Pregnancy

Not to be confused with Breeding.

This page in a nutshell

Gameplay in The Sims 2 and The Sims 3

File:Two Pregnant Sims (The Sims 2).jpg

Two pregnant Sims. Jennifer Burb (right) is on day two and Cassandra Goth (left) is on day three.

There is no pregnancy in The Sims, but there are custom skins which can give a Sim the appearance of being pregnant and Sims can "have" a baby by kissing or playing in bed. However, The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 were designed to be generation games, and do include pregnancy. This article describes all there is to know about a pregnancy in The Sims 2 and The Sims 3.

Conception

To get a Sim pregnant, the mother and father must "Try for Baby". When trying for a baby, there is a possibility that the Sim will not get pregnant, but if she does then the player might hear a lullaby song, signaling that conception has successfully happened. During conception, the number of babies born is chosen (single, twins, or occasionally triplets in The Sims 3). In The Sims 2, only Adults and Elder males can Try for A Baby, although the InTeenimater mod can allow teens to become pregnant. (Additionally, Young Adult males can father children with Adult females, but the "Try for Baby" interaction must be initiated by the Adult at her home.) If the Sim is infertile, the player can testingcheatsenabled and spawn the Tombstone of Life and Death to impregnate a Sim. In The Sims 3, Young Adults, Adults, and Elder males can try for a baby, but only Young Adult and Adult females can get pregnant. The chance of having multiple births—twins or triplets—and of actual conception are lowered for Adult female Sims trying for a baby however, as opposed to Young Adult female Sims trying to conceive.

Meeting aliens

This section describes features that are only available in The Sims 2.

When an adult male stargazes with the more expensive telescope at night, there is a small chance he might get abducted by aliens. If he does, a cutscene will show him being abducted by a UFO. After a few Sim hours, he will return and soon learn that he is pregnant. (Female Sims and male Sims of different ages can be abducted, but only adult males will become pregnant as a result of an abduction.)

If FreeTime or later is installed, Knowledge Sims with the Summon Aliens aspiration benefit can use either telescope to attempt to summon aliens; so an adult male Sim with that benefit can use it to attempt to become pregnant.

Vacation Romance

This section describes features that are only available in The Sims 3: World Adventures.

In The Sims 3: World Adventures, it is possible for a Sim to have WooHoo with someone from the place they are visiting on their holidays. If a male Sim were to WooHoo with a female Sim who lives at their place of holiday (i.e. China, France or Egypt), it is possible for the female Sim to get pregnant. But when the Male Sim returns home, his offspring can be seen on the family tree as a child, even if the WooHoo occurred the previous day. This jump in age occurs due to the fact that pregnant females, babies, and toddlers are not present in foreign destinations. In addition, Story progression as at a catch-up rate, meaning the offspring will not immediately show any age progressions through the family tree.

Duration

Pregnancies last 75 Sim hours in The Sims 2 and 72 Sim hours in The Sims 3, though it's common to refer to pregnancies as lasting 3 days in both games. The Sims 2 has cheats which can be used to reduce the gestation period to a mere 2 hours in Sim time. The lifespan setting in The Sims 3 does not normally affect the duration of a pregnancy. However, there are reportedly mods for The Sims 3 that increase the gestation period to adapt to different lifespan settings^{[confirmation needed]}.

The motives of a pregnant Sim will drop at an increased rate, even if the Sim is not visibly pregnant. In The Sims 2, Sims who are able to meditate will still be able to do so while pregnant.

In The Sims 2. it is possible to calculate the time in which the Sim will expand each day and eventually give birth. From the hour in which a Sim becomes pregnant, she will expand 25 Sim hours later each day until she gives birth. So a female who becomes pregnant at one o'clock on Tuesday, will expand at two on Wednesday, three on Thursday, and give birth at four on Friday. In The Sims 3, a Sim who is at level 5 in the Medicine career track can determine the gender of the baby.

First trimester

First trimester in The Sims 2.

The first trimester lasts one day. During this trimester the pregnant Sim will suffer from morning sickness, in which they may run to the toilet periodically to throw up, with a thought bubble showing a pacifier and a question mark. In The Sims 2, Sims with high Body skill may have a better chance of not throwing up, though they will still be visibly queasy, and their Comfort meter may go into the red. Sims do not always throw up when pregnant, but they may wake up in the middle of the night to vomit.

