A Baby Story

[jurisfictionoperative]

Why, when I watch this programme, do I feel glad I don't live in America, and the words 'cascade of interventions spring to mind?' Am I being unreasonable?

No I think it is so annoying as well. Although I do get slightly jealous that they all seem to have private rooms and epidurals on demand! I've yet to see anyone try and move around/attempt a natural birth.

They've had a home water birth on that programme a couple of times, not so bad. I think portland babies seems to have a lot more hands on stuff...

I know it's amazing..and they all get induced if they go over 40 weeks,lie down with their baby and wait for the baby to arrive.
Lovely big rooms though!And alot cleaner than our hospitals!
It does annoy me how medicalised they are.The women are treated like freaks if they want to have a birth without an epidural.(not anti drugs myself by the way,and I do think epidurals can be great,I had one).

is interesting how things so different in different countries. In The Times or Telegraph over weekend there was an article about chldbirth in Italy. The featured woman had had on DC in Uk, one in Italy, and was fullof praise for Italian way of doing things. One thing that came out was that there epidurals are only given in truly extreme cases, there is an expectataion that it will hurt and they think the UK way of dishing out pain relief is really OTT!! A family friend had babay in US and was laughed at when mentioned taht she had used gas and air for first baby - the US doc that taht was really quaint.
Maybe the UK way is a happy medium. And presumabkly, altho I have not seen the US programme referred to above they are paying hefty insurance premiums for those lovely rooms?

Oh, I quite agree, OP! I'm 26 wks into a normal low-risk pregnancy and we live in America, (both from UK originally) and for me to even be seeing a Midwife for my care RATHER than an OB-GYN is freakish and hilarious. It's as if I said I was having my baby delivered by Dumbledore or something, or a witch. People just stare at me. We deliberately sought out a midwife after watching "The Business of Being Born" and realising what it's actually like over here. Midwife-lead care is one of the few ways to try to avoid the cascade of interventions.

And oh yes, boy, does it cost you! We have pretty nice insurance coverage but still expect the birth to cost $3,000 - $5,000 if it's straightforward, and a lot higher if the baby needs some time in an incubator or any problems occur at or after the birth. I've already spent the equivalent of a few hundred pounds for things like the nuchal fold test and the 20 week scan, and we only have a joint income of $60,000 a year. So yeah - it's sparkly clean but it's not exactly ideal - I wish we could go home to my mum's and use the local NHS, I really do.

The woman I watched on A B S today, had a normal pregnancy and presentation, went one day over and was induced with a ballon catheter in her cervix to manually dilate it!!!!!! She went in to labour they broke her waters, but didn't progress, baby in distress, ended up with cesarean. Never mind the baby, I was in distress just watching! And every episode is similar! It's enough to put you off birth for life!

Every country has a REALLY different attitude to pregnancy and childbirth, and doctors and hospitals differ within each country. In terms of right or wrong, you need to look at the safest countries statistically, which I think is Netherlands (extremely hands off). I had one in England and one in Belgium - must confess I was by far more impressed with the Belgian experience, just in basic terms of nursing support - not feeling guilty about asking them for help, because they look like they are about to drop because they are so overworked (UK).

I've lived/had babies in Eastern and Western Europe and US, and I would say northern European countries (not inc. UK) seem to have the right balance between cost of insurance and services provided. The NHS is NOT free, as everyone seems to believe, but USA rates are extortionate (but luckily that's changing).

Whichever way you look at it, you'll think the way it's done in your home country is the right way. I've had French friends have babies in London and be shocked by the whole experience. In the US, they seem to think we're archaic with our gas and air. In Russia the doctor was shocked I was not given any medication by the UK doctor when I had a problem during my pregnancy. Everybody's experience is different - for eg I was never made to feel I had to leave the hospital until I was ready, whereas I've had friends who were really pressurised into leaving soon after the birth, when they didn't feel up to it.

All humans are meant to be made up the same way, but the differences in attitudes in medicine you'd think we were dealing with different species.

Hmm...I live in the US and know a few mothers who have had their babies at home, and also quite a few who have done hospital births w/o an epidural. I think it depends on your state though; for the most part in Minnesota we're very "hey, whatever you wanna do..." I had a hospital birth and an epidural with it. I wish I had the courage to try a home birth but I am a huge sally and would never be able to.

One of the mothers at my DS's playgroup did the home birth in a tub w/no doctor or anything for her first two. With her most recent pregnancy she didn't see a dr. or anything either, so her twins were quite a shock to her when they were born! I think it all really depends on what you're comfortable with and used to. But A Baby Story isn't really representative of how we do things here, at least not completely.

I saw this programme for the first time this week and had to turn it off as it made me really cross. The mum was being induced at 39wks as her doctor asked if she wanted it and she'd decided she'd had enough of being pregnant. Then when she was finally starting with labour they offered her an epidural and then when she said no as she wanted to experience what labour was like (by the way this was her third baby) the doctor thought she was mad.
She didn't even break a sweat or go red!

Don't forget a lot of ABS is reshot. Might explain the relaxed atmosphere!

I had coffee yesterday with a mum-to-be who's due at the same time as me. She already has a 3 year old DS and told me that "the private rooms are lovely, they're also between $500 and $750 per night out-of-pocket" (i.e. Not covered by your insurance, you have to show up to the hospital with the cash or a debit card).
Huh. I told this to DH and he winced a bit, and ... yeah, I'll be on the general ward!
I was talking about the UK "Gas-and-air" and everyone was amazed at such a thing (quaint!) and a few wanted to know why they couldn't get it. We agreed it's probably because it's cheap and effective, and therefore the insurance companies can't make a packet out of it.