One Born Every Minute - will you be watching?

[MarathonMama]

I know it's slightly sad strange to admit but I love One Born Every Minute and can't wait for the new series to start tomorrow.

I'll be watching even though I'm 30 weeks pregnant and it's bound to put the fear of god into me, will you?

Kinky Yes it's at the LGI. I had DS1 there 5 years ago and ended up having to stay a week, will be interesting to see if I recognise any of the staff. Also am expecting DC3 in summer, planning a homebirth but if that doesn't work out then I'll be back at the LGI spotting celebrity midwives :)

I'll be watching as a HypnoBirthing teacher and hopefully we'll see more gentle and mother-led births in this series...although with it being a TV show i'm sure it will be wall-to-wall dramatics ..

OK - rant coming up:

For those of you who criticize the American women on that version of the show:

Are you aware that the ONLY form of pain medication on offer to a labouring woman in America besides Tylenol (equivalent of paracetomol) is an epidural? We do not get gas and air, we do not use TENS machines (you must get a prescription from the doctor and have a particular reason, even then which is not often granted), we do not have pethidine, only 1 out of every 10 hospitals has even ONE room with a pool to labour in the water, never mind a whole fleet of them.

We do NOT have an NHS, everyone has to have insurance companies to pay for their births, which run anywhere from $6,000-$24,000 per birth.

The system without the NHS is the number one factor in the rate of inductions and C-sections. Every pregnant woman is seen by an obstetrician - who is a trained SURGEON - midwives have all but disappeared. Less than 1% of women give birth at home with or without a midwife. Midwives are no longer found in hospitals, although there are a precious few birth centers remaining in the country where you may spot some.

Scheduled C-sections are for the obstetricians' benefit, not the mother, although half the time it is presented to her as a safe option. Obstetricians can be sued by mothers for botched vaginal deliveries - ie. forceps, ventouse, shoulder dystocia, etc. HOWEVER, you can not sue a doctor from the death of either mother or baby by a C-section. THAT is why obstetricians will be very quick to suggest one, because in legal terms it means the doctor did 'everything possible' to ensure the health of mother & child. (Absolutely ludicrous of course in personal terms, but in legal terms, this is so.)

None of this is okay, of course, the birth system is in a complete shambles.

BUT it really infuriates me when women from other parts of the world who do not know all of the above start spouting that American women are weak for laying in hospital beds and taking epidurals and having C-sections. This is the system I am presented with, in one of the most developed countries in the world with the second highest infant mortality rate amongst said developed countries. I will have to fight tooth and nail for a completely natural labour, but GOD I wish I could have the options of Gas and Air, TENS, pethidine, and water birth. But I don't. I am also going to struggle to keep my newborn in the room with me overnight, something that goes against the grain here.

So please don't judge us for what you see on a television show. It's not our fault the government is so heinous towards pregnant women and births in general. Just another downfall of the "fast economy" bullshit that presides here. Sorry for the massive rant. Just hope this opens up some eyes.

I wish I could watch it tonight but 4OD isn't shown outside the UK

Thanks puzzletree. I will watch it now. It is unlikely to do anything to stop my broodiness. DH should be afraid, very afraid .

It says LGI is new home of One Born... this suggests it could be based there for a while. Perhaps I should get pg and have CS on it, just to horrify all the teenagers I teach. I could single-womandly stop unprotected teenage sex with one flash of my sagging stomach. Woo!

Oh and another reason so many women get epidurals is from the Pitocin drip - it increases contractions excruciatingly because it's not the baby choosing to come at its own time - it's being forced to come. Women are not encouraged to labor here as long as is necessary, it's a very 'get them in, get them out' mentality. So pitocin makes the contractions unbearably painful, it's no surprise women take the ONLY pain option available to them.

Fishpond. I've never seen US OBEM or made any comment on it, but for what it's worth I've always understood the negative reactions to be horror at the birth culture which creates these situations, rather than criticism of labouring mothers. I didn't know all the things you just explained though, so thanks for that. I feel lucky for what I have here (hopefully; my hospital is bursting at the seams, but that's a different story).

I'll be watching despite the fact I never need to go through it again .

I veer between wailing "FFS give the woman a cs before it goes tits up" and "get off the bloody bed and keep moving!".

Hey there fishpond lovely fellow July-er, you're so right to be frustrated about the options you have over in the US :(. It's interesting how policy, options and expectations for birth vary so much around the world even between so-called developed countries. I suspect people in plenty of other countries would think we're over-medicalised here too. And we do have our own issues particularly with resources/staff.

fishpond I wasn't criticizing the American women just the attitude of that midwives' in the show, the whole comparing teeth extractions with labour pains really annoyed me.

sorry, I meant those midwives, not that... My English seems to be failing

ill be watching love the programme i love to see all the different experiences they have brings it all back.

Not sure if I will watch it because I seem to spend my whole time bitching about 'how can those bloody stupid people get pregnant and I can't? Not very helpful.

Oh yes, love a weep and a bottom clench while watching this!

Penguins I suspect it has to do with the fact that hospitals here are not as crowded as in the UK and the rooms are pretty spacious (as if you care during labour of
course! ) so as long as relatives stay fairly unobtrusive there is usually adequate room. They will, from experience though, kick out all except 1 if there are complications and only 1 allowed in for c sections.

I'll be watching! I watched the last series (when I was also pregnant but had a late miscarriage) but I am now pregnant again and intend to tuck in, whilst crossing my legs and trying not to freak out! I think the UK version is much better than the US version - less cheesy!

Bets on how many of us will cry when the little babies are born tonight?!

I know I will!!!

Sorry to hear about your late miscarriage, Littledink.

I will be watching this time too, but it's not the same, watching it when I'm not pregnant! The series I watched when I was pregnant with my youngest old was so emotional for me. I'd already been through labour so I didn't find it frightening viewing like some first-time mums I know; I just got so caught up in it though, and it made me so excited to meet my own baby.

Thanks for the post fishpond it is very illuminating. I am married to an American and have to put up with constant "isn't the US medical system marvellous, isn't the NHS shite" chat from my in-laws ALL THE TIME. Considering I work for the NHS..!

I've watched lots of "16 and Pregnant" and every birth is the same. In, hooked up to pitocin, epidural, legs on stirrups, told when to push or taken for a CS. Now I can see why.

I really enjoyed the first series, but no I won't be watching. I can't, I get to emotional and it brings back awful memories for me. I had an horrific labour the first time and a better but no so great VBAC the second time round. It just reminds me of all the things I should have done and didn't.

I've not watched any of the previous series but really looking forward to this one, especially as it's my hometown (expecting extreme cringe ness) I'm 31 weeks pg and due to birth at the far superior sister hospital St James at the end of feb..eeek
fishpond I didn't know any of that about US births, how awful, really hope we never go down that road.

Well done to you insisting on the birth you want, hope it all goes well for you.

I loved the first series as it was shortly after the birth of my DD. I remembered nothing about the birth so I enjoyed living vicariously through One Born...