To wonder why anyone would want to watch one born every minute

[princessparty]

I mean it ain't pretty and is about something that happens thousands of times every day and has done for millions of years.Boring, boring, boring !

dd was a perfect hospital birth in theory, she still managed to get tangled in her cord and half kill herself on the way out and had to be resussitated.... she was without oxygen for a very long time and it's a fucking miracle she seems to be ok (some odd behaviours that occasionally make me wonder but otherwise a fairly normal chld)

and with ds2... again a 'perfect' birth... except for the fact that his first breath coincided with a huge gush of blood that hit him full in the face and he ended up with aspirated pneumonia. he spent 5 days in SCBU hooked up to all sorts. i wasn't even allowed to touch or feed him at first as he could barely breath.

any birth can go wrong, no matter where you are, what you do... not matter how 'perfectly' it's going... blaming yourself achieves nothing.... if i'd scraped together the money to pay for the HB i wanted with ds2 he would have been born in water and been fine... but there's nothing i can do about that now

Don't think it is boring but I have absolutely no desire to watch it. I hated giving birth and don't want to relive in any way (and certainly not in another 7 months time, no way, no sireee )

I can definitely understand people not watching if they've had a tramatic birth.

As for being boring, there's so much on TV that could be classed as boring if they're not in your interest so I don't understand the query - personally I don't go near the fishing channel but am happy to leave it to those who are interested, like my DH .

As for me, I must admit that I have never watched any shows about birth before, but at 25 weeks with my first, I've found it incredibly informative. I asked my DH to watch just for a little bit (the first show) and he ended up glued to the couch - he feels it's one of the best resources he's seen for the OHs.

For me it brings to life what actually happens, i.e. midwives not being with you for most of it apart from right at the end, how hard is really is, how your partner may spend most of his time sitting beside you not really knowing how to help you. More importantly, it also shows all the different ways that women react in birth which already makes me feel better if I end up wanting pain relief and don't go through using 'breathing and active birth' alone.

I've had a horrible birth and a super quick one (though not without complications, unfortunately) and these programs always fascinate me. (OK, so the American ones fascinate me more because the bios in them are always so damned cheezy!)

I love it because, for some odd reason, I find it really theraputuc. It brings it all back so clearly for me that it is like going back to that first awful day with Alfie. Like I have the opportunity to change things, pick him up, cuddle him, have pictures taken - do the things that the people in the programme are doing. That normal people DO when they have a baby.

I know it sounds stupid but I would sell my own soul to go back in time and change things - this programme, stupidly, makes me feel I can, just a little bit.

Bloody hell I'm bawling now.

I just love the moment when the parents get to see their baby. Gets me every time

I watch it because it's nice to see what a normal birth is like and because I enjoy people watching.

OBEM makes me want to be a midwife!

I can't bear to watch it. Not because I'm sqeuamish, they actually don't show close ups of the baby being born.

I can't watch becasue I have PCOS, a prolactinoma and I think my days are numbered re having children. Watching it all I can think of is that it will never be me.

I gave birth there, seen a few. I won't watch it. I don't know anyone who gave birth there who does. (waiting for all the pro PAH MNetters to appear) :)

My kids are both babies born despite me being told I'd never have them. Done be too pessimistic A1980 :)

I can't help it the pessimism I mean

I know :(

Think positive x