This Is What Childbirth Feels Like, Guys

Anyone who considers women the "weaker sex" is just delusional. Yes, we may still be considered — very annoyingly — the "fairer sex," but there is nothing weak about us. And it was about time the male gender found that out, the hard way. A hospital in China is offering childbirth simulation sessions for men, so that fathers-to-be will know exactly the kind of pain their partners have to endure — what their mothers endured having them, what any woman has to endure just to keep the human race going. These sessions used electric shocks on the men's abdomens to simulate the pains of labor. As you may guess, these men cried like little babies.

The Aima maternity hospital in Shandong province came up with their brilliant idea after multiple new mothers complained that their partners showed little sympathy for what they went through bringing their child into the world. China's obstetrics policy might be to blame, since, unlike in the West, many hospitals prohibit men from being in the delivery room with their partners.

As a solution to this empathy gap, Aima set up biweekly free sessions, dubbed "taster sessions," for men to learn firsthand what their partners felt. The hospital's staff members place pads, which are attached to a device, on the men's abdomens and administer them electric shocks to induce pain. The pain level can be increased, depending on the individual's tolerance. About 100 men have signed up for the session, and they were in for, well, a shock.

One participant, Song Siling, who is planning to have a baby with his girlfriend, described — or tried to — the sensation to the Guardian:

It felt like my heart and lungs were being ripped apart. Basically, it was really painful. You can't even describe how painful it was.

Another participant, Wu Jianlong, had his entire world view shattered, saying that before he did the session, he thought that childbirth was "something really natural, something really normal that [women] can get through" since almost all women do it. But now? Not so much.

It's typical for men to think that way — that women have it easy, that we're not inherently tough. Man, if they only knew. Besides the agonizing pains of childbirth, which often lasts up to eight hours, and sometimes up to 75 days — remember when these guys begged for the pain to stop after a few seconds? — there's a laundry list of other pains women have to go through regularly. And that whole notion of the male body being sturdy and strong while a female's is dainty and constantly in need of rescuing is just ridiculous. I think Betty White said it best when she pondered, "Why do people say "grow some balls"? Balls are weak and sensitive. If you wanna be tough, grow a vagina. Those things can take a pounding."

So besides childbirth, here are some other female-centric pains that someone should maybe turn into simulation sessions.

Menstrual Cramps

I would probably trade all my belongings for men to share this burden with us. We've probably all had many a boyfriend who just didn't get why we were curled up in the fetal position and cursing under our breath for an entire day. Menstrual cramps are no joke, male readers. When I was a teenager my cramps would be so bad that I would have to cancel my entire day, no matter what was happening — prom, graduation, No Doubt concert, etc. I had to be prescribed pain medicine for them, and even that didn't help much. The best way to describe the pain was "1,000 tiny knives swishing around in my stomach."

Tender Breasts

Also related to our wonderful menstrual periods, many women experience breast tenderness right before Aunt Flo arrives. The discomfort can range from mildly annoying to "Don't even think about coming near them." All men are likely to see are how much bigger they look, but, believe me, it is the least sexy thing in our minds.

Backed-Up Ducts

After a woman gives birth, she starts lactating. However, if she can't drain the milk frequently enough — maybe her baby isn't taking to breastfeeding or she gets separated from her baby — the milk builds up in her breasts and causes them to engorge. This can cause tremendous pain, a fever, and other body aches. The swelling can even spread to under the woman's arms and cause her hands to go numb. That's right, breasts do not exist solely for men to ogle. They have life-sustaining functions, and along with that great power comes some pretty aggravating side effects.

Migraines

Migraines may target both men and women, but females are three times more likely to suffer from them. In fact, 27 million women suffer from migraines in the U.S., of the 36 million total. That's because there is a link between migraine and menstruation, hormonal birth control, pregnancy, and menopause.

So now that you have a better sense of the pain that women often endure on a regular basis, let's keep that in mind while watching how men handle childbirth simulation. Watch the videos below (prepare for a lot of wincing and whining) and I dare you to tell me that women are the weaker sex.

Images: The Guardian, TipsTimesAdmin/Flickr, r.nial Bradshaw/Flickr, Aurimas Mikalauskas/Flickr, r.nial Bradshaw/Flickr