One of the key arguments against intelligent design is that as a species we humans aren't designed well. For example: child birth, due to the narrow birthing canal and huge heads of our offspring, can quite often be fatal. The fact that our esophagus and trachea stem from same opening poses risk of choking hazard. The appendix's only job appears to be getting infected. 

So my question is what would an intelligently designed human look like? Are our organs in their optimal place? Is there any thing we could stand to loose/gain? 

I saw a post today wherein the poster made a statement that we start dying from the moment we are born.  Surely this is not true.  I wouldn't think that biologically speaking the act of being born is anything special -- at that point we've been developing for 9 months or so and the only thing different is that we're breathing and eating on our own.

So, I'm interested in an actual scientific answer "when DO we begin to die"?  Looking forward to reading the replies.

During a lecture on vertebrate reproduction, we were told by our lecturer, that no animal can stop birth. Is this correct? I have been told once before that in the wild Zebras can stop themselves having contractions during the day so they are not suseptable to predation and will only give birth during the night. Is this true? Are there any other mammals that can do this?