Does TV Cause Fear in Childbirth?

[CTRedSoxMom]

Deliver Me, I didn’t know I was pregnant, Maternity Ward, A Baby Story, Bringing Home Baby, all the makings of a maternity care system in crisis. I have come to a point in my life where I cannot bring myself to watch any of these shows anymore. One after another they are rushed off for into the operating room for their cesarean sections, be it elective, scheduled, emergency (because of some intervention the doctor put into place), or because of their high risk pregnancies.

The message we are sending out women, young and old is that the majority of women having babies need highly skilled surgeons to manage their low risk pregnancies. Which all in all is over kill. 10-15% of pregnant women should be considered high risk, and seeing Obstetricians. Where a good 75% of women should be seen by midwives, able, educated, and ready to handle the care of women, on a far more intimate, and one on one basis. Not in and out in 10 minutes not listening to the concerns or questions they have. But now, back to these shows.

Oh My Gosh! NATURAL BIRTH?!?! OH NO!!!!!

They take the hand full of super high risk women who need medical interventions for their own safety, and show them like normal pregnancies. The fact is they are showcasing these stories for ratings. The most dramatic deliveries make for more viewers. Like in the case of the Discovery Health Channel show Deliver Me. Their tag line being, When pregnancies have a dangerous turn. At least in the episodes I have flipped through in the middle of the night.

They show all these women who need cesareans, premature labor, birth defects, mothers with heart conditions, and promoting them at the norm when it comes to birth.
Not the case.

This is why young girls today are being raised to be so absolutely petrified at becoming pregnant or giving birth. They want to be drugged up, epidurals, inductions, in complete control, which they do not know cases all these high risk scary deliveries. Cytotec being used for induction, which we all know is horrible and not FDA approved for labor induction, pitocin, elective cesareans, all the crap that we should want to be avoiding, not asking for.

How about some shows about natural birth, that aren’t titled “Extreme Births” like the ONE natural birth show that discovery health showed. They took 3 women across the world two of which were having unattended births, and showed these women as their clips for natural birth.

How about showing midwife attended home births?
How about showing midwife attended hospital births with no interventions?
How about showing midwife attended freestanding birth center births?
Because it isn’t what people want to see! Well at least the mainstream idiots who want the crazy, hectic, unnatural, intervention filled births.

Maybe discovery health should show The Business of Being Born as a special?

All I know is that so many first time mothers are being brainwashed by these crappy shows, and something really needs to change.
Boycott these stupid shows or else they are going to continue, and work against the natural birth community and all that we work for daily.

[mommypip]

Sep. 22, 2009 at 3:59 PM

I so agree. When I had cable I refused to watch them after a while.

[catholicmamamia]

Sep. 22, 2009 at 9:01 PM

We have documented proof in the natural mothering world that mainstream media indeed has a negative impact on society's knowledge and perception of gestation and lactation. We prefer to keep a factual and natural environment in our home for our family and friends to learn in and share!

[ethans_momma06]

Sep. 22, 2009 at 10:52 PM

I started watching these shows when I became pregnant but had to stop because my DH banned me from watching them- they were seriously freaking me out. There were one or two nice, uncomplicated, normal (not neccesarily 'natural') births out of like 50.

The funny thing is my homebirth wasn't at all like it would have appeared on T.V. It was quiet, warm and very univentful until the crowning.

I think people need to turn off the drama and embrace real life for some of these very important things. It could be life changing.

[outstandingLove]

Sep. 23, 2009 at 12:49 AM

Luckily I have not seen one episode of any of those shows. :) I didn't even know they had so many shows about that. As if the message doctors give isn't enough to scare the pants off a young mom, they need to air shows about high risk pregnancies too.

[jcsmummy]

Sep. 23, 2009 at 12:53 AM

so true. those shows make it look so scary, and traumatic.  i don't scream, cry or act like i'm dying during childbirth, i'm pretty sure not everybody else does, cause i'm certainly not superman.

[eema.gray]

Sep. 23, 2009 at 1:34 AM

I haven't watched any of those shows since before getting pregnant with my son.  They annoy me.  They don't send hardly any positive messages about birth.  The impression gotten from them is that *EVERY* birth is a scary emergency when the truth is, a good 3/4 of the time, it's NOT an emergency.

I didn't scream, cry, grunt, or moan during my son's birth.  I didn't need to.  This time, I might.  Who knows.  But we all have our ways of dealing with labor and not all of us need to yell and scream to do that.

[norasmom1229]

Sep. 23, 2009 at 3:38 AM

I like to watch deliver me...but when I was pregnant...I watched a baby story everyday before work..until one day in all 3 episodes that were on the father had recently died...and the mothers were trying to give birth to their 1st child after a still birth or a miscarrage...I didn't not want to surround myself with neg things...so I didn't watch anything about a baby being born....I knew that is was all in your mind set...I didn't have a "birth plan" I had "WHATS BEST FOR THE BABY" and in a standard OB/GYN visit I had to see the nurse practitoner and she told me I was high risk....which no doctor had ever told me....way to make me feel safe...good thing she doesn't deliver...

[babonwy]

Sep. 23, 2009 at 11:17 AM

I personally wish women in america would balance what they see with Good Birth Videos...

Ugh I hate those shows...

[Tracys2]

Sep. 23, 2009 at 11:19 AM

It could. I didn't watch that stuff till after my first baby was born (vaginally and drug-free, though with an OB), and I only watch the one that has positive outcomes every time. I love to see how happy the women are to meet their babies!

I do have to admit even on the positive baby show, there are too many C-sections and inductions for my liking (and I was induced when I was high risk due to a clotting disorder with my last one).

My sympathies are with midwife births, though I didn't have one since I couldn't find a birth center near me or midwife practice-- but I do wonder if there are male midwives for those who prefer it (I tend to get along better with men, we usually have more in common to talk about). And I don't think OBs are evil. I think 95% of what they do is legislated by their malpractice insurance carriers, and therefore determined by women who sue other OBs. The whole thing sucks.

[jlizgar]

Sep. 23, 2009 at 11:22 AM

I watched a Baby Story during my 1st pregnancy almost everyday and honestly thought that was how birth had to be...boy was I wrong, and im so glad that I know that now!

The media shows birth as this big scarey event, the most painful thing a woman will ever go through, you MUST have drugs ect ect ect.

I wish more women would read a book! Something like Ina Mays Guide to Childbirth or Spiritual Midwifery...something, ANYTHING besides watching those shows and getting info on pregnancy from them.