'Do sperm have eyes' is just one of the many questions a public health nurse has to answer
Jayne Worthy Howlett, R.N. photo by Julie Stafford
I am the Washtenaw County Public Health nursing supervisor, and during my days in the Maternal Infant Health Program, I was actually asked this question by one of my pregnant clients.
Meryl (not her real name) was a 37-year-old single woman, pregnant with twins. Meryl was originally from West Virginia, and her mother had recently relocated to be with Meryl during the pregnancy and to help out after the babies were born.
While visiting with Meryl one day and discussing fetal development, out of the blue she asked “Do sperm have eyes?”
I told her no, and she followed up with “Then how do they see to get where they are going?”
Although I am no artist, I reviewed human reproduction with her by a series of basic drawings. In the upcoming weeks we branched out into labor and delivery preparation (I came prepared with childbirth education materials that week, no more hand-drawn uteruses for me).
Honestly, sperm do not have eyes. Photo courtesy of headinjury.com
Meryl’s twins were born about a month early, and one of her babies came home on an apnea monitor. Even though a nurse from a local home care agency visited on a regular basis to check on that twin, Meryl confided to me that she found my visits helpful because she could “ask me questions about both babies.”
During the twins’ first year of life Meryl and I talked about infant care, growth and development, nutrition, and safety (just to name a few of our topics.)
I was in the last few months of my own pregnancy when my home visits with Meryl came to an end. I was touched when she expressed her concern for my well being as I lugged the infant scale up to her third floor apartment and when she would ask me if I was eating okay.
At the end of my visit that day she sent me on my way with a snack, saying “You need to eat right for the baby.” Unfortunately, that snack was a granola bar and a Pepsi, but I knew her heart was in the right place.
Jayne has been a nurse for 31 years and will illustrate upon request. She can be reached at 734- 544-6883.
Comments
REBBAPRAGADA
Thu, Mar 17, 2011 : 4:30 p.m.
The pregnant lady had asked a relevant question and got an irrelevant response. All living cells are conscious, and are aware of their state of existence and are aware of their living functions. Sperm is a cell that displays a functional differentiation just like the Red Blood Cell. Each of the two has a specific function and exist to perform specific tasks. Sperm has protoplasm, a living substance and consciousness is the absolute characteristic of all living matter and substances. It has the ability to recognize the presence of other living cells in its environment and guides itself to make a purposeful contact with the egg cell.
johnnya2
Thu, Mar 17, 2011 : 2:33 a.m.
This is the scariest thing I have ever heard in my life. A 37 year old asked this question AND is having twins? This shows how poor basic sex education in this country is.