one born every minute usa

[kate.m.]

Just half way through watching this online & cant help but notice theres a bit of an emphasis on the wonders of drugs!! Also seem to make out that if u try n do it naturally ur asking for trouble Just seen the first woman have her baby: the doctor was all scrubbed up, with instruments laid out ready. Does this happen in the uk? Travis was meant to b a home birth, but ended up being forceps, so i dont really know how "normal" births go over here Intrigued to see how the natural birthing couple get on... something tells me im gonna b disappointed at how theyre portrayed?

 

[kate.m.]

"Susan & steven wanted a fast delivery. But their "natural" plan has them stalled out after 12 hours". She emphasised the way she said natural.

 

[Linzi]

I haven't watched it yet but Ive heard a lot of people say that theres a huge emphasis on drugs & on the adverts as well the women are always flat on their backs.

I have to say when I went in to hospital I never got the pressure to have any pain releif, they offered it but certainly weren't pushy about it.

It's different over there though, it's all privatised so maybe they get more money from giving epis...

xxx

 

[Mervs Mum]

Nail on the head there Linzi unfortunately.

I do think it's great to have it available and when women want it they should get it but I wish they werent quite so quick to suggest it. I think it plants a little seed in a woman's mind.....'maybe I'm not doing as well as I thought if they are suggesting having something....' I know clients have mentioned that when debriefing previous births.

 

[mumatmadhouse]

I'm glad i am not the only one who thinks this was odd. It almost seemed that natural childbirth was frowned upon. I'm sure at one point one of the mw's said the epidural rate was like 90%. It made me very glad to be a woman in the uk! I have never had any pain meds pushed on me during labour, any choices like that have always been mine to ask for if i wanted them.

 

[kellyb]

When I watched, I thought it was horrible the way they were portraying the natural birther. They were making faces when she was vocalizing, and the narrator was very sarcastic towards all things natural. It was pretty disgusting to me, and a sad commentary on how things are here in the US. I've watched the show a few times (I'm a glutton for punishment) and not once have I seen another couple go all natural. Incredible! Now, it may just be the particular hospital where they're filming, but still.

 

[MajorBee]

I agree, I was really put out by how they portrayed the couple who chose to birth naturally. Really, "stalling" at 12 hours - the average first time labour is 12 hours! Some have to be longer for that to be an average, surely??! And hated the music they played whenever the couple were on screen, plus the faces the staff were pulling while she was vocalising.

 

[MajorBee]

Oh, and they all gave birth on their backs, with legs in stirrups!

 

[helen0403]

ohh , i was not aware of that

 

[lynnikins]

i was shocked and sadend i suffer SPD/PGP whatever you want to call it as a result of damage done to my pelvis with birthing ds1 on my back with my legs in stirrups, even the "natrual" birthing lady in my mind was sat still far to much on the bed she wasnt moving that much and the way they made fun of her by cutting to scenes of the nurses in the corridor when they could hear her making all the " natural normal " sounds of a woman in labor it makes you think thier women must be quiet caus they cant feel anything caus of the Epi?

 

[kate.m.]

https://thefeministbreeder.com/life...e-unnecessary-intervention-born-every-minute/

This article says everything i thought about it, better than i could have worded it! & theres a link on there to an interview with the natural momma who featured on it!

 

[L Elise]

I'll be honest with you, the constant interference of the staff just struck me as obtuse, unwanted and mostly unwarranted - no sign of professionalism. Though kudos to the grey haired lady; though her (persistent) ideas were different to the couple's (and as such dismissed) she still wanted to know how she could be of help. Just a shame it took them to be quite rude/insistent to get her to take the hint. What the staff 'needed' or 'just wanted' really wasn't of interest to couple - and neither it should have been. To the couple it was obviously a very personal and poignant point in their lives, to the staff (and I quote the closing credits) 'it was just another day at the office'!

It didn't look like the staff were laughing at the mother moaning - I was laughing at the husband moaning. Don't get me wrong - you do whatever it takes, but that doesn't mean it can't be funny. If having my OH strip naked and us dancing around the room in sombreros helps, so be it - that's what we'll be doing! But it doesn't mean I don't expect to be able to laugh at us.

I think there's a risk of getting *so* used to fighting for how we want our L&D to be that we lose our sense of humour. It is a shame, of course, that it has to *be* a fight, but why coompound the issue?

In comparing the cases the show displayed, if having all those 'recommended' drugs/procedures/positions means that I feel the need to scream (which did appear to be acceptable) the way they showed in the opening credits - they can keep 'em!!

The show's intentions were as clear as their bias - but they don't appear to have done such a good job of it, do they?

 

[NaturalMomma]

OBEM is sad for me. It is how a lot of births take place in USA. They roll your eyes if you want to go unmedicated, or talk to you in a condecending way. And uh most births take longer than 12 hours for a first birth, and even second and third births. 12 hours is really not that long, it drives me crazy when they talk like it's sooooooooo long. ds1 was 27 hours and ds2 was 24 hours 50 minutes. Also getting stalled or stuck is really uncommon. Stopping for awhile to take a breath or because your body is shy is actually part of a normal psyiological birth.

 

[lesbianlove]

yeah i was shocked watching OBEM US as in the uk its so different but i also think in the us u have ur own medical bills and things to pay, i know in the uk with the nhs they try and limit everything you get but over there i noticed a more relaxed aproach to epidurals and medication like its the norm and it must be with 90% of them getting it, but i did have to diagree where they thought a natural birth longer than 12 hours was too long that was ridiculous and delivering stirrups everyone in scrubs docotor there with all the equipment id be crapping it glad i in the uk

 

[RaspberryK]

I just watched it online and was not impressed, not sure if I can watch another episode. I was shocked they gave pitocin when the natural lady was 8cm?!?!?!?!

x

 

[Samantha675]

This is why I've chosen a mw for all my care. When I was pregnant with my son I told my at the time OB/gyn that I was going to use an independent MW she wrote me a certified letter that I wasn't welcome at her service any longer. Her nurse also yelled at ms when I mentioned my plans. I will never willing go to an OB again.

 

[RaspberryK]

^^ that's awful ^^

x

 

[clarsair]

I haven't watched it but I read the review in the link from an earlier post and it's made me really quite cross and upset. It's such a completely unessecary and arrogant way to approach a natural process.

 

[Linzi]

I watched it til about 11 mins & turned off

I was suprised that they broke the lady's waters & started her on pitocin when she wasn't even 2cms? Unless I missed something she hadn't been in labour very long...

xxx

 

[tristansmum]

i was shocked to see the first lady getting an epidural so late. just before they put it in she said i feel i need to push and then the nurse goes "not before the epidural" and laughes! Then right afterwards she is legs in stirrups and pushing. at first i thought it was just the editing but i rewatched it online and the aneathitist is still the background tidying up from putting the epi in! I mean i'm all for taking pain relief if its required (we all have different pain thresholds) but if you've got to 10cm already then i thik you might aswell finish with out. i know in UK you can't get epidural so late