A Sim on her first day of pregnancy

In The Sims 2, the Sim will not be visibly pregnant. In The Sims 3, the bulge cannot be seen unless the player zooms in. Sims with the Grumpy trait will be aggravated by morning sickness. During the first trimester, the pregnant Sim can't leap into other Sims' arms and other Sims can't leap into her/his arms. Also, In The Sims 2 will have cravings through random drops of hunger. While In The Sims 3 they have cravings through wishes, instead on their second trimester.

Second trimester

The second trimester lasts one day. At some point in the day, the pregnant Sim will attract the player's attention and change appearance. Their abdomen will enlarge and they will begin to wear maternity clothing. In The Sims 3, the bulge is nearly non-existent at first, but progressively grows larger. If the pregnant Sim has a job, they will be placed on maternity leave, and the carpool will not appear (however, if the pregnant Sim has access to a car, he or she can attend work by driving in the Sims 2). In The Sims 2, the Sim will be paid for these leave days even if they fall on one of their days off. There will be new social interactions, "Rub Belly" and "Talk to Belly" ; "Feel Tummy", "Listen to Tummy", and "Talk to Tummy", and the pregnant Sim may "Ask to Feel Tummy". The pregnant Sim and father can announce the pregnancy to others.

In The Sims 2, a Sim at this point will no longer be able to do yoga or work out in front of a stereo, but will be able to work out in front of a television. The combined effects of pregnancy and working out will be hard on the Sim's motives, but this does not appear to pose any other risk.

In The Sims 3 ,From now until the baby is born, pregnant Sims can also expect to have cravings, in the form of more "Eat..." wants/wishes for specific foods.

Third trimester

The third trimester lasts one day. The parent will get the attention of the player and the abdomen will enlarge again. They can no longer drive, take a taxi, use the swing, or use the electro-dance sphere from Nightlife. They will suffer from mood swings, in which the outcome of Social interactions between the pregnant Sim and another will change. In The Sims 3, they will get negative moodlets, such as the "sore" moodlet, and may no longer run.

Birth

A pregnant Sim in labor by the hospital.

On the last day of the pregnancy the Sim will attract the viewer once again and go into 'labor'. This is an autonomous action and all Sims on the lot will be drawn to the Sim to 'panic'. In The Sims 3 the pregnant Sim can also be taken to the hospital when clicked on while in labor.

In The Sims 2, a screen will come up with the message "There's a new family member on the way..." or "There are TWO new family members on the way..." at which time the genetics and gender of the new baby (or babies) are being arranged. If the special camera is enabled a cinematic will commence showing the birth of the baby, or the Sim will just turn around on the spot and... bam! A new family member is born. If the Sim has a job, they will get additional leave in the form of three vacation days. These work like ordinary vacation days; if the Sim is scheduled to work, the carpool will come, and the Sim will get in unless the player cancels that action. These vacation days will not be lost if they are not used while the new family member is a baby. If another family member can stay home with the baby, the player may want to let the Sim go to work in order to save a leave day for later.

In The Sims 3 a little pop-up will say: "The baby is coming! Make sure your Sim is at the hospital or at home!" If the Sim goes to the hospital, the player won't be able to see anything, but can still hear the birth taking place. If the Sim stays at home, the Sim will turn on the spot, and there's a new little family member! (or maybe more?)

After the birth of each baby, the player will then be able to name them. In The Sims 3, depending on how happy the mother was during her pregnancy, the player might be able to choose both traits for the baby, just one, or none at all.

Multiple births

The Sims 3 allows for the birth of both twins and triplets. The Sims 2 only allows for twins, though there are third-party hacks which can produce triplets and quadruplets.

Twins

Twins are conceived the same way as single babies, so they will look about as much like each other as normal siblings do--from nearly identical to widely different. With, for example, a light-skinned mother and dark-skinned father, the twins can have different skin colors. However, some pre-made twins, such as the Pleasant twins, are identical; and it's possible to make identical Sims in CAS.

