When I was pregnant with DS I watched a load of mainly American birth programmes and found they were a pretty good way of preparing me for birth. They were mainly straightforward births and the few that weren't (babies taken to scbu etc) I was able to watch in a very matter-of-fact way because as a naive first timer I couldn't relate to the emotional aspects of it all.
Three years later I'm 6 months pregnant and would like to prepare myself for birth in a similar way. In those 3 years I've had a physically traumatic mc which has left me feeling more anxious and vulnerable about pregnancy in general, and reading too much mumsnet and the sad stories it contains has increased my awareness of things that can go wrong. I think watching some births would help me to 'normalise' the process again so when I go into labour I won't be so scared and anxious.
I have never seen One Born Every Minute. I've heard it makes people cry, but is that in a good or bad way? Before I start watching a few episodes, I'd really like someone who has seen it to tell me if it will help me or scare me even more! If it shows a variety of 'normal' births, including c-sections, forceps etc then that's fine, but if it contains really traumatic stuff such as stillbirths, pph, mothers being treated in intensive care, premature newborns fighting for life etc., then perhaps I would be better off sticking to re-runs of the American programmes.
Should I watch it or not?
