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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

One Born Every Minute

31 replies

mellmumma · 08/12/2015 23:07

I'm 8 weeks pregnant, first time.

I like to know everything (bit of a control freak) and this is the most out of control period of my life ever! 😆😆

Really enjoying reading the childbirth section here, wondering whether to start watching OBEM?

Never seen it before, swore I would stay oblivious until I am pregnant and have no choice! 😉 But heard it is just scare stories and worried it might not help me at all!

Any thoughts appreciated x

OP posts:

Ughnotagain · 09/12/2015 00:18

I just found it a bit irritating tbh. Hearing someone else scream and moan didn't help me in the slightest!

The thing is, you're never going to know what your labour is going to be like until it happens. My advice to you would be to research everything - the "what if this happens, what would I want" stuff. I wish I had done more of that!

CultureSucksDownWords · 09/12/2015 00:27

Bear in mind they're likely to show births on OBEM that are unusual, interesting or dramatic so it isn't like what really happens at all. Certainly not like my labour.

I think finding out more is a good idea, but not from TV drama shows like OBEM. There are lots of books about this, and also ante natal classes (NHS/NCT etc) would cover a lot of this too.

Threeboysandus · 09/12/2015 00:41

If you go onto YouTube there a few good midwifery programmes too. I didn't find one born too scary when pregnant

Dixiechick17 · 09/12/2015 03:04

I love watching one born. It's heavily edited though, and should be taken with a pinch of salt, as it isn't a reflection of all labours.

jamtartandcustard · 09/12/2015 08:13

I love watching one born as well but it is nothing like giving birth at my local hospital. For starters, unless you are being induced, they won't admit you till you are at the point of pushing anyway whereas the woman on the programme seem to be sitting around for hours.

Suzy4321 · 09/12/2015 11:25

I watched it after and found my experience was nothing like shown

herethereandeverywhere · 09/12/2015 12:58

I struggle to watch it because I had a traumatic delivery and it shows elements of that - but it doesn't convey the hours/days of labour before the dramatic delivery bit.

I'd read and watch a whole spectrum of things if I was you. Not all births are 'tightening' sensations with baby siding out to whale music in candlelight just as they're not all dramatic emergencies.

Think about ALL eventualities and how you would like them to conclude. Read the statistics on likelihood of intervention, complications, side effects of drugs and procedures. Consider how your risk profile (age, weight, 1st child) fits with this.

GodfatherOfLesbos · 09/12/2015 13:03

OBEM is seriously edited and not true to life at all!! It's designed to entertain not educate so they show all the high risk scary births and miss out all the normal births (including the lovely relaxed home birth I know they filmed).

duckyneedsaclean · 09/12/2015 13:06

I found watching it really helpful actually! At first i found it gross and felt squeamish, and carried on watching it until I toughened up.

DinoSnores · 09/12/2015 20:35

I've seen lots of normal births, including a home birth, on OBEM. In fact, I very carefully chose a few (calm) clips to show my 4yo DS when we planned a home birth so he would know why Mummy might look like she was sore or unwell if he did see me labour (no intention to have him there but I do labour quickly) but that it was all normal. He was fascinated and was incredibly disappointed to have slept through it!

CuppaSarah · 09/12/2015 21:29

It's fine to watch as long as you take it for what it is. It's not a true portrayal of childbirth, but more a taster. I found it good as the idea of forceps or an epidural terrified me to the point of feeling dizzy thinking about it. Seeing the(heavily edited) procedures on obem I actually found the fear lifting. So it can be helpful. The main thing is to just keep an open mind about your future childbirth experience.

blackkat1978 · 09/12/2015 22:04

Personally I don't rate the show as it shows a lot of poor practice like women labouring on their backs, being told to push, not being encouraged to keep active but then it's done for ratings rather than to inform. I would research elsewhere!

blueandgreendots · 09/12/2015 22:11

Totally agree with blackkat, the amount of women lying on their backs is excessive. I could not have done that in labour if you'd paid me! Having said that I watched it insatiably whilst pregnant with DD, I liked the ones in Leeds the best (home town )

ShebaShimmyShake · 09/12/2015 23:27

I have no intention of watching it while pregnant...and it actually disturbs me how many people tell me how funny it is. I'm getting really sick of childbirth being seen as something comedic. Women in pain and distress and real physical risk aren't funny.

