part one: where do babies come from?

Duh, doesn't everyone know. Yes, everyone does and they each have their own version of the answer to that mysterious question:

WHERE DO BABIES COME FROM?

Here's part one of the incredibly lengthy list of responses.

The Cuna people of Panama keep children sheltered from sex, telling them instead that babies are found deep in the woods cradled between the velvety horns of a deer. They also elaborate on the mystery of the ocean, saying that dolphins swim to the short and leave babies nestled in the warm sand.

High on the mountain Kilimanjaro, the Chagga are known to tell children that an animal brings the baby as a precious gift to the village. The baby lived in the forest as it grew inside of a beehive, the honey nourishing the little one until it was ready for delivery.

South Pacific Trobriand Islanders don't cloak sex in sweet stories of deer horns or beehives. They know that sex is involved in conception, but only half of the process. The copulation is thought only to prepare for conception. After love making, the woman goes into the ocean and bathes herself with the seaweed that is sacred to her. Only after she has her special salty bath will she possibly be with child.

From the lovely book "Mamatoto" published by Penguin.
There's more where this came from, so get ready to learn every possible place a baby could have come from.

the very first...

I think it's most fitting to start with the fantastic legend of Agnodice. Though it is largely doubted and little known, the legend was once relied upon by women who were forbidden to enter the medical profession. Here's the story:

In the 4th Century BCE there lived a woman named Agnodice who wished to practice medicine in Greece. All females and slaves were never permitted to legally hold this position, but Agnodice had such a strong desire that she found a way around the law. By cutting her hair and wearing men's clothing she fooled the well known doctor Herophilus and went about her training. One day, she heard the moans of a woman in labor. When Agnodice approached, she was told to leave her be because she appeared to be a man. Agnodice knew she could help if she could only prove she was a woman too, so she lifted her garments. The woman then let the new doctor catch her baby, and with great success. Agnodice soon became well known amongst the women of Greece because of her tender ways and understanding. Her acclaim brought her much attention from the other doctors of Greece. Out of suspicion and jealousy, they accused her of seducing patients and took her to court. At the trial, many women who Agnodice had treated came to offer support. They spoke the truth about Agnodice and said they would choose her above any male doctor to treat them. Because of the overwhelming consensus of the women, the courts amended the law and allowed females to become medical doctors. Agnodice was then known as the first female doctor, specifically a midwife.

Hooray! Except, the legend is now thought to be false. The only account is based on the writings of Hyginus, and there are discrepancies about the facts. But, it's a lovely legend all the same and has allowed many women since enter the medical field.