New Family

Theory: Utroms are technically meant to be water dwellers, and were the bottom of the aquatic food chain. I assume this because of the shape of their bodies, and how easily they take to water in the Mirage comics. The base of their intelligence was developed to escape predators however possible. Of course, this meant giving birth in the water, leaving both the parent and their offspring in an extremely vulnerable position - that is, until, they started realizing they could give birth in small, isolated pools. It was equal to humans freeing up their hands by inventing slings to carry their babies in. Exploring the land for isolated pools led to raising their children in them, which led to developing a land-based civilization, and soon becoming a powerful empire. They still would never think of giving birth without being submerged in water (and have some culture shock with the knowledge that waterbirth is “trendy” for humans), but now it’s been made a little cleaner and more hygienic for their modern standards. However, like twenty-first century humans, they favor giving birth in a medical facility; home birth is in the middle and “archaic birth” at the bottom and most controversial.  Because of their “bottom of the food chain in the water” beginnings, they couldn’t afford to leave the birthing to one particular set of reproductive organs alone, so they all have the same system; however, the activity varies between individuals. And then there’s a whole mess of that which humans would probably struggle to wrap their heads around, perhaps even transcending the human LGBTQI understanding. Or maybe even fitting right into it, and they just don’t think much of it.

The young are nourished with a yolk sac while gestating instead of placenta, but it similarly remains attached at birth, a dried husk of what it had been at the start.

This couple has just had their first baby. The water has been replaced from the initial birth, and now they are recovering from the exhaustion, waiting for the yolk sac husk to break off, and for the birth giver’s crop to seep so the baby can eat.