Shimmon Gold

Shimmon Gold is a man who had no desire for sex after the birth of his latest child.

History
Shimmon's wife, Rachel, brought their two month old, Ruthie, in for a well-baby visit. Cooper examined her and said she was perfectly healthy. He asked Rachel how she was doing, because Ruthie made six kids under the age of eight. Rachel said she was fine, but when pressed, she said that Shimmon wasn't interested in having sex with her since Ruthie was born. She then said she didn't think Cooper could help and that it wasn't proper to talk to him about it.

Cooper went to Violet and Charlotte to talk about it. They brought in Rachel, who said that it had happened after previous births, but this one was persisting longer. When she talked about his other symptoms, Charlotte diagnosed couvade, his body mimicking her pregnancy symptoms. They suggested several options to get him back in the mood. However, she said that she didn't want that because while she loved her six kids, she couldn't raise or ask Shimmon to provide for any more than that. They also couldn't use birth control, so the couvade was a good way to keep them from having more kids. Violet and Charlotte suggested having Shimmon come in to talk about other options.

Believing he wouldn't talk to a woman, Cooper sat down with Shimmon and asked if he ever thought there'd be a point where he'd want to stop having kids. Shimmon replied that the Torah tells them to be fruitful and multiply to fill the earth. They interpreted it as doing nothing to stop a pregnancy from happening. He said he loves his wife and didn't want to stop being intimate with her. Cooper suggested other options that aren't birth control, but Shimmon said they'd chosen to be faithful and wouldn't fool God anyway.

They brought in a rabbi to get a religious perspective. He said that there were options, but the Golds sounded like they wanted to live by the letter of the law. The doctors then discussed other options. When they talked about what the pill has in it, Violet figured out a solution. They brought the Golds back in to tell them they had lots of options if they decided to use them. As they were leaving, Violet said that she believed Rachel might be anemic, common among young mothers. She gave her oral contraceptives to help, saying they contain iron. She said if she felt like she needed it, it would be up to her. Rachel took the pills and left with her husband and kids.

Romantic
He is married to Rachel Gold. She says he's very lovely and she loves being intimate with him.

Familial
He and his wife have six children under the age of eight.

Career
He works two jobs six days a week.