Every pregnancy has a low chance of producing natural twins. Most Sims have about a 10% chance of having twins, although if a parent is a twin themselves, the chances increase slightly. This is decided at the moment of conception, so, unlike gender and genetics, exiting and reloading the lot will not change the number of babies born. However, with the Open for Business expansion pack, EA did include a "forcetwins" cheat which will result in twins. Also, eating cheesecake with this expansion increases the chances of having twins. If you enable broolProp, and click shift on a pregnant women, you can also force twins by clicking on DEBUG: force twins.

Triplets/quadruplets

Under normal circumstances, it is impossible to have triplets, quadruplets or more in The Sims 2. Players may download third-party hacks to obtain the option of having triplets or quadruplets. When having triplets or quadruplets, the game informs players that the Sim in question has given birth to two babies, despite the actual number. Players are still able to name each child, though, as the option pops up twice.

Increasing multiple birth odds

• A pregnant Sim can eat cheesecake,which gives a near-100% chance of twins.
• The ultimate Lifetime Aspiration Reward for Family Sims is "Super Fertility", which greatly increases the chance of having twins for the rewarded Sim and their spouse. The benefit will decide the number of children born 25 hours after conception (at the time of the first belly expansion).
• Some third-party hacks give the player the option to force Sims to have twins.
• There is also a chance that twins will carry down in the family tree such as the case of Antonio Monty with his children as Antonio may, himself, be a twin to his deceased brother.

• Sims can buy the reward "Fertility Treatment" for 10,000 lifetime reward points. Fertility Treatment makes it more likely that "Try For Baby" will work, and also increases chances of twins and triplets.
• Watching the kids channel on TV or listening to the children's music station on the stereo can increase the chance of multiple children. Doing either slightly increases the chance for multiples. Doing both at the same time more than doubles the chances of having twins or triplets as either alone.

• In The Sims 2, if the Sim had 2 children before, and gets pregnant again, there is a slight chance that the Sim will give birth to twins.

Disproved/Doubtful twin theories

• Despite claims to the contrary, examination of the game's code reveals that eating spaghetti while pregnant does not increase the Sim's chance of having twins in The Sims 2. (Note: It does not appear to help in the Sims 3 either.)
• It has been claimed that, in The Sims 2, a pregnant Sim is more likely to have twins if she eats cookies in the first trimester, between the period of conception and when the pregnant belly becomes visible. This seems unlikely, as the number of babies is normally decided at conception.
• There have been multiple births cases if the female Sim was pregnant when she was dating or engaged, she had twins. However, this was in Riverview, where a pre-made Sim family has 2 twin daughters, so Riverview could have potential for having an increased chance of multiple births.
• A rumour that doing yoga or dancing to music while pregnant can increase likelihood of multiple births (twins/triplets). However, this is extremely unlikely.

Stopping a pregnancy

The Sims

There is no pregnancy in The Sims, but if a family is evicted while there is a baby in the house, the baby will be lost.

The Sims 2

Miscarriage per se does not occur in The Sims 2, but if a pregnant Sim dies, the baby will be lost, as in the case of Olivia Monty's unborn baby. Family members will not get a memory of losing the baby.

If a pregnant Sim becomes an elder, the baby will be lost. Normally, a Sim who is close enough to elder-hood for that to happen cannot become pregnant. However, negative effects of drinking the Elixir of Life can age a pregnant Sim to the point where it becomes possible, or even move the Sim into the Elder life stage.

In addition, there are hacks which can be used to end a pregnancy.

The InTeenimater

With the InTeenimater, a mod for The Sims 2 and The Sims 3, the player can make a miscarriage when a Sim is pregnant. She will have a miscarriage in her memories. The PlumbBob will glow red, and the Sim will start grasping for her stomach. A thought bubble with a pacifier and a question mark will come up. The Sim will then be in her normal clothes, and start crying.

The player may also choose an option known as "End Pregnancy" which will stop the pregnancy completely, meaning that the Sim will lose the baby but will have no emotional distress or memories of losing the baby.

The InSimenator

With the InSimenator, a player can buy the Reproductive Adjuster, which looks like a microwave oven. If the player selects a pregnant Sim and clicks on the Reproductive Adjuster, one of the options will be "Abort Pregnancy". Aborting a pregnancy sometimes makes the mother depressed. Another option on the Reproductive Adjustor is "Suspend Pregnancy", which will pause the pregnancy until the Reproductive Adjustor is used to resume it.

