Pregnant vampires

Why not, they are alive after all.
But, remember they'd be drinking for two.

Bmwhtly said:

Why not, they are alive after all.
But, remember they'd be drinking for two.

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Er...not exactly. However, if a woman were pregnant at the time she was turned into a vampire...

Hmmm. I can remember a lot of debate on the various cult TV forums I frequent [being, as I am, a cult TV nerd] around the time vampire-with-a-soul Angel impregnated erstwhile undead squeeze Darla… the point being that as vamps don’t have a heartbeat they don’t have circulation, so she couldn’t have sustained a pregnancy. For that matter, neither should Angel have been able to get it up in the first place. But I guess the supernatural always finds a way.

Stressed said:

Hmmm. I can remember a lot of debate on the various cult TV forums I frequent [being, as I am, a cult TV nerd] around the time vampire-with-a-soul Angel impregnated erstwhile undead squeeze Darla… the point being that as vamps don’t have a heartbeat they don’t have circulation, so she couldn’t have sustained a pregnancy. For that matter, neither should Angel have been able to get it up in the first place. But I guess the supernatural always finds a way.

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Given that circulation is also necessary for walking, talking, and moving their hands, I don't see why lack of circulation should be any more odd in terms of conception/sex than in any other way. They're vampires. They can turn into bats if you like.

I had to build my own vampire mythology for Evernight, and I picked and chose from a lot of vampire lore out there. Most vampire myths would not allow for pregnancy, simply because vampires are dead, but as ATS demonstrated, if you build the deeper mythology that will support the idea of vampire pregnancy, then you can go for it. I think writing any supernatural creatures/mythology demands a lot of world-building, and it's important not to just have something dramatic (like pregnancy) be convenient, but to fit with the kind of vampires you've described.

Haggis said:

However, if a woman were pregnant at the time she was turned into a vampire...

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Ooh, intriguing.

No, they're not alive & their heart has stopped beating, which is why they need bood from, er, external sources. So I dont think a vampire can get pregnant. But could a pregnant women who has been bitten not sustain the pregnancy with the blood she drinks?

Haggis said:

Er...not exactly. However, if a woman were pregnant at the time she was turned into a vampire...

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Yep, like in Blade.

Haggis said:

Er...not exactly. However, if a woman were pregnant at the time she was turned into a vampire...

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Then you get the movie Blade.

Also, vampires and their lore are pretty flexible. Make up your own rules and stay consistent.

Actully Octavia E. Butler's last book Fledgling had a bit to do with pregnant vampires. Her vamps were basically just another species. . . a species that didn't like the sunlight. Of course she just rewrote the whole vampire mythology. In fact you should all read that book becuase it was awesome and I'm upset that there will not be another one. I'm going to go pout now.

My husband would say it depends on the story/legend.

I think a traditional vampire could GET pregnant, given that their body works just like normal when they've had a meal. The trick would be keeping it, as blood is often needed each night, and they can't feed while in the coffin. If a loyal sun-dwelling human kept a steady flow of blood into the vamp's system, it could probably work (and would be both a nifty trick, and a great subplot! )

Okay I´m about to display my ignorance here, but hey how else do you learn?

If it´s a vampire child (i.e. both parents are vampires) wouldn´t that have an impact on how the child obtains sustenance? Wouldn´t it be different to a human or half-human child? Or at least it COULD be, if you made it so.

Also would the pregnancy have a different gestation period?

Fascinating.

Would a vampire infant breastfeed? Puncture and slurp blood?

Some newborns can have teeth. Would the infant chew it's way out of the uterus? Slurp from its placenta?

midwife said:

Would a vampire infant breastfeed? Puncture and slurp blood?

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Yes, and also when the child was in the womb, would the delivery system be the same (umbilical chord)? Maybe some kind of IV could be used?

Again, if I´m displaying my ignorance, apologies. Just kind of thinking out loud really.

gia -- you're writing fiction so you decide. While there are people who drink blood, vampires are mythical. Make them what you want to make them.

No.

Vampires spread their kind by biting.

They are un-dead. They don't create life.

The undead variety of vampire would not be able to procreate sexually. However, varieties of vampires that were basically just an alternate species hemovore or hemophage could. there really needs to be a term for hemophages that are not undead, other than lumping them all in under the general term "vampire."

Sassee said:

Then you get the movie Blade.

Also, vampires and their lore are pretty flexible. Make up your own rules and stay consistent.

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I'd go with this. Make up your own rules.