How Renessme was conceived...

[sessluver]

Am I the only person who finds it a little odd that Reneesme was conceived? Not necessarily odd per say, more of a miraculous event? I don't know how to describe it. I know all about the birds and the bees, but technically, seeing as how female vampires can't get pregnant because they are no longer fertile, how can male vampires be potent?

I was studying the human anatomy this past year, during my biology classes, and I just couldn't fathom how Edward actually impregnates Bella. If female vampires logically cannot get pregnant because their ovaries are dead, then wouldn't male vampires be impotent? Because every part of their body is dead, right? This has confused me since I read Breaking Dawn. Lol. I would appreciate it if anyone could provide me with the answer to my question. I don't know if there's a part I missed out in the book or an interview that explained this aspect in the story, but I would love to have some clarification on this matter, thanks! :)

[Heather]

Yes...and no.

I honestly wasnt surprised by her conception. Because men are able to conceive years after women are considered infertile.

Sperm, in essence, is male life. And there was never any question of Edward's ability to produce sperm.

Eggs are different.

So while Edward is in essence not alive, he does ejaculate, which means he has sperm. The wild card in the scenario was Bella.

[Cullenater44]

I wasn't surprised that Bella got pregnent... then again, I day dreamed stuff that would happen when I was done reaind Eclipse, and in those day dreams, Bella somehow had a kid... and then it scared me out of my wits when I read Breaking Dawn and.... she had a kid... lol

But I remember at some point in the book, i'm not sure who says it, but something on the order of 'Rosalie was bitten when she wasn't... on her period... so she would never change, but men on the other hand, aren't on a 'cycle' persay'..... I don't know... I kind of have a tendancy to skip over those readings in biology... :P

[rinnsins]

I thought it was more of your body is frozen as it in when you change to a vampire, not everything in your body is dead. I think Stephenie cleared this up in an interview right after Breaking Dawn was released. I'll try to find it but basically what she said was that when someone becomes a vampire, her/his body freezes exactly how it is so if a lady's pregnant, she'll be a pregnant vampire o_o

I know it sounds weird and maybe I'm not remembering it exactly but I think that's the gist. So Edward is able to produce sperm by that logic I believe. ...

[Cullenater44]

I thought it was more of your body is frozen as it in when you change to a vampire, not everything in your body is dead. I think Stephenie cleared this up in an interview right after Breaking Dawn was released. I'll try to find it but basically what she said was that when someone becomes a vampire, her/his body freezes exactly how it is so if a lady's pregnant, she'll be a pregnant vampire o_o

I know it sounds weird and maybe I'm not remembering it exactly but I think that's the gist. So Edward is able to produce sperm by that logic I believe. ...

Yes, I believe I remember that interview, and that is what she said I believe...

[rinnsins]

I don't think it was that odd though. I think it would be weird if it didn't happen. I would always be left wondering what Bella & Edwards children would have looked like.. but now we know!

[sessluver]

Oh, so there WAS an interview that I missed out on somewhere. Lol, thanks for the explanations. I guess...I don't really understand it still, but it contributes to the happy ending, so it's cool. Lol. I know this may sound weird, but half of my mind expected them to have children, but the other half was wondering HOW the children would be conceived so I guess my mind was having an internal war? Lol, I love how gorgeous Stephenie made Reneesme sound. I would love to see a picture of her when Summit Entertainment eventually gets around to making Breaking Dawn into a movie.

Haha, sorry about the weird question. :P And once again, thanks for the answers! :)

[bellagirl101]

you can find the answer in Breaking Dawn's FAQ on stepheniemeyer.com It's quite interesting actually.

[sessluver]

you can find the answer in Breaking Dawn's FAQ on stepheniemeyer.com It's quite interesting actually.

