anything from the contents of your baby. This includes all scripts, animations, sounds, objects or anything else. Not only will your baby stop working, but you will also void your warranty!…Tummys and other items can also cease to function if their contents are removed.”

Enjoy your roleplay, but be cautious regarding those problems. A bit of care will save you thousands of Lindens.

All the environments, products and services offer each SL woman or couple the pregnancy and birthing options of their dreams. Although the options may seem overwhelming at first, the client should be able to find almost anything in a pregnancy roleplay she could desire. From the atmosphere of the maternity clinic to the type of baby, she may find the options to suit her unique personality, as well as include her partner’s specific roleplay desires. Joyful wishes to those of you who are experiencing pregnancy in SL!

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