Then again, if I haven't seen it, I guess I shouldn't judge. But everyone who talks about it does seem to laugh a lot.

Runningupthathill82 · 10/12/2015 13:53

I found OBEM lulled me into a false sense of security before I gave birth. So many of the births on there are normal, straightforward and seemingly quick (though that's the editing!)
I certainly wouldn't describe it as scare stories - rather the opposite IMO.

CultureSucksDownWords · 10/12/2015 14:04

Most of the births are unremarkable but... the very first one I watched when pregnant, showed a very alarming shoulder dystocia where the baby was completely stuck. There was a shot of the consultant literally trying to haul the baby out. The mum was terrified, and it was the most horrific thing I've seen. Both mum and baby where physically ok in the end. That was several series ago though, and they don't seem to show quite the same number of "shock" births these days:

ButtonMoon88 · 10/12/2015 14:09

It's an entertainment show certainly not a factual documentary, my birth was nothing like it and it was of no benefit to watch that programme!

Original poster

mellmumma · 10/12/2015 20:47

Thanks everyone!

I'll give it a miss until after I've experienced it myself and stick to factual books.

Any recommendations? ☺️

OP posts:

whatsoever · 10/12/2015 20:52

I enjoyed OBEM before I gave birth and I enjoy it again now. I found an episode where a baby was induced very early and died after 4 days very upsetting but nothing on it has scared me per se.

I've seen every kind of birth on there so I think it's relatively inclusive. All midwives moan about it being nearly all women on their backs to give birth, but almost every woman I know gave birth on her back (whether they tried different positions throughout labour or not) so I get the feeling that is actually quite representative of UK reality, for hospital births anyway.

honeysucklejasmine · 10/12/2015 20:53

Culture a Midwife friend tells me that baby is lucky to be alive. Apparently when they are stuck for that long, they don't usually make it. She said she was terrified watching it.

blackkat1978 · 10/12/2015 23:11

mellmumma.what kind of birth do you think you might want? I didn't research anything for my 1st but wanted as natural as possible home birth for my 2nd so I can recommend books along those lines if that might be of use to you?

whatsoever, if that really is the case then it's so sad as its really 1 of the most Unnatural & hardest positions to give birth in as you also have to fight gravity. This is the major reason that I stopped watching it as I felt so sorry for the women who didn't realise there were better options & angry at the midwives for seemingly not encouraging easier positions or telling them to push without proper guidance (Google purple pushing-holding your breath & pushing is counter productive).

mrsjoker35 · 11/12/2015 04:34

I watched it quite a lot early on in my pregnancy. It didn't cause me any worry's or anything. I quite enjoyed it and i learned quite a bit from it, just bearing in mind its made for tv so,entertainment ,basically lol. But yeah,uh as long as you know its pretty fabricated and whatnot i definitely think you'll enjoy it, i cried all the time watching it, its lovely sometimes. Bit aye after a while i got bored watching it lol at the beginning its rather exciting to watch but later on. Not so much lol.

jessplussomeonenew · 11/12/2015 20:18

I loved Juju Sundin's Birth Skills - lots on breathing/relaxation techniques but also a really helpful chapter with lots of stories about how a birth that needs lots of intervention/drugs can still be a positive experience. I really think that chapter helped me get into a positive frame of mind for birth and still feel positive about how the birth went despite getting HELLP and having to have an EMCS after a failed induction!

Jenijena · 11/12/2015 20:26

20 minutes before DS arrived, my lovely community midwife said 'are you ready for a celebrity...?'. I had my baby in Southampton and sister Kay Duggan, who was in quite a few early OBEM came in.

I watched it whilst pregnant last time, and wouldn't turn it off now (5 months pregnant with #2) but take it all with a pinch of editorial salt. But the 'red bikini girl' was shown during my first pregnancy and her calm, peaceful water birth was fantastic to watch even if mine wasn't quite like that

Ughnotagain · 11/12/2015 21:36

OP, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth is good. Very hippy in parts but there are some incredible birth stories in the first half.

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