Space Pregnancy Program

Logo of the Space Pregnancy Program.

The Space Pregnancy Program is a program offered by the Sayaffallan Space Program in an effort to help pregnant mothers in Sayaffallah reach their fullest potential.

History

In 1988 a group of women physicians came together after suffering miscarriages to brainstorm on ways to improve the pregnancy process and to commiserate the loss of their child. These meetings began to turn into weekly meetings where they would gather together over coffee and doughnuts just to talk and during one of their evenings together they mused about the idea of having a baby in space. One day one of these women casually mentioned it to a friend who worked for a major conglomerate that had just made a partnership with the Sayaffallan Space Program and that friend mentioned it to her boss the CEO of the conglomerate. In short order the women were brought together by the conglomerate to share their thoughts and ideas and experiences and the idea of a space pregnancy program was born.

The SSP (Sayaffallan Space Program) officially embarked on September 1, 1988 with a test group of 300 pregnant women. The test group was split in two with one half of the group being given simulated zero gravity (placebo) experience during their childbirth process while the other test group was given legitimate zero gravity during their childbirth process. It was found that those in the placebo group had exactly the same result as those in the legitimate zero gravity group and that was an easier childbirth process with almost no pain to the mother during the process. Researchers conducted further tests on another test group of parents this time not informing them until seconds before they went into labor during the childbirth process that they would undergo childbirth in zero gravity. Those who were not told ahead of time had exactly the same result as those who were told showing that the effects of zero gravity rather than a mental reward was the pinpoint of the minimal pain in the study.

These test results were ultimately compared with results gleaned from 3600 (12 test groups of 300) with tests concluding on December 1, 1990. Over the years these children were monitored by their physicians with results reported to the SSP in regards to their physical and cognitive development and researchers found that over a 10 year period the cognitive and physical markers in comparison with their peers were universally significantly higher. The results showed a 100% unanimity in the results that every child who was born through zero gravity showed 75% greater intelligence, physical and cognitive development placing them directly ahead of their counterparts in the classroom.

On December 1, 2010 the results of the project were published in their entirety in a large press conference that went viral in Sayaffallah with all the original mothers and children participants (now grown) appearing for the conference. The results showed that in each scholastic test these children were at the top of performance in their class and among their peers because of the environment they were exposed to.

Conclusions

Researchers originally were at a loss to explain the advantages of zero gravity but upon physiological examinations they found that during the childbirth process the effect of having no gravity resulted in the child leaving the birth canal in a smoother motion without pulling taking place on the muscles and ligaments surrounding the birth canal resulting in very little effect on the groups of muscles and ligaments that are typically involved in a gravity induced childbirth experience. This meant that no strain or stress was placed on the child during the birthing process resulting in a much cleaner and "biologically normal" process for childbirth.

Phase II

"Blasting pregnant moms into space"

The obvious next part of the study was to start blasting pregnant women into outer space and send them to the Space Command Service Headquarters (SPCSHQ). The process of blasting to space was done on a delayed blue ionized rocket which delays the speed of acceleration during ignition thus reducing the significant g-forces normally experienced during launch. In addition to this strict protocols were conducted with these initial launches to ensure that the women were monitored at all times and had at least one medical personnel officer on the flight to observe and monitor the women during the flight itself to the SPCSHQ. Once arrival was achieved at the SPCSHQ the women were taken to a medical bay where they were observed until labor began and the birthing process could be completed under the supervision of SPCSHQ medical personnel.

These pregnancies and births were highly successful and saw even greater improvements on the levels of pain experienced in the trials conducted in Sayaffallah in zero gravity environments. What researchers and scientists found was that in a totally immersive zero gravity environment the results in Sayaffallah were multiplied exponentially making it even more successful. By year 2 of the launching trials the results demonstrated significant success and the trial was expanded and increased to 30,000 per year being sent to the SPCSHQ.

Conclusion

After four successful years the trial was closed and a commission report was published for the Parliament of the Nation to consider on whether or not the program should continue but as an official program now fully beyond the test and trial phase. The Parliament debated the matter for the better part of the year with critics worrying that sending a mother into space could be a difficult thing emotionally while supporters cited the statistical data showing that births in a space environment were far more likely to be closer to painless for the mother and provide a better chance at success for the child down the road.

Today

Over 62,000 women a year are selected as a part of a national lottery to have their child born in outer space with over 2.5 million applying each year to be a part of it. Women are screened before being entered into the lottery to determine whether or not they have preexisting conditions or any potential for conditions that could be hazardous during the transit and the birth experience itself.