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Rcomian t1_j5av747 wrote

Humans are slightly special because of the baby's head, which is as big as it can be at birth. women's hips are as wide as they can really be without causing skeletal issues.

other animals haven't generally gamed their evolution in that particular way, we get more of an advantage from our brains than most. which makes our birthing process particularly traumatic for the mother.

other animals do get complications, as noted by others, but we're right on the cusp in terms of complications vs brain size optimisations.

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Mindshear_ t1_j5azc9o wrote

This is the best answer. Other animals can die, but Humans, and some select animals like hyenas, have an issue of trying to pass a large thing through a small hole which is especially dangerous.

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qwertyuiiop145 t1_j5ba86q wrote

There’s also the issue of the invasive placenta, another issue caused by big brains—the human placenta has blood vessels that burrow into the uterine lining to get maximum oxygen and nutrients from the mother’s blood supply. This can easily go wrong—too invasive and the placenta can cause bleeding and/or the placenta getting stuck, to little and the embryo can’t develop normally.

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The_Pale_Hound t1_j5cpl6v wrote

Thats combined with help during childbirth for hundreds of generations, so the strong selection against complications during childbirth that other animals suffer, it's lessened in our species.

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