Is it even safe for a pregnant woman to be in close proximity to Pokémon?

[Adelon]

Pokémon can sometimes accidentally injure their human trainers, for example, Pikachu occasionally shocks Ash&co. by accident when he gets startled.

What happens to a baby inside its mother's belly when a Pokémon attack strikes her?

Would a wild Pokémon feel protective of a pregnant human? Or would they not care that she was having a baby? Or would they even feel aggressive because she is visibly creating more of the beings they apparently distrust?

 

[Daren]

Some animals can apparently detect if humans are pregnant so I imagine a lot of Pokémon could, too, and be more careful: of course Pokémon attacking their trainers (by accident or intentionally) is very prominent in the anime but barely present in most of the games, so it's probably just safer there.

Wild ones might not care but traveling alone in the Pokémon world is implied to be dangerous in general.

 

[Kallyle]

Some animals can apparently detect if humans are pregnant so I imagine a lot of Pokémon could, too, and be more careful: of course Pokémon attacking their trainers (by accident or intentionally) is very prominent in the anime but barely present in most of the games, so it's probably just safer there.

Wild ones might not care but traveling alone in the Pokémon world is implied to be dangerous in general.

This is probably the best explanation for what different kinds of Pokémon would do.

What happens to a baby inside its mother's belly when a Pokémon attack strikes her?

As for this, I think it could depend on the Pokémon attack the mother gets struck with. Most types would probably harm the baby, but I think that being accidently struck by Fairy-type, Ghost-type, and Psychic-type attacks could instead lead to paranormal affinities for the baby in the future (deliberate attacks might cause harm like usual). Maybe that's part of the reason some trainers end up with classes like Hex Maniacs, Psychics, and Fairy Tale Girls; they've been infused with these supernatural energies before they were even born!

 

[Adelon]

This is probably the best explanation for what different kinds of Pokémon would do.


As for this, I think it could depend on the Pokémon attack the mother gets struck with. Most types would probably harm the baby, but I think that being accidently struck by Fairy-type, Ghost-type, and Psychic-type attacks could instead lead to paranormal affinities for the baby in the future (deliberate attacks might cause harm like usual). Maybe that's part of the reason some trainers end up with classes like Hex Maniacs, Psychics, and Fairy Tale Girls; they've been infused with these supernatural energies before they were even born!

How many Pokemon are just randomly striking pregnant humans' tummies with paranormal attacks?

Also, I'm not sure a baby is going to gain psychic powers just because a Ralts throwing a temper tantrum used Psychic to throw its toys at its expecting trainer, pretty sure babies get traits from DNA but then again it's the Pokemon world and they have vastly different physical laws so who knows?

 

[Kallyle]

Also, I'm not sure a baby is going to gain psychic powers just because a Ralts throwing a temper tantrum used Psychic to throw its toys at its expecting trainer

I meant to say that non-physical attacks (special attacks like Psychic and Dazzling Gleam) would end up causing mutations during the pregnancy. I doubt anything physical would do anything but cause pain anyhow. You’ve given me a funny mental image though: “Breaking News: a Ralts that threw Lego bricks with telekinesis at its pregnant trainer has caused her newborn child to develop psychic powers! More news at 11:00!”

 

[Adelon]

I meant to say that non-physical attacks (special attacks like Psychic and Dazzling Gleam) would end up causing mutations during the pregnancy. I doubt anything physical would do anything but cause pain anyhow. You’ve given me a funny mental image though: “Breaking News: a Ralts that threw Lego bricks with telekinesis at its pregnant trainer has caused her newborn child to develop psychic powers! More news at 11:00!”

I just had a random thought. Do you think domesticated Pokemon touch their pregnant humans' baby bumps? Some real-world animals like cats will get clingy when their human mom has a bun in the oven.

I think it would be a bit creepy if it was something like a Swampert or a Conkeldurr but I could see it being cute if it was some more innocent Pokemon like a Togepi or something.

 

[Kallyle]

I just had a random thought. Do you think domesticated Pokemon touch their pregnant humans' baby bumps? Some real-world animals like cats will get clingy when their human mom has a bun in the oven.

I think it would be a bit creepy if it was something like a Swampert or a Conkeldurr but I could see it being cute if it was some more innocent Pokemon like a Togepi or something.

It probably depends on the Pokémon species in question. Pokémon that are cats and dogs would probably do that, but I don't think Pokémon like Kadabra or Gurdurr would. I highly doubt that bug-like and fish Pokémon would care to either.

I've got to say, this is a pretty fun world building discussion so far. Questions like these in regards to how daily life in the Pokémon world works leads to a lot of interesting interpretations.

 

[Gengarzilla]

The Pokémon who already make a big thing out of guarding their trainer would definitely kick this into overdrive if said trainer were pregnant. Gardevoir immediately comes to mind. Don't get between a Gardevoir and the now two lives it protects.

