What's the most/least realistic childbirth scene in a film or TV programme?

[BellaBearisWideAwake]

I was watching Knocked Up the other night, and it seemed ok ish, I mean nothing like my labour, and very medical, but perhaps that's just what birth is like in the USA?

My nomination for least realistic: Phoebe giving birth to triplets in Friends. Vaginally with minimal pain relief and HCPs around

ROFL at robber baby :o

I watched something the other day where the woman puffed a bit and had a 6 month old handed to her, fgs.

I don't understand why they can't do a decent job of it, it's not like it's a rare occurrence. There's never a 42 hr, induction-not-working, oh-hell-it's-time-for-an-EMCS birth, they're always quick except on one born every minute

90% of TV/film births seem to involve contractions starting dramatically and baby arriving in the next hour. Seldom a gradual onset of contractions getting worse over hours/days.

Sad to say I'm showing my age when I remember Gail being offered a wheeelchair to the ambulance to leave the Rovers and insisting that she could walk through the bar, when she gave birth to Nick - my defence is I must have been quite young to be watching Corrie :)

And that's another point, how often is it an ambulance rather than their own car they go to the hospital in?

Kudos to Gavin and Stacey too for an all-fours birth. But no placenta, apparently as the rest of the cast piled in immediately after to see Ness holding the baby and everything over. Not sure how that baby was nourished in the womb.

Wasn't there a birth in Cold Feet? Remember Jes Nesbitt getting a lift on a moped or somesuch to the hospital

James, obviously. Typing fail.

I love how on tv they rush into hospital at the first sign of contractions, when reality you can be in labour for a whole day before your contractions are close enough together for them to say you're allowed to come in.

There is one bit about Rachel's birth in Friends that is realistic - hours and hours of sitting around with nothing happening !

I thought Juno giving birth in the film "Juno" was pretty realistic!

I did like the bit in Friends where she yelled at a woman who'd just had her baby, "hey, not fair, I was here first!"

Labours are always quick. (If only that were true.)

anyone remember baywatch, was it Pamela Anderson? on the beach of course, with swimming costume on for the duration

But surely, more realism in Alien (John Hurt) and Braveheart (Mel Gibson)

So true...most TV/film births are nonsense. It really irritates me.

I think Sophie's labour and birth in Peep Show were pretty realistic. Her 'reactions' to the contractions were convincing enough. Plus, it is one of the funniest scenes in any of the Peep Show series.

Not realistic at all,but I loved Alice giving birth in the Vicar of Dibley,then asking if it was Jesus.

Daphne in Neighbours giving birth with her tights on.

Most realistic - Raquel on Only fools and Horses. Grotty delivery room, partner trying to make jokes (and failing), nothing happening for ages and going through a believable amount of pain. Also shouting abuse at DP.
Also Michele in Eastenders.

Least realistic - The woman in Doc Martin (name escapes me). Kissing during delivery? Dream on.

Lost. the Austrailian Bint that looks nine months pregnant Forever.

she does look very frazzled, but gives birth on her back even though she is on a desert Island not anywhere near a hospital - it does at least seem to take a long time.

There was an appallingly unrealistic delivery on Holby a few months back -- Rick Griffin's daughter who's name escapes. Particularly unimpressive because Holby generally doesn't shy away from real-ish looking surgery scenes.

The only programme where I remember the placenta being mentioned was Misfits. The labour was short and unrealistic, as usual, but then the placenta plops out and Nathan stamps on it in a panic thinking it's an alien baby until he's reassured that it's the "afterbirth." Very funny.

I remember watching Knocked Up and everyone in the entire cinema went "ewwwwwwww!" when there was a brief flash of the baby crowning. First time I'd ever seen anything like that in a film and it was very obviously fake (with a completely hair-free fanjo) but I was still impressed that they'd done it.

I immediately thought of Doc Martin too, she gives birth without needing to remove any clothes, walks to a sofa, moans a bit, conducts lovey-dovey convo with doc and delivers all in about 5 mins!

I get irritated by the unqualified helpers who instruct the woman on when to push during these surprise precipitous labours.

She wouldn't need to be told when to push!!!!

I second Bodies
Also an old sixties film can't remember if it was 'Poor Cow' or' Up the junction'
but I remember being quite traumatised by it.

I think that's the first time I have ever seen a fanjo in a film (Knocked Up)