Thanks! I never thought to look over there. 0.o Haha, I'll check it out. Once again, thanks for the info! :)

[rinnsins]

I think Borders.com also has the raw cut interviews something or other up that they had with Stephenie right after BD was released if you're interested.. she answers a lot of questions there too

[sessluver]

I think Borders.com also has the raw cut interviews something or other up that they had with Stephenie right after BD was released if you're interested.. she answers a lot of questions there too

Haha, okay, thanks so much for the information. :)

[girlwitdahair]

That was a good question. I never think to ask because I strangely go with everything Stephanie Meyer says..haha

[sessluver]

That was a good question. I never think to ask because I strangely go with everything Stephanie Meyer says..haha

Haha, most of us do. I did too, till my friend voiced that question to me. :P

[Heather]

From SM's website:

Vampires and pregnancy: when did that idea occur to you? How does that work?

The first seed (no pun intended) was planted when I did Bella's computer research in chapter seven of Twilight. Bella reads about several real vampire legends—the Danag, Estrie, Upier, etc. In the novel, I only mentioned a few of the many legends I read through. One that I didn't mention at this point was the entry on the Incubus. The unique feature about that legend was that the incubus could father children. Hmmm, I said, and I filed that kernel of an idea away for later. When I decided to write the first sequel to Twilight (Forever Dawn), I knew it was going to revolve around a hybrid baby from the outset.

When my editor and I decided to go back and really develop Bella's last year of high school, I did so with the knowledge that it was all going to end up with the events in Breaking Dawn. Everything I wrote was pointed in that direction.

I was always very careful when I answered the "Can vampires have babies?" question, because I didn't want to say anything incorrect, but I also didn't want to make the future super-obvious. I focused my answers on the female half of the equation—female vampires cannot have children because their bodies no longer change in any aspect. There is no changing cycle to begin with, and their bodies couldn't expand to fit a growing child, either. I purposely evaded answering the question, "Can a male vampire get a human female pregnant?" to preserve a tiny bit of surprise in the last book. There were many statements on this subject purported to have come from me, but I never made those comments because, obviously, I knew where this was going.

Now, on to the "how is this possible?" question. First of all, of course it's not possible. None of this story is possible. It's a fantasy story about creatures that don't actually exist. Within the context of the fantasy, however, this is how it works:

Vampires are physically similar enough to their human origins to pass as humans under some circumstances (like cloudy days). There are many basic differences. They appear to have skin like ours, albeit very fair skin. The skin serves the same general purpose of protecting the body. However, the cells that make up their skin are not pliant like our cells, they are hard and reflective like crystal. A fluid similar to the venom in their mouths works as a lubricant between the cells, which makes movement possible (note: this fluid is very flammable). A fluid similar to the same venom lubricates their eyes so that their eyes can move easily in their sockets. (However, they don't produce tears because tears exist to protect the eye from damage, and nothing is going to be able to scratch a vampire's eye.) The lubricant-venom in the eyes and skin is not able to infect a human the way saliva-venom can. Similarly, throughout the vampire's body are many versions of venom-based fluids that retain a marked resemblance to the fluid that was replaced, and function in much the same way and toward the same purpose. Though there is no venom replacement that works precisely like blood, many of the functions of blood are carried on in some form. Also, the nervous system runs in a slightly different but heightened way. Some involuntary reactions, like breathing, continue (in that specific example because vampires use the scents in the air much more than we do, rather than out of a need for oxygen). Other involuntary reactions, like blinking, don't exist because there is no purpose for them. The normal reactions of arousal are still present in vampires, made possible by venom-related fluids that cause tissues to react similarly as they do to an influx of blood. Like with vampire skin—which looks similar to human skin and has the same basic function—fluids closely related to seminal fluids still exist in male vampires, which carry genetic information and are capable of bonding with a human ovum. This was not a known fact in the vampire world (outside of Joham's personal experimenting) before Nessie, because it's nearly impossible for a vampire to be that near a human and not kill her.

I didn't get into all of these details at my signings because it's a long, complicated mouthful. Also, it's hard to be clearly heard with all the screaming. Mostly, though, I waited to do this in writing because I have an immature, Homer Simpson-like tendency to giggle when I say the words "seminal fluids" in public.

[sessluver]

Wow, that was a long explanation. It has COMPLETELY cleared up my misunderstandings though, Heather. Thanks. :)