 

[Adelon]

It probably depends on the Pokémon species in question. Pokémon that are cats and dogs would probably do that, but I don't think Pokémon like Kadabra or Gurdurr would. I highly doubt that bug-like and fish Pokémon would care to either.

I've got to say, this is a pretty fun world building discussion so far. Questions like these in regards to how daily life in the Pokémon world works leads to a lot of interesting interpretations.

I thought it was fun as well.

I'm tempted to draw some cute fan art of a Ralts and his expecting trainer but I think that'll have to wait until after my exam next week. I don't think I'll post it to DeviantArt, though, that place weirds me out slightly.

 

[Epic Spheal]

I think it would depend on the species itself. Some Pokemon like certain poison types (think Muk) and fire types (Slugma) would potentially unintentionally give off substances or excess heat, so pregnant people would who maybe work in certain industries or work with those types may need to be extra careful.

As an OB/GYN (and also Family Med) you often have to do routine screenings during and after pregnancies, so I'm sure during residency/fellowships human physicians would be trained to ask questions about where they live (to rule out the possibility of being accidentally assaulted by wild aggressive Pokemon) or if they work with or own certain species. Arranging for certain dangerous Pokemon to be in the care of other family members/trusted friends during the pregnancy would be helpful. And extra lab tests for people who are known to work around poison, fire, fairy, ghost, dragon, and psychic types to help monitor any changes that could hurt either the expecting parent or the fetus

And then of course there are the wayward attacks that could harm both the pregnant person and the baby. I think some Pokemon of theirs would become more protective but still, in the event that they happen to be caught up in a really strong frenzy or if their Pokemon aren't as cognizant then there is certainly a danger there. I'm sure the emergency departments would have protocols for dealing with triage and stabilization that would be unique to different types of injuries (say a protocol for a wayward thunder vs blunt trauma from a dragon claw)

As far as the wild POkemon go, I don't think most would care outside of some species like the Chansey line. As we've seen with both SwSh and now Legends Pokemon have different behaviors in the wild and some will run up on someone and potentially attack. I think in general pregnant rangers and active trainers would be advised to go on leave until after the child is born (I imagine that leave there would be more generous than in the real world).

 

[Adelon]

I think it would depend on the species itself. Some Pokemon like certain poison types (think Muk) and fire types (Slugma) would potentially unintentionally give off substances or excess heat, so pregnant people would who maybe work in certain industries or work with those types may need to be extra careful.

As an OB/GYN (and also Family Med) you often have to do routine screenings during and after pregnancies, so I'm sure during residency/fellowships human physicians would be trained to ask questions about where they live (to rule out the possibility of being accidentally assaulted by wild aggressive Pokemon) or if they work with or own certain species. Arranging for certain dangerous Pokemon to be in the care of other family members/trusted friends during the pregnancy would be helpful. And extra lab tests for people who are known to work around poison, fire, fairy, ghost, dragon, and psychic types to help monitor any changes that could hurt either the expecting parent or the fetus

And then of course there are the wayward attacks that could harm both the pregnant person and the baby. I think some Pokemon of theirs would become more protective but still, in the event that they happen to be caught up in a really strong frenzy or if their Pokemon aren't as cognizant then there is certainly a danger there. I'm sure the emergency departments would have protocols for dealing with triage and stabilization that would be unique to different types of injuries (say a protocol for a wayward thunder vs blunt trauma from a dragon claw)

As far as the wild POkemon go, I don't think most would care outside of some species like the Chansey line. As we've seen with both SwSh and now Legends Pokemon have different behaviors in the wild and some will run up on someone and potentially attack. I think in general pregnant rangers and active trainers would be advised to go on leave until after the child is born (I imagine that leave there would be more generous than in the real world).

This is a pretty good analysis.

I'd be a lot more concerned about physical attacks than special attacks tbh. Of course, it could depend on the strength and aggressiveness of the Pokemon in question. A young Pichu accidentally using Thundershock on a pregnant woman's belly likely won't cause much harm at all, but a Zekrom launching a Fusion Bolt at that same woman is going to possibly vaporize her

I like to think the Chansey line would be super-protective of pregnant women and human babies since they seem to be personifications of motherhood according to Bulbapedia. I want to think Ursaring might be surprisingly protective of pregnant women since they have strong maternal instincts. In the anime, they come across as bloodthirsty monsters like Beedrill and Swampert (on the extremely rare occasion one appears), but the games and manga seem to treat them no differently from other Pokemon so who knows?

I could see young Pokemon being curious and running up to a visibly pregnant trainer to investigate. Probably young fairy types, psychic types, normal types, or even grass types. I doubt a wild Machop would care that the human over there has a round belly, but a wild Audino might be thinking "Huh? What's going on with you, human?"