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why would they put the baby at risk?
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Why not? Changelings risking their babies is an established DS9 fact - that's what the Hundred were all about. If Odo failed to go through the motions of saving the baby, they'd either send another, or judge Odo unworthy of redemption.
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That would also explain why he didn't show signs of the disease until after she did.
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I just had a thought about the timing. Odo got as bad as the Female Changeling only about half a season after her; if the FC got the disease in "Broken Link", then "The Begotten" would be the right time for Odo to re-catch it...
Then again, the disease apparently manifests faster and worse if the Changeling in question shapeshifts a lot. For all we know, the Female Founder had less shapeshifting activity than Odo did, what with being a leader rather than a soldier and all. Thus, the FC would go from infection to heavy symptoms in 2.5 seasons, while Odo would take just 1.5-2 seasons to get to the same state.
Timo Saloniemi