"The Flea"

In the poem "The Flea" by John Donne he uses a flea to resemble an unborn baby. In the first stanza Donne proclaims, "how little that which thou deniest me is; it me sucked first and now suck thee, and in this flea our two blood mingled be" (2-4) Donne first introduces the flea as a creature made by the act of love formed between a man and wife but as the flea needs more and more it the flea becomes less like a baby and more as a flea, a blood-sucker, that strives off others blood and bodily functions. He compares a flea as an unborn baby stating “how little that which though deniest me" (2) addressing the size of the creature as tiny that overall has a large impact in his life (specifically love). The tone turns into frustration as it becomes clear since the flea (the baby) appeared the attention has been split between the husband and the child, and the husband has been left unsatisfied as a result. The stanza continues proclaiming, “a sin or shame or loss of maidenhead” (6) referring to the act of lovemaking took away his manhood as now the wife has no time for his needs. While at the beginning of the poem the baby was a creature that reflected the love of a marriage by the end of the poem Donne states, “As this flea’s death took life from thee.” (27) In conclusion, while the baby grows the father shrinks in terms of how is viewed as most important in the women’s eyes. My overall question is if we as people think this poem is relatable to anyone in this situation dealing with pregnancy or with children. And if so then are most men likely to feel such hatred for their child stealing their attention or love that they are here expanding their family?