The Sims 3

In The Sims 3, it is not possible for a pregnant Sim to lose the baby, without any cheats. In The Sims 3, if a Sim becomes pregnant directly before becoming an elder, the process of aging is simply suspended until after the baby is born. It also appears that pregnant Sims in The Sims 3 cannot die, and will avoid or survive events that would normally result in death, even if those events are arranged by the player. There are many mods that will stop a pregnancy, none of them have any negative effects on the Sim. If the player clicks on the pregnancy moodlet while pressing the Ctrl key with testing cheats on, it will not stop the pregnancy. If this happens to the "Baby Is Coming!" moodlet, the mother will remain pregnant but never give birth until the game is restarted.

Increasing specific gender odds

The Sims 2

There is currently no definite known way to influence the gender of an unborn child in The Sims 2. The only way to change the outcome is if the player saves while the mother is going through the labor animation, (or any time during pregnancy) before the "new baby on the way" popup comes up and the birth cutscene begins. If, after the birth, the baby is not the desired gender, the player can exit the lot without saving and go through the sequence again to get the right gender. Since the chance of either is about 50%, this can take any number of tries to succeed.

No Maxis cheat or fan-made hack exists to force a gender, though there have been many rumors, none of which are true. These include a fake "boolprop force[gender] 100" or the "twinsr2cute" cheats. Another rumor is that if a pregnant sim eats gelatin it will increase the chance for a girl. It has also been rumored that the baby will be a boy if the male parent initiates the "Try For a Baby" action, and will be a girl if the mother initiates it. However, this has been disproven.

The Sims 3

In The Sims 3, there are ways to increase the chance to have male or female babies. Eating 3 or more apples during the pregnancy will greatly increase the chances for the baby being a boy. However, 3 or more watermelons she will greatly increase the odds of having a girl.

Patch 1.3 of The Sims 3 keeps the apples for boys, watermelons for girls system, however eating these in prepared foods will not affect the gender. For example, watermelon pancakes will not increase the chances for a girl.

Other

• Mothers get a few days off work (maternity leave).
• Parents get a few days off when they adopt a baby too.
• Pregnant Sims experience nausea and backaches, shown as negative moodlets.
• Fulfilling a pregnant Sim's wishes improves the chances of a "happy" pregnancy, which will give the child better traits or even allow the player to select the traits. If a pregnant Sim and the father read pregnancy books the chances of a "happy" pregnancy improve, in addition to the improvement given by any wants the Sim may have to do so.
• A Sim in the medical career (level 5 or above) can "Determine the Gender of Baby" of the pregnant Sim and can "Give Medical Advice". Clicking on the hospital allows the interaction "Get Medical Advice". They will enter the hospital and then come out after a while. This option is not available with Sims that are not pregnant.
• If the father is on a different lot, or even at work (he will leave early), he will go to the hospital to be with the mother.
• If both the mother and the father have the Fertility Treatment Lifetime reward, there is a high chance the Sim will get twins or triplets.
• Sims can "Try for baby" in a Time Machine, and the result will be a child of the couple; who is an elder if the player "Tries for baby" in the future and in the past soon after, or a teenager/young adult vice versa.
• While pregnant, your Sim can't change their appearance.
• In the Sims 3 pregnant Sims can not become Vampires.
• If a pregnant Sim goes on vacation before starting to show or becomes pregnant while on vacation, the pregnancy will be suspended until after the vacation. The Sim may, however, experience morning sickness when on the rental or hotel lot, especially on a longer vacation.
• A Sim can go to the hospital to recieve medical advice.
• If a baby's gender was determined by a medical person (level 5 or higher) as boy or girl, they cannot change the gender via apples or watermelons.
• In Sims 2, a pregnant Sim cannot clean a litterbox.

Player tips

• Speed up pregnancy with the Tombstone of Life and Death and it will take about three Sim hours (minutes in our time) for the baby to be born.
• You can save your game before a Sim gives birth and then exit and reload if you want to try getting a baby